Premium Salami 🥓🔥 Recipe

Chill and grind

Trim excess silver skin from the pork shoulder and remove any large connective tissue. Dice pork and pork fat into 1–2 cm cubes. Chill meat and fat in the freezer for 20–30 minutes until firm but not frozen solid to facilitate clean grinding.

Grind the chilled pork shoulder through a 6–8 mm plate (coarse) into a chilled bowl. Keep meat cold between batches. Grind the pork back fat through a 8–10 mm plate (or hand-chop into small 3–5 mm pieces) so you have distinct white fat pieces throughout the mixture.

Combine the fine kosher salt, Prague powder #2, and sugar in a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle evenly over the ground meat and mix briefly to distribute curing salts.

In a separate bowl, combine cracked black pepper, white pepper, sweet paprika, hot smoked paprika, toasted crushed fennel seed, crushed red pepper flakes, minced garlic, ground coriander, and nutmeg. Mix spices thoroughly.

Add the spice mix to the ground meat and fat. Pour in the cold water, optional white wine, and the fermentation starter culture (follow the manufacturer’s directions for rehydration if required). Mix with gloved hands or in a stand mixer with paddle on low speed for 3–5 minutes until the mixture becomes sticky and the spices are evenly distributed. The mixture should bind slightly so fat and meat adhere but still show distinct fat pieces.

Check seasoning by pan‑frying a small 20 g patty: cook through and taste for salt, spice balance, and heat. Adjust if necessary, remembering that curing salt levels must not be altered.

Rinse hog casings thoroughly under warm water and soak according to package instructions. Flush water through them to remove excess salt if using preservative‑packed natural casings.

Fit your sausage stuffer with an appropriate nozzle (32–36 mm). Stuff the salami mixture into casings, filling firmly but avoiding large air pockets. Twist into 30–40 cm links (or one long log) and tie each end with butcher’s twine. Prick visible air bubbles with a sterile needle and press out air gently to avoid pockets.

Weigh and note starting weights of each salami log for monitoring shrinkage during drying.

Hang the stuffed salami in a warm (20–26°C / 68–79°F), high-humidity (85–90% RH) environment for 24–72 hours to allow fermentation. Maintain these conditions until the pH drops to around 5.0–5.3 (use pH strips or a meat pH meter). Typical time is 24–48 hours depending on starter culture and ambient temperature.

After fermentation, move salami to a cooler drying chamber set to 12–15°C (54–59°F) and 70–75% relative humidity. Hang with good airflow but out of direct drafts. This stage will dry the salami gradually and develop flavor.

Allow salamis to dry until they lose 30% of their original weight (typical safe target for whole-muscle salami). This generally takes 3–8 weeks depending on diameter and conditions. Check weights weekly and observe exterior for even white mold bloom (optional) which is traditional and protective. If surface remains too moist, increase airflow slightly; if too dry, raise humidity a few percent.

When target weight loss is reached and salami smells pleasantly fermented, remove from drying chamber. Trim twine, slice thinly across the grain using a sharp knife or meat slicer. Serve at room temperature.

Store finished salami vacuum-packed in the refrigerator for several weeks, or freeze for longer storage. Uncut salami will keep longer than sliced; always use clean utensils to slice to avoid contamination.