How To Make Salami – The Complete Beginners Guide

In this post I’ll show you how to make salami yourself. As a cured sausage, salami is one of the most demanding types of sausage to make yourself.

It has a special consistency, a spicy smell and a distinctive aroma.

Salami production is very challenging because you need a certain ambient temperature and humidity for optimal curing and fermentation.

The best way to do this is with a maturation chamber. Because this is nothing anyone just has at home, I also explained a method without a maturation chamber in this post.

In this article you will find a summary of all the necessary information to make salami at home. Please make sure to ready everything.

Of course, you will also find salami recipes and an explanatory video.

Have fun and good luck making it!

Salami – What do you need to make it?

There are many types of salami. Most of them are delicious. Please find my base recipe below:

The equipment to make Salami

Meat grinder

A meat grinder cuts the meat into small pieces so it can be mixed with the seasoning. Cut the meat into pieces that fit the feed tube before grinding.

Sausage stuffer, grinder attachment or funnel

Use a sausage stuffer to fill the mixture into its casing. A stuffing attachment for your meat grinder or a hand funnel also works when you are starting out.

Spice grinder or mortar

Freshly ground spices taste best. Use a spice grinder or a mortar, and grind the spices completely. Ready-ground spices also work.

Smokable fibrous casings

For maturing raw-cured sausages, I recommend smokable fibrous casings, caliber 55/25. They support the drying and maturation process.

For readers in the EU: you can buy these casings in my German shop. Smokable fibrous casings, caliber 55/25, 5 pieces.

If you want to make thinner Salami, you can also use natural pork casings caliber 28/30

Place to dry and mature the sausage

To age this raw sausage, you need an environment where both humidity and temperature are relatively constant. There are several possibilities for this. I have already matured cured sausages in the fridge or cellar without any problems.

Optional: If you want to be on the safe side, then a ripening cabinet is the best choice. My recommendation: Dry Ager DX 500

Step-By-Step Instructions

1

Cut the meat and back fat

Cut the pork, beef and back fat into pieces that fit your grinder. Keep the fat separate and cut it a little smaller so it distributes evenly.

2

Partially freeze the meat

Partially freeze the meat for 1–2 hours. Don’t freeze it solid; this makes grinding easier and keeps the mixture cold.

3

Grind the meat

Grind through a coarse plate, or a finer plate if you prefer. Important: Keep the mixture as cold as possible during preparation, from -2 to a maximum of +2 °C.

4

Incorporate the spices

Add the spices, salt and Cure #1 and knead thoroughly for about 3–4 minutes. The mixture should stick to your hands and feel firm. A food processor helps limit warming.

5

Put on the casing

Soak the casing in lukewarm water for about 30 minutes. Put it onto the stuffer and tie the end with kitchen twine.

6

Fill the casings

Stuff firmly under tension, without air pockets. Air pockets can oxidize and allow mold inside the salami. Wait until the mixture reaches the front, tie the front end and continue filling.

7

Tie the end of the casing

At your preferred length, cut and tie the other end with kitchen twine. The salami should feel firm with no visible cavities.

8

Remove air pockets

Prick the entire surface thoroughly with a needle or sausage pricker to open any air pockets. Retie the casing if it isn’t tight enough.

9

Let the salami develop its cured color

Hang for 24 hours at high humidity above 95 % to develop the cured color. Without a curing chamber, repeatedly spray with boiled water or wipe with a damp cloth. After 24 hours, the salami should have a reddish color.

10

Leave the salami to mature

Then hang in a cool place at about 70–85 % humidity and no more than 15 °C. I use my cellar. Thin casings, such as hog casings 28/30, take about 3 weeks; thicker casings take longer. See the maturation table below for details.

11

Slice the finished salami

Your salami is ready after maturation. The time depends on caliber and conditions. Be patient until it reaches your preferred firmness, with a good bind and no dry rim. Enjoy!

