Fennel salami (Salame Finocchiona)
User Reviews
5
Fennel salami (Salame Finocchiona)
Description
Fennel Salami is crafted by blending various cuts of pork, including lean shoulder, ham, and fatty belly to create a balanced fat content. The meat is salted with sea salt, cured with Cure #2 and dextrose, and mixed thoroughly with garlic powder, coarsely ground black pepper, and wild fennel seeds or a fennel pollen blend. A starter culture is rehydrated and added to promote fermentation. The mixture is ground finely, stuffed into natural casings, tied into links, and pricked with sterile needles to permit controlled drying. Optionally, the surface may be inoculated with beneficial mold. The salami is then cured carefully over time, allowing flavors to mature and the texture to firm properly.
This salami is enjoyed sliced thin as part of antipasto platters or sandwiches, showcasing its herbal fennel character and savory pork taste.
Adjust starter culture relative to meat weight for larger batches, but keep water volume constant at 60 ml unless exceeding 3 kg of meat, when it should be doubled.
Ingredients
- 750 g pork boneless, trimmed shoulder, trimmed ham, lean belly meat, coppa/pork neck, lean
- 250 g pork belly fatty part
- 25.5 g salt sea salt
- 2.5 g Cure #2
- 2.25 g dextrose
- 0.12 g T-SPX culture
- 60 ml distilled water
- 10 ml red wine good Tuscan red wine
- 0.75 g garlic powder
- 4 g fennel seeds wild fennel seeds or a combination of fennel seeds and fennel pollen are recommended.
- 2 g black pepper coarsely ground
Instructions
- Rehydrate the starter culture in 60 ml distilled water. (see notes)
- Weigh the lean meat and the pork belly in grams. Calculate the rest of the ingredients, except the distilled water which will remain the same (see notes), weigh them out and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the salt, Cure #2 and dextrose.
- Cut the lean and the fatty pork into 1-inch pieces. Sprinkle the salt mixture over the meat and mix well. Freeze for 20 minutes.
- Grind through a 3/16″ (4.5mm) grinder plate.
- Combine the ground pork with seasonings, dextrose, and starter culture. Mix well, until sticky.
- Stuff into 70-110 mm natural casings (beef bungs) and tie into 10"-12" links.
- Using a sterilized needle or sausage pricker, prick holes across the entire salami.
- Weigh the salami, write down its weight on a tag and attach the tag to the salami.
- If desired, inoculate with mold.
- 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.
- 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.
- Mature in the curing chamber at 55F - 57F (13C - 14C) and 80% - 84% for about 3 months.
Alternative curing method
- Ferment salami at 68F-70F for three days to get the pH below 5.3.
- Cure at the standard 55F-57F and 75% RH until 35% weight loss is obtained.
Notes
- Scale starter culture proportionally for larger batches, but keep the distilled water volume at 60 ml for mixes under 3 kg; double water above 3 kg meat.
- Use a mix of wild fennel seeds and fennel pollen to achieve an authentic fennel aroma.
- Prick the salami casings after stuffing to allow proper air exchange during curing.
- Attach weight tags to monitor moisture loss during curing.
- Inoculate with beneficial mold on the surface if desired for traditional rind formation.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
You'll Also Love
