Technology: Cooked salami production
Cooked salamis are produced in a similar way to cooked sausages. However, they differ when it comes to the choice of meat and the recipe, and they also require a somewhat extended drying process. Loss on drying can be up to 35 %.
Features of an excellent cooked salami:
- rich and pure meaty taste
- attractive, rich red colour
- long shelf life, sometimes without chilling
- good slicing properties
1. Selecting The Meat
Only lean beef and pork are used for making the basic emulsion.2. Pre-Salting
The inlay material is pre-salted 12 to 24 hours prior to processing with nitrite curing salt and active agents for colour maintenance (e.g. Contrit). This taps the full effects of the nitrite from the curing salt and ensures a more intense cured red colour and prolonged colour retention.
3. Chopping/Mincing
The meat and ice form a cohesive emulsion. The final temperature should be around 4 to 6 °C to give the emulsion a rich red colour and ensure excellent binding.After the inlay material is added, the emulsion is cut to the required coarseness, either by mincing or chopping. Frequently, the material is minced at the time of stuffing to ensure that the final coarseness and the cutting surface are very even.
4. Stuffing
Steam-permeable casings are normally used so that the product can dry out. This ensures intense flavour development and a good shelf life.5. Reddening, Drying, Smoking, After-Ripening
Cooked salamis are reddened and dried at around 55 °C, then they undergo hot smoking (55 to 75 °C). They are cooked or cooked at up to 78 °C until the core temperature reaches 70 to 74 °C.INFO: All times and temperatures are merely guide values. The exact values must be adjusted to suit the functions of the relevant machinery, the active agents added and the filling quantity.
