Dried salami

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  • #1308647
    Meno
    Participant

    I decided to try drying salami. I hung two salamis at the top of the staircase going down to the basement. When I open the door to the basement it smells like salami. Is that smell gonna go away?

    #1308668
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    Can you hang baking soda boxes near the two salamis?

    #1308718
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    If you don’t like the smell of salami, you probably won’t like the taste either.

    #1308722
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    Maybe he doesn’t want his basement smelling of salami and his family aren’t fans of meaty smelling staircases.

    #1308726
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    There’s no accounting for taste.

    Especially with people who drink Folger’s.

    #1308771
    popa_bar_abba
    Participant

    Your wife should know this type of stuff

    #1308862
    Meno
    Participant

    No no, you’re all missing the point.

    I love the smell. I’m concerned that it will go away, and I won’t smell delicious salami every time my wife asks me to go downstairs to get the laundry.

    How do I keep the smell from going away?

    #1308871
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    Simple. Keep a piece of salami lodged up each nostril.

    The additional benefit is that you can go back to telling your wife to get the laundry.

    #1308923
    Meno
    Participant

    Simple. Keep a piece of salami lodged up each nostril.

    That’s probably why they sell them in packs of two.

    #1309759
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    Meno, most people simply walk around with a slice of salami in each sock.

    #1313861
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    Isn’t salami already dry?

    Does it not go rancid if you hang it dry by your basement?

    What about spider webs and spiders? Daddy longlegs? Creatures? Children?

    If I was a kid and saw dried salami hanging, I might want to jump up and pull it down -and get hurt in the process.

    #1313862
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    If you fill the salami with candy before hanging it, then you can bring it to birthday parties!

    #1314104
    Meno
    Participant

    Isn’t salami already dry?
    Yes but only if it’s dried salami.

    Does it not go rancid if you hang it dry by your basement?
    So far, so good. Though the wonderful salami smell seems to be gone.

    If I was a kid and saw dried salami hanging, I might want to jump up and pull it down -and get hurt in the process.

    My daughter has asked me what they’re doing up there. I just told her she’ll understand when she gets older.

    #1314904
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    Meno: Does that mean that when she’s older, you’ll send her the URL to this thread?

    #1318285
    Meno
    Participant

    How do I know when it’s ready?

    #1318287
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    To Meno:

    When it smells like the dorm at the Yeshiva on the day before bein hazmanim….

    #1318295
    Meno
    Participant

    We’ll then mine must’ve been ready weeks ago

    #1318304
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    Did you restock?

    #1318511
    Meno
    Participant

    No, I wanted to make sure they come out good first.

    I’m very tempted to cut one open.

    #1318517
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    For how long are they supposed to hang?

    #1318520
    Meno
    Participant

    I’ve heard 3-4 weeks depending on the conditions and preference.

    Yesterday was 2 weeks. They look and feel pretty dry but I really have no idea how to tell.

    #1318980
    yitzyk
    Participant

    I have done this a few times. When I first started I got advice from my sister, who at the time worked in Pomegranate and was able to obtain very professional advice. If they are making BIG BUCKS off drying salami, you can be sure that they are doing it right! Dried salami sells for triple the price of regular salami!

    Anyway, here are a few suggested answers to your questions:
    1 – the smell is only in the first few days, when the most moisture evaporates. After that, it slows down. To maintain the smell – and keep you in regular supply of dried salami (like if you want one every Shabbos,) you would have to hang up a new one every week. You can divide the two you buy (if you are buying two at a time,) and keep one in the refrigerator for a week before hanging it up. You just have to remember which ones are from when, to know which one is ready.
    2 – You might want to not hang them over anything important, like carpeting. Sometimes they drip a little – again, mostly only at first. Or just leave a rag on the floor directly underneath. It is at most only a few drips.
    3 – There is no absolute time. It depends on how dry and hot the air is. They typically take around 4 weeks. They are edible at any time. If you like them less hard and dry, eat them after two weeks (sometimes my kids just couldn’t wait any longer than 2 weeks!) I think mine were ideal after 3-4 weeks, and too hard (for me) at 6 weeks. But that might be perfect if you are cutting them thin and small for recipes, like tiny chunks on a salad.
    4 – Be warned, that sometimes they just don’t make it. There is always a risk that it could become rotten, moldy, or buggy. No big deal, don’t give up. Just throw it out and try again. If it happens more than rarely, the environment they are hanging in is not ideal – too moist or hot or whatever. Move them elsewhere. When you first hang them up, wipe them off well to remove the external fat and moisture that will spoil faster.

    I hang mine in my basement, while my aunt hangs hers in her kitchen. She lives alone, whereas my kitchen is often cooking for a large family and is probably too hot for it.

    B’teavon!

    #1319012
    Meno
    Participant

    yitzyk,

    Thank you very much. I genuinely appreciate the info.

    #1319074
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    I told you you should have restocked.

    #1319539
    Meno
    Participant

    So here’s an update for all you folks who are following along at home:

    I couldn’t help myself, and I decided to cut one open last night.

    It wasn’t ready yet. It was only dried about .150″ deep from the surface (the salami is about 1.75″ Diameter).

    It wasn’t bad, it was just more like regular salami than dried salami. There might be a way to hang it back up, but I’m too nervous to try that and also I cut the side with the string. I think I’ll wait another two weeks for the next one.

    Drying salami is definitely a good exercise in self-control.

    #1322241
    Burnt Steak
    Participant

    Romanian in Chicago has salamis you can buy and hang without doing any special preparation.
    Just find a dry place to hang it for 3-5 weeks.
    IMO best place to get kosher meat in America.

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