Genoa Salami - First Harvest
I have been conferring with Peter about the state of my two Genoa salamis which are 68 days old. The smaller one is at 31% weight loss and the larger one is at 26% - currently 2.13 lbs. and 2.69 lbs. respectively. They have been in an environment around 55 degrees and RH in the high 40s to low 50s for the last several weeks. Weight change has been very slow recently - e.g. .01 lbs. in the last five days. They both feel pretty firm. He thinks they are ready to try. So, this evening I cut into the smaller one. Here it is before the cut:
Here it is after cutting off about 1.5 inches from the hanging end:
If you look closely in this picture you can see a slight depression of about one half inch around the darker spots in the lower left quadrant. When I felt this I thought that the sausage had not cured long enough.
Here are slices from the large end:
Here you can see holes/gaps in the area where I thought there was insufficient curing. The slice in the lower left is where my finger felt the soft spot. There are other slices with smaller holes that are clearly fill gaps - probably from insufficient stuffing. I cut these slices with the bung on, and you can see it coming off of the edges of several slices. I chose to remove them before eating which is easy to do. Peter says they are edible and make for a nice "meaty rubber band" chew separately. He is right.
The flavor is tangy and quite similar to the Tuscan salami. The texture is more moist and seems looser (probably because of its larger size) than the Tuscan. The slices (about 3mm) easily break into pieces when picked up. Also, the fat ratio seems a little higher (and coarser) which probably makes them more delicate. I prefer the Tuscan salami over the Genoa...probably because I like the firmer texture.
The other Genoa is still in the curing chamber at 26% weight loss, and I am going to let it go until 35% to see what difference that might make in texture and/or flavor. It may take a while to reach that point since loss is very slow now. Exterior mold has been stable for weeks. I don't think there is any downside in trying this, so I am going for it.
