Home › Forums › Kosher Cooking! › Dried salami
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July 2, 2017 5:48 pm at 5:48 pm #1308647MenoParticipant
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?
July 2, 2017 8:24 pm at 8:24 pm #1308668LightbriteParticipantCan you hang baking soda boxes near the two salamis?
July 2, 2017 9:18 pm at 9:18 pm #1308718☕ DaasYochid ☕ParticipantIf you don’t like the smell of salami, you probably won’t like the taste either.
July 2, 2017 9:52 pm at 9:52 pm #1308722LightbriteParticipantMaybe he doesn’t want his basement smelling of salami and his family aren’t fans of meaty smelling staircases.
July 2, 2017 9:56 pm at 9:56 pm #1308726☕ DaasYochid ☕ParticipantThere’s no accounting for taste.
Especially with people who drink Folger’s.
July 3, 2017 8:39 am at 8:39 am #1308771popa_bar_abbaParticipantYour wife should know this type of stuff
July 3, 2017 10:08 am at 10:08 am #1308862MenoParticipantNo 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?
July 3, 2017 10:12 am at 10:12 am #1308871☕ DaasYochid ☕ParticipantSimple. 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.
July 3, 2017 10:48 am at 10:48 am #1308923MenoParticipantSimple. Keep a piece of salami lodged up each nostril.
That’s probably why they sell them in packs of two.
July 3, 2017 9:47 pm at 9:47 pm #1309759LightbriteParticipantMeno, most people simply walk around with a slice of salami in each sock.
July 9, 2017 10:50 pm at 10:50 pm #1313861LightbriteParticipantIsn’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.
July 9, 2017 10:50 pm at 10:50 pm #1313862LightbriteParticipantIf you fill the salami with candy before hanging it, then you can bring it to birthday parties!
July 10, 2017 10:27 am at 10:27 am #1314104MenoParticipantIsn’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.
July 10, 2017 7:43 pm at 7:43 pm #1314904LightbriteParticipantMeno: Does that mean that when she’s older, you’ll send her the URL to this thread?
July 16, 2017 3:09 pm at 3:09 pm #1318285MenoParticipantHow do I know when it’s ready?
July 16, 2017 3:20 pm at 3:20 pm #1318287GadolhadorahParticipantTo Meno:
When it smells like the dorm at the Yeshiva on the day before bein hazmanim….
July 16, 2017 3:51 pm at 3:51 pm #1318295MenoParticipantWe’ll then mine must’ve been ready weeks ago
July 16, 2017 3:54 pm at 3:54 pm #1318304☕ DaasYochid ☕ParticipantDid you restock?
July 17, 2017 9:29 am at 9:29 am #1318511MenoParticipantNo, I wanted to make sure they come out good first.
I’m very tempted to cut one open.
July 17, 2017 9:32 am at 9:32 am #1318517☕ DaasYochid ☕ParticipantFor how long are they supposed to hang?
July 17, 2017 9:37 am at 9:37 am #1318520MenoParticipantI’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.
July 17, 2017 1:16 pm at 1:16 pm #1318980yitzykParticipantI 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!
July 17, 2017 1:46 pm at 1:46 pm #1319012MenoParticipantyitzyk,
Thank you very much. I genuinely appreciate the info.
July 17, 2017 3:02 pm at 3:02 pm #1319074☕ DaasYochid ☕ParticipantI told you you should have restocked.
July 18, 2017 9:30 am at 9:30 am #1319539MenoParticipantSo 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.
July 21, 2017 6:31 am at 6:31 am #1322241Burnt SteakParticipantRomanian 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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