Lactobacillus in Salami

Hi everyone. I am going to make my first batch of salami pretty soon, and am super stoked. I have been making various fresh sausages for 4 years, but now it is time to start with the dry cured delicacies. I am using a Len Poli recipe (those who don't know should check out his website).

Anyhow, I am curious about this "lactic starter" that the recipe calls for. I understand why it is important and what it does. What I am curious about is where to find it and what I might be able to substitute. I found a place online, but they sell it in 40 gram bags... enough to do 500lbs of meat. A lot more than I need for my 8lb batch.

I guess I have two questions.

1. Does anyone have a supplier for smaller quantities of the stuff?

2. Could I substitute the Lactobacillus Activator Wyeast 5335 instead?

Thanks in advance.

it's a specialty item, so unless you can find someone locally who is producing these kinds of cured meats, you will probably need to order from BP, that's where I ordered mine from. i figure if it's something you are going to do long term, a $15 investment up front will keep you going for a long time. there are certain 'species' of pediococcus, lactobacillus, staphylocuccus and mixtures thereof that are specialized in curing meats, i wouldn't try to introduce a brewing culture and risk losing the entire batch or not providing the right organism to keep the end product safe. i think most of those bactoferm cultures are OK for most meats, but look more into which ones others use and decide which one you want to use for the next several batches and buy it, or get a few to experiment which one gets you the best end flavor.

check out www.sausagemaker.com

Their prices are kind of high for most things but they have just about everything you could need.