Venison salami

Erik Hamburger

Well-Known Member
When people get all exited about 'quality heads' I always joke: Never mind the antlers, how about the venison?

My current food project is to learn to produce fermented and air-dried sausages at home, so salami-style, using some 60% venison and 40% pork, of which a large proportion is hard back fat. This batch of 'Droge Worst' or 'Dry Sausage' or 'Boerenmetworst' is a Dutch recipe and basically identical to Italian salami, except for a few different spices. It has been made 2
weeks ago and needs another 2 weeks drying before it is ready to eat. The venison is from a young Roe buck shot by me early April near Stow-on-the-Wold, Cotswolds; the pork is from home-reared free-range pigs reared by my stalking partner. Fermented sausages making is the pinnacle of the art of charcuterie, as it made out of raw meat which is then kept for 72 hours in a WARM room to ferment, before hanging in a humid drying chamber at around 14C. A very unnatural thing to do, but with immaculate food hygiene, and by using the correct curing salt and a starter culture that will promote the 'good' bacteria and limit growth of 'bad' bacteria, the process is actually pretty safe.The objective is that you reach a given Aw (Water activity) and Ph (acidity) to suppress any baddies such as Listeria, Salmonella and Botulism, the arch-enemy of the fermented sausage maker. You can see the first blossoming of the white mold which is a Penicillin strain, and desirable on this type of sausages.
Droge Worst - dry sausage - Dutch salami.jpg
 
This is next on my list of things to make that may kill me!! I have done brasaeola, prosciutto and sausison sec so far this year, and salami is next. Salts and culture all ready to rock and meat is in the freezer!
Only limitation is that I dry everything in my loft and from now until September it will be too hot up there to dry properly.
 
This is next on my list of things to make that may kill me!! I have done brasaeola, prosciutto and sausison sec so far this year, and salami is next. Salts and culture all ready to rock and meat is in the freezer!
Only limitation is that I dry everything in my loft and from now until September it will be too hot up there to dry properly.

Well, good luck! You may find this book very useful: 'The art of making fermented sausages' by Stanley Marianski. This is not a book full of recipes (you can find plenty of those online), it is about the technical aspects of good and bad bacteria, food hygiene, air humidity, water activity, PH, contamination, molds, curing salts, drying and smoking. Invaluable if you want to take your charcuterie making to the next level.
 
+1 or nitrites

Nitrate (Cure 2, or Prague Powder No#2) for salami (and any other air-dried meats or sausages) Cure 2 only should be used for this, as the nitrate breaks down into nitrites over time and affords long-term protection from botulism nasties. Cure 1 (or Prague Powder No#1) contains nitrite, and is used for the likes of curing bacon, fresh sausages and gammon, or warm-smoking of sausage, brisket, pulled pork, etc :thumb:
 
It's a small risk, but it only has to happen once. I won't take the chance. Especially as it's been proven that nitrites are more or less harmless in the quantities you need to use. I once laughed myself silly at some neep who claimed to have a 'no added nitrite' cure using celery juice. Guess what celery contains? Yep . . . . nitrites

The “No Nitrites Added†Hoax | Michael Ruhlman

That's a nice recipe. Nitrite will make it completely safe though :thumb:
 
Very interesting. Do you have to put nitrates in it?

Yes, I use 'General Purpose curing salt' available from Sausage Making Equipment, Ingredients, gifts, recipes and ideas...
It is a pre-mix of standard salt and 'Cure No. 2' or 'Pink salt', which contains the nitrates, so the relative quantities are always right. (Nitrates are harmful if ingested in quantity)

Those who worry about the alleged unhealthy side-effects of this don't need to: A good portion of green vegetables contains a good dose as well.
 
I will bow to those who have many years experience of curing, either by smoke or other natural means, I will admit to enjoying their produce, but have to revert to a liking for a blue backstrap, eaten with a spoon!;)
 
Awesome. Can't wait to make my first salami! Except my pork will be free range, taken from wild trotters here in Oz.
 
my pork will be free range, taken from wild trotters here in Oz

Be sure to freeze the meat for at least a week before making it then? This will kill any Trichinosis parasites in the flesh. If meat is to be cooked it's not an issue, but I'd be sure to be careful where wild meat (especially pork) is concerned :thumb:
 
Sorry mate, didn't mean to teach you to suck eggs :oops:

Hopefully it'll be of use to anyone who didn't already know though
 
When people get all exited about 'quality heads' I always joke: Never mind the antlers, how about the venison?

My current food project is to learn to produce fermented and air-dried sausages at home, so salami-style, using some 60% venison and 40% pork, of which a large proportion is hard back fat. This batch of 'Droge Worst' or 'Dry Sausage' or 'Boerenmetworst' is a Dutch recipe and basically identical to Italian salami, except for a few different spices. It has been made 2
weeks ago and needs another 2 weeks drying before it is ready to eat. The venison is from a young Roe buck shot by me early April near Stow-on-the-Wold, Cotswolds; the pork is from home-reared free-range pigs reared by my stalking partner. Fermented sausages making is the pinnacle of the art of charcuterie, as it made out of raw meat which is then kept for 72 hours in a WARM room to ferment, before hanging in a humid drying chamber at around 14C. A very unnatural thing to do, but with immaculate food hygiene, and by using the correct curing salt and a starter culture that will promote the 'good' bacteria and limit growth of 'bad' bacteria, the process is actually pretty safe.The objective is that you reach a given Aw (Water activity) and Ph (acidity) to suppress any baddies such as Listeria, Salmonella and Botulism, the arch-enemy of the fermented sausage maker. You can see the first blossoming of the white mold which is a Penicillin strain, and desirable on this type of sausages.
View attachment 69764


Erik,
Can you please post the recipe with the spices per kg of meat mix as I'd like to try this also,

Cheers

Stratts
 
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