Calabrese Salami

1. Rehydrate the starter culture in 60 ml distilled water. (see notes)
2. Weigh the lean meat and the back fat in grams. Divide the total weight by 1000, then multiply each ingredient by that number, except the distilled water (see notes). For example, if the combined weight of the meat and back fat is 2650 g, you need to multiply the ingredients specified above by 2.65.
3. In a small bowl, combine the salt, Cure #2 and dextrose.
4. Cut the meat and the back fat into 1-inch pieces, and place into separate bowls. Sprinkle 3/4 of the salt mixture over the lean meat and the remaining 1/4 over the back fat. Mix each well to ensure even distribution. Freeze both for 20-30 minutes.
5. Grind the lean pork through a 1/2-inch (12 mm) grinder plate. Grind the back fat through a 1/4-inch (6mm) grinder plate.
6. Combine the lean pork with the starter culture and all of the seasonings. Mix well, until sticky, then mix in the groud back fat. It helps to use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment for this.
7. Stuff into beef bungs and tie into 10-inch (25cm) links.
8. Using a sterilized needle or sausage pricker, prick holes across the entire salami.
9. Weigh the salami, write down its weight on a tag and attach the tag to the salami.
10. If desired, inoculate with mold.
11. Use the leftover meat from the stuffer/stuffing tube to make a small sample for measuring the initial pH and the pH at later stages. Make sure to record the readings.
12. Dry at 59F - 77F (15C - 25C) and 65%-86% RH for a period of 7 days as per the drying protocol above. Measure the pH, it should be below 5.3 at this point.
13. Mature in the curing chamber at 55F - 57F (13C - 14C) and 80% - 84% for about 3+ months.

Alternative curing method

1. Ferment salami at 68F-70F for three days to get the pH below 5.3.
2. Cure at the standard 55F-57F and 75% RH until 35% weight loss is obtained.