Curing salami with salt only?

[Somethingnuw]

Sorry if this is a repost...I've searched but this is my time on this website


My question...my family are immigrants to Canada from Italy. Every year they make home made salami, sopressa, sausages and a boiled salami ( basically all the waste goes in there...freeze it until you want to it the boil the crap out of it) nothing gets wasted...

We try to find a whole pig, but often just end up buying pork shoulder but the flavour difference is hard to believe.

My question we all have cold cellars and hang our cured meat there

No temperature control, no humidity control just so air flow

Our recipe is like all the rest 3% salt 2 for sausage we freeze....we add no cure #2 no drying compound ect...

No celery for nitrate

Normally we do this between nov and march but some years it's hit n miss...we get a mild mild taste in it....


Does anyone else on here cure this way? I wanna try the old school way combined with a drying camber see if we end up with a better product

It's hit n miss sometimes we get an incredible product you can't find anywhere other times the taste of the mold transfers through...its hasn't made anyone sick...

I'm a believer in all things natural and hoping to find others who still go old school to try to keep away from what I believe to be bad for you


I'd like to here your experience right down to raising your own pigs

 

[microbusbrewery]

Unless you're using Prague powder #1 or #2 or a pre-mixed cure containing them, my understanding is you're kind of playing with fire. Regular salt will inhibit growth of botulism, but the nitrite/nitrate in curing salts kill botulism. Here's a good write-up, http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/curing_meats.html

 

[Somethingnuw]

Unless you're using Prague powder #1 or #2 or a pre-mixed cure containing them, my understanding is you're kind of playing with fire. Regular salt will inhibit growth of botulism, but the nitrite/nitrate in curing salts kill botulism. Here's a good write-up, http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/curing_meats.html

Hey thanks for taking the time...my family has been doing this for generations...nothing but salt...I don't want to argue but recently I went back to Italy and found they were doing it the same...

Closest thing I could find online someone was using celery powder of some kind ...don't quote me it's a nitrate that converts to a nitrites or the reverse...sounds fishy but then again so does just regular salt alone...but trust me it works...I have 4 boys they have been eating it since babies

This years batch didn't turn out so well but seems I'm the only one that can taste a slight difference

Anyhow, I will continue my quest to find others doing it the old way...I mean what did they use 100 years ago?

 

[Somethingnuw]

Unless you're using Prague powder #1 or #2 or a pre-mixed cure containing them, my understanding is you're kind of playing with fire. Regular salt will inhibit growth of botulism, but the nitrite/nitrate in curing salts kill botulism. Here's a good write-up, http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/curing_meats.html

I should have read the article before replying the first one...very informative...now I'm scared to eat my damp salami I've been eating for a month...lol

 

[Charlie 1984]

i have just made my first batch of salami with just salt 30g to 1Kg, Many of the Italian i have spoken to use this traditional method and have never had a problem.. i will see how it goes.. they have been hanging for 3 weeks this saturday and so far look good. i will try one and test it..