Chapter 8

1. Chapter 8 Sliceable Raw Sausages

2. Topics Covered • Before You Begin • Preparation • The Raw Materials • Forcemeats

3. Topics Covered (cont’d.) • The Maturation Process • The Curing Phase • The Incubation Phase • The Drying/Ripening Phase

4. Before You Begin • Use only the following types of meats in preparation of raw sliceable sausages: • Pork: certified pork butt, pork shoulder, or pork neck • Beef: chuck, clod, or lean beef trimmings • Pork fat: certified fresh fatback, jowls, or fat belly strip • Pork belly: green belly with the skin removed

5. Before You Begin (cont’d.) • Suggestions: • If you don’t have proper facilities to ripen and dry sliceable raw sausages: • Prepare during the cooler months of the year • Follow sanitation and proper personal hygiene measures closely

6. Before You Begin (cont’d.) • Suggestions (cont’d.): • Carefully trim meat of all sinews and tough skin: • Meat and fats must be cubed and sized to fit grinder opening • For health safety: • Keep all raw materials at a temperature of 36°F–45°F • Always semifreeze meats and fat before grinding

7. Preparation • Sliceable raw sausages: • Cured • Must be cubed to fit grinder opening • Semifrozen first, then season and mix with binders • After grinding slowly mix with paddle/dough hook, ball will form • Cure for 24 hours longer • Pipe into casings

8. Raw Materials • Meat and fat should be kept at 36°F–45°F • Minimizes buildup of microorganisms • Suggestions: • Use pork belly, pork butt, or pork shoulder • For beef, use chuck or clod • For fat, use fatback, pork jowls, or fat belly strip with skin removed • Always use good quality meat

9. Forcemeats • Always use certified pork • Must be trimmed • Sinews and gristle removed • Properly grinded • Sometimes meat and fat are ground separately • Kept at proper temperature • 36°F–45°F

10. Forcemeats (cont’d.) • Seasonings: • Add kosher salt and seasonings to cubed semifrozen meat • Grind • Mix thoroughly

11. Forcemeats (cont’d.) • TMC (pink curing salt): • Makes proteins in meat soluble, causing a sticky film (myosin) to form • Creates a stable emulsion • Dehydrates • Prevents spoilage

12. Forcemeats (cont’d.) • Starter cultures: • Lactic acids • Control microorganisms • Bactoferm LHP: fast acidification • Bactoferm F-RM-52: medium fast acidification • Bactoferm T-SPX: slow acidification

13. Forcemeats (cont’d.) • Spices: • Impart flavor and aroma • To achieve full flavor use fresh pungent spices • Ground should be sealed and stored in a dark area • If not maintained properly, they lose their aroma and flavor through evaporation of volatile oils • Life span is six to eight months

14. The Maturation Process • Salami and other raw sliceable sausages mature in three phases: • Curing • Incubation • Drying/ripening • Each requires different temperatures and relative humidity conditions • Process can take five weeks to one year

15. The Curing Phase • Maturation process begins when curing salts are added • Cure 24-48 hours • Salts cure meat and kill trichinosis organisms • When the curing process is complete, forcemeat is piped or stuffed into casings

16. The Incubation Phase • Forcemeat is next incubated in a dark room at 70°F for one to two days (or as directed) • Relative humidity should 75%–85%

17. The Drying/Ripening Phase • Sliceable raw sausages are dried in a cool dark room at 50°F–60°F • Reduces moisture and shrinks sausage (may lose half their weight) • Takes up to eight months • Mold may build up on casings (this is natural) • Recommendation: • Keep them refrigerated until needed

18. The Drying/Ripening Phase (cont’d.) Left to right: Properly cured, incubated, and ripened salami, wrongly cured, incubated, and ripened salami

19. Summary • This chapter reviewed: • How to make sliceable raw cured sausages • Curing process, incubation stage, and drying/ripening period • Importance of using TCM to prevent botulism • Good sanitation and personal hygiene procedures to follow