In this post, I’ll show you how to make your own pepper salami. It takes some time to prepare, but it’s definitely worth it!
Making salami can be a real challenge, especially for beginners, as certain conditions such as temperature and humidity are required for optimum maturing.
The best way to mature sausage is, of course, in a special maturing cabinet. However, there are also alternative methods that work without this – I will go into this in more detail in this article.
If you are new to the world of salami making, I definitely recommend my detailed article on making salami yourself. There you will find all the important information to help you get started.
Now it’s time to get started..
Here you can find the complete pepper salami recipe as a video or to read through.
Have fun and good luck making it!
Table of Contents
Pepper salami – What do you need to make it?
The perfect ingredients and a little patience are all you need to prepare this tasty treat in no time at all.
Ingredients per 1 kg
- 30% lean beef (300g)
- 40% pork (400g)
- 30% pork loin fat (300g)
Spices per kg
- 27.5 g salt
- 2.5 g Cure #1
- 4.5 g black pepper
- 3 g sugar mixture (50% dextrose / 50% sugar)
- 2.5 g white pepper
The equipment to make pepper salami
You need a meat grinder to “grind” the meat. The meat is chopped into small chunks and can then be mixed.
Sausage stuffer / Grinder attachment / Funnel
You need this to get your sausage mass into the casing. If you do not have one, you can also use a filling attachment for your meat grinder or a hand filling funnel.
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
Casings
For maturing cured sausages you need special artificial casings. I recommend fiber casings in caliber 55/25.
The casings can also be smoked and support the ripening process ideally.
Pepper salami – Step-By-Step Instructions
Follow these simple steps to prepare your pepper salami to perfection.
1. Cut the beef / pork and the pork loin fat into mincer-sized pieces. You can adjust the size depending on how big your grinder is.
2. Place the pieces of meat in the freezer for 1-2 hours to freeze. This will help you later when mincing and ensure that the mixture does not get too warm.
3. Now you can grind the meat. Depending on how coarse or fine you want your pepper salami, you can use different perforated disks. To be honest, this is completely a matter of taste. I use the medium perforated disk (5 mm) for the pepper salami.
4. Add the spices to the mixture and knead it thoroughly until it reaches a uniform, sticky consistency. This step is important to get a good binding of the sausage meat. You can also do the mixing with a hand mixer. But really make sure that the sausage meat gets a good binding (approx. 3-4 minutes).
5. Fill your sausage meat into casings. Whether you use natural or artificial casings is up to you. It is important that the casing is suitable for cured sausages. Make sure that there are no air pockets. If there are, you can pierce them with a needle.
6. Hang the salami to redden for 24-48 hours at high humidity (> 90%) and temperature (20-25 degrees Celsius). You can spray the pepper salami with water from time to time to keep the humidity as high as possible.
7. You can then hang them up in any cool place. The humidity should be around 75 % and the temperature no higher than 15 C° (59.0°F). If you don’t have a ripening cabinet, you can also hang them in the cellar in many cases if the parameters are reasonably suitable. I did this for a long time.
8. After the maturing time, your pepper salami is ready. This varies greatly depending on the caliber you use and your environmental conditions. Important: The maturing process takes time. Be patient until you reach your desired degree of hardness. Have fun making your own!😄
Frequently asked questions
What is the shelf life of your pepper salami?
Your pepper salami can be kept for several months. However, it will gradually lose more moisture and eventually dry out completely. It therefore makes sense to store it vacuum-sealed in the fridge.
Which types of meat are best suited to pepper salami?
A mixture of pork (e.g. shoulder or belly) and back fat is usually used for pepper salami. You can also add beef – the important thing is a balanced ratio between lean meat and fat (approx. 70:30).
Which pepper is the right one?
Coarsely ground black pepper is suitable for a classic pepper salami. However, you can also experiment with green, white or even smoked pepper – depending on the desired flavor.
Do I really need a dry ager?
A dry ager is ideal as it keeps the temperature and humidity constant. However, you can also do without one – e.g. in a cool, well-ventilated cellar. It is important that the temperature (approx. 12-15 °C) and humidity (approx. 75-80 %) are as stable as possible.
How long does the pepper salami take to dry?
The aging time is approx. 3 to 6 weeks, depending on the thickness and desired degree of dryness. The longer it matures, the more intense the flavor.
How can I tell if my salami has aged properly?
It should be evenly dry, but not rock hard. Look out for unpleasant odors or slimy spots – these are signs of incorrect ripening.
Can I also make spicier varieties?
Of course! In addition to pepper, you can add chili, paprika or mustard seeds, for example. The pepper salami can be adapted to suit your taste.