eelgrass
Long Time Member
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ForkWest asked about making salami in another thread, so rather than hijack that I'll post here, although there's not much specifically I can tell you.
Humboldt County is big ranching and dairy country (along with pot), and the recipe came from the early settlers who immigrated here from Sweden and Finland in the 1880's. The ingredients are secret. I have no idea what's in it, except I did see some empty red wine bottles in the back room once. Not positive wine is in the recipe though.
About 25-30 of us get together once a year in the winter to make it, and when we get there the meat is all mixed up and ground. We use the back room of the Ferndale Meat Co. They've been doing it forever, but this is about my 10th year. Someone has to drop out before someone else gets invited.
The price varies every year depending on meat prices, but we're only charged for actual costs. Nobody makes any money. It's all about friendship and tradition, although modern machinery is used now. It used to take two days.
We start stuffing and tying about 8 am and the "bar maid" starts serving Bloody Mary's about 8:30. Having at least one Bloody Mary is one of the requirements to join, I think.
We make three varieties. Start out making breakfast sausage, then switch to dry salami, large and small. We usually make about 2,000 lbs. and finish up around noon.
Getting ready to load the sausage stuffer. It works on water pressure to force the meat into the casings. They use natural casings from pigs, or maybe sheep.
This is Pam. She keeps telling us she likes the long thick salami.
Tying them up.
Hang them in a barn or garage. The more cool air you can get to them the better. It takes about 6 weeks. They get white mold on them most of the time but it depends on the weather. The longer it hangs the drier it gets. After about 6 weeks I take them down and put a few in bags, vacuum seal and freeze. It's better than any salami I've ever eaten.
Humboldt County is big ranching and dairy country (along with pot), and the recipe came from the early settlers who immigrated here from Sweden and Finland in the 1880's. The ingredients are secret. I have no idea what's in it, except I did see some empty red wine bottles in the back room once. Not positive wine is in the recipe though.
About 25-30 of us get together once a year in the winter to make it, and when we get there the meat is all mixed up and ground. We use the back room of the Ferndale Meat Co. They've been doing it forever, but this is about my 10th year. Someone has to drop out before someone else gets invited.
The price varies every year depending on meat prices, but we're only charged for actual costs. Nobody makes any money. It's all about friendship and tradition, although modern machinery is used now. It used to take two days.
We start stuffing and tying about 8 am and the "bar maid" starts serving Bloody Mary's about 8:30. Having at least one Bloody Mary is one of the requirements to join, I think.
We make three varieties. Start out making breakfast sausage, then switch to dry salami, large and small. We usually make about 2,000 lbs. and finish up around noon.
Getting ready to load the sausage stuffer. It works on water pressure to force the meat into the casings. They use natural casings from pigs, or maybe sheep.
This is Pam. She keeps telling us she likes the long thick salami.
Tying them up.
Hang them in a barn or garage. The more cool air you can get to them the better. It takes about 6 weeks. They get white mold on them most of the time but it depends on the weather. The longer it hangs the drier it gets. After about 6 weeks I take them down and put a few in bags, vacuum seal and freeze. It's better than any salami I've ever eaten.
