5 months and 32% weight-loss later, I finally cut into the giant genoa (see prior posts for the epic history of this beastly 10 lb salame).

 

Unfortunately, the results are less-than-spectacular.  The flavor is off (soapy/bitter/rancid aftertaste), the meat/fat ratio is off, and the bind is off.  The curing conditions for the last 5 months have been excellent, with a steady decline in RH from around 85% to 55%, with temperature generally running 50-60 degrees F.  While there was no big bloom of white mold, there was also no big bloom of any bad mold.  So, I'm not exactly sure what went wrong (I suspect a few things from our production phase).  Regardless, we'll chalk this one up to experience.

 

That being said, I have 10 lbs of the genoa salame that I am the mere custodian for, and I'm happy to distribute large chunks to anyone that wishes!  And, even though it wasn't great on its own, it did make for a fine hoagie (one of my favorite foods as a kid).