I was lucky enough to secure an invite to Salami Day this
year. Even better, it happened on my birthday weekend. The essential elements
of the day are beer, meat and fire – all in all a perfect day out!
I arrived at 1030 h with an esky to see the fire already lit,
and stack of pallets being cut with a chainsaw, and all with beers in hand.
Four pigs had been boned out the day before, and the meat minced in preparation
for the salami seasonings.
The fire might have got a little unruly towards the end of the afternoon... Did you know that fire melts bitumen?
Salami is a very lean meat product, so the trim was mixed
with beef and venison (one of the guys shot a deer a couple of days ago) and we
made sausages for lunch. The ribs were brined overnight, and went into the
smoker for a three hour cold smoke. The aim of the day was too make both
sausage and salami, eat more pig products than you could imagine, and drink and
chat. Great day.
Smoked pork ribs - sensational. Must. Have. These at Salami Day!
The production line in full swing
This is only a fraction of the sausages we made
The ribs were insanely good, and will form an integral part
of our own future salami days on the farm. Some chose not to get involved with
the manufacture, but I figured that learning opportunities like this don’t come
along very often. I watched the butchers linking sausages, and asked for a
tutorial. Those guys are poetry in motion, and watching them is like watching a
talented knitter whipping through a ball of wool. To say I was a bit slower is
an understatement. I eventually got the technique correct, but will need a lot
more practice before I can claim any sort of proficiency!
We made the salami – these ones were made with a starter to
reduce the required hanging time. The organisers tell me they are a little
impatient and can’t wait for a full natural cure! We did three types, and took
home a total of five each. There is a very mild, a traditional Italian salami,
and a cacciatore salami. The cacciatore is going to be blisteringly hot – it is
full of chilli and olives. The magic number for salami is 2.7% - that is the
salt percentage to make a good salami. Apparently they figured out (after we
made the salami) that they had overdone the recipe a little, and may have gone
closer to 4%. Hopefully it will be ok!
My share of the bounty, hanging at home for the next 3-4 weeks
It was a wonderful day, with plenty of food and beer. It was
a great learning opportunity, and gave me so many thoughts for how we can turn
workdays into festival occasions on the farm.
Today was my birthday, and I was thoroughly spoiled. Jane
and MacK spoiled me this morning (before sunrise) with lovely gifts and we went
out for breakfast with friends. Despite Jane saying that presents weren’t
necessary, everybody thinks I am a lush and need watering. I did well though –
three lovely bottles of red wine!
MacK chose the cake for my birthday, reasoning that if his
idea of a perfect cake was Zappo the alien, then I would be bound to share the
opinion! It was a lovely chocolate mud cake, well appreciated by all who came.
MacK and I at breakfast, with Zappo the alien!
No comments:
Post a Comment