Making salami: the process explained

Salami combines your work with the work of bacteria. Your job is to encourage useful bacteria and limit harmful ones by increasing acidity (lowering pH) and reducing water activity (Aw). During maturation, the salami should lose about 25–30 % of its weight.

Humidity and maturation temperature

High humidity encourages mold; low humidity dries the outside too quickly and can leave the inside unable to dry, causing internal spoilage. With cure and/or starter cultures, I recommend this schedule:

Small calibers may be ready after 7 days. Larger calibers can be eaten from day 12 or dried further below 15 °C at 75 % humidity, depending on your preferred texture. A curing chamber makes these settings easiest to maintain.

For small calibers up to 30, this process has worked for me: leave at room temperature for 24 hours to develop the cured color, spraying repeatedly with boiled water. From day two, move to a cellar at 16 °C and 85 % humidity. Keep a damp cloth nearby for the first two days and moisten occasionally. Then dry for at least another five days, or several weeks if needed for your preferred firmness.

Important: Know your cellar’s conditions and how closely you can follow the table. Dangerous bacteria can develop during salami production. Dry sausage tips mean humidity is too low; supple tips mean it is right; dripping tips mean it is too high. Start with thin hog casings 28/30 and move to larger calibers after successful batches.

Storing salami

After maturation, store at 10–15 °C (50–59 °F) and about 75 % humidity. Lower humidity dries it further; higher humidity favors mold. Vacuum-packed and airtight in the fridge, salami keeps for several months. Prolonged exposure to air can make the fat oxidize and turn rancid.

Starter cultures

Starter cultures are microorganisms added to salami. They help it acidify gradually during the critical early stage and suppress unwanted bacteria. This reduces maturation mistakes and spoilage. Different cultures have different additives and color-development properties. Bactoferment 61 is one option for home production. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions: some products require no added sugar or less salt because these are already included.

Tips for homemade salami

Choose the right meat

Use meat from older, heavier animals, ideally over a year old. Rapidly fattened pigs tend to have watery meat that makes maturation harder. The fat should be firm, preferably pork back fat, and well rested.

Hygiene

Clean hands and equipment, correct temperatures and controlled humidity are especially important for raw-cured sausage. Neglecting them can spoil the batch.

Start with a small caliber

Start with hog casings 28/30. In my video, the thick salamis grew mold while the thin ones worked perfectly. Move to thicker casings once you understand the process.

Salami recipes and seasoning variations

Cured Sausages

Homemade Salami Sticks

Cured Sausages

Make a salami without casing

Cured Sausages

Make your own pepper salami

The basic process is the same. Starter culture may be added according to its manufacturer’s instructions.

Salami sticks

Thin salami sticks are a good beginner recipe because they mature quickly, in about 7 days. Try my salami sticks recipe.

Board salami

Board salami is flattened and matured on a board without casings, making it easier if you don’t have a stuffer. Try my salami without casing recipe.

Paprika and garlic salami

A bold version with plenty of paprika and fresh garlic ground directly with the meat. It makes a wonderfully aromatic salami with a beautiful color.

Per kg: 800 g pork shoulder and 200 g pork back fat. Add 3 g dextrose or sugar, 5 g black pepper, 30 g paprika and 10 g fresh garlic, ground with the meat.

• 25.5 g salt
• 2.5 g Cure #1

Pepper salami

A classic with a coarse pepper coating, full of spicy flavor and attractive on a sausage platter. Try my pepper salami.

Tuscan Finocchiona

An Italian classic from Tuscany. Fennel gives this salami a distinctive, slightly sweet aroma, with a splash of Chianti for an authentic touch.

Per kg: 850 g pork shoulder and 150 g pork back fat. Add 3 g dextrose or sugar, 5 g fennel seeds, 2 g white pepper, 1.5 g black pepper, 0.9 g garlic powder and 15 ml Chianti or similar wine.

• 25.5 g salt
• 2.5 g Cure #1

All salami and raw-cured sausage recipes

Explore more salami and raw-cured sausage recipes in my recipe collection.

Recipe photos