Cuts of meat vary a lot for making sausages or for that matter salami. Farmed or wild meat does have some key differences for making sausages and the various prime and sub-prime cuts that are available. I’ve enjoyed sausage making for decades and also become proficient at various dry-cured and hot smoked salamis. It’s a MASSIVE topic, and what I’ve …
Best Book for Sausage Making (Sausage or Salami)
If you search for the best book on sausage making, you will find a lot of books about this topic on Google, the good old algorithm. However, you want the best of the best. One answer that will give you that answer is someone who actually reads them, crazy! I want to make sure you’re getting the best book if …
Does Cured Meat Need to be Cooked?
Because cured meats come in many different types and variations, whether you have to cook them or not depends on a few things. Meat curing has fascinated me for a long time. I’ve gone across Europe (especially Italy) purely to savor the types of cured meats they have there. For example Calabrian Njuda (a spreadable pork sausage, or Parma from …
What Does Cured Meat Mean?
The meaning of cured meat seems like a pretty simple question, but due to the variations and different types of cured meat, I want to get into more detail. For instance, some cured meats like dry cured meats are ready-to-eat like prosciutto or dry cured picante salami. Then, on the other hand, you have dry cured cold smoked bacon which …
How to Smoke Bacon With a Pellet Tube Smoker
Using a pellet grill for smoking bacon is pretty straightforward when using a pellet tube smoker. However, there are some key points that I’ve learned over the years that can help make things easier and more straightforward. Of course, like most things, experience and going through the learning curve is part of the process. The bacon we normally eat at …
Can I Cure Meat Without Nitrates/Nitrites (Pink Curing Salt)
Over the years I’ve done a lot of meat curing using sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite. Another name for these is pink curing salt. A question that comes up a lot around here, is whether you need to use them to make cured meats. Curing meat also has a wide meaning, whether it’s dry cured or smoked/cooked (hot smoking). So …
What Salami Does Not Need to be Refrigerated? (And Types)
Some salami needs to be kept in the refrigerator and some do not. I have made salami for a few decades and this question people ask often wanting to take salami on a trip or holiday. Even though there are thousands of variations of salamis, most of the ones I make don’t need refrigeration because there are a dry cured …
InkBird Humidity Controller Review
I want to give some insight about InkBird humidity controllers since this is a key component to review when you’re looking at building a DIY meat curing chamber. Or you may have other projects needing an environmentally controlled environment with a humidity controller. Primarily I’m using the humidity controller for salami fermentation and growing mushrooms. When I first started off …
Bad Molds, Good Molds and Cured Meat – Pictures too
When it comes to curing meat especially dry-cured meat over a few months or more, the aspects of mold are one of the more challenging hurdles I’ve found in the beginning. There’s not a lot of detail online or in many of the meat curing books that I’ve read about the good mold and the bad mold. So I hope …
What Meat Mincer to make Salami or Fresh Sausages?
When it comes to mincing meat for salami and sausages there are some subtleties and mincer/grinder designs which I think you want in your equipment. Over the years I used many different types of meat mincers – from the cheap ones to more expensive ones, through to commercial equipment. Often guys who come to this blog eat cured meat are …