The Liberty Meat Ager is the perfect tool for making salami, especially if you live in a country where meat starter cultures are not readily available. Drying salami without these cultures is known as making “wild fermented” or “traditional” salami — it’s how it was done for centuries before modern cultures existed.
It can be done safely, but it requires precise control, good meat quality, and a very clean environment, and that’s where having a Meat Ager can help a lot.
The Liberty Meat Ager has just what you need to dry your salami in this method – precise control of temperature and humidity, and good mold management. As salami needs to dry slowly and evenly, the Meat Ager allows you to control the temperature, humidity and airflow within the appliance. At the same time, if you dry the salami too slowly, it can spoil.
With sterile air circulation and condensation control, the Meat Ager minimises the risk of toxic molds and bad bacteria developing on the salami. You do however, want good mold (pencillium nalgiovense) to grow because it regulates the drying and adds a nutty aroma to the meat.
The Meat Ager keeps humidity steady enough for this white mold to thrive, while suppressing bad molds. If you’ve ever had a salami batch go spotty or fuzzy green, that’s uncontrolled humidity or poor airflow — the Meat Ager prevents that problem from happening. A dedicated meat ager is crucial for managing the specific conditions required.
The Right Pork Cuts for Salami
Choosing the right pork cuts is the foundation of good salami. You want the perfect balance of flavour, fat, and texture, and avoid cuts that are too soft, wet, or sinewy. We recommend using Pork Shoulder (Boston Butt) as the base meat of the salami and Back Fat as the fat source in a 70-80% to 20-30% ratio respectively. Pork Shoulder is firm, flavourful and has enough intramuscular fat for good binding – it basically has the perfect distribution of lean meat and firm fat. Meanwhile, back fat (or hard fat) is hard and stable, and won’t turn mushy. They stay as clean, visible, white cubes after drying.
Recipe for “Traditional” Dry Aged Salami
Ingredients (for approx. 2 kg of salami)
Meat:
- 1.6 kg pork shoulder
- 0.4 kg pork back fat (Keep it near-freezing when grinding to avoid smearing, and avoid soft belly fat or jowl fat — they can cause greasy texture or off-flavours during long drying)
Cure and seasoning:
- 28 g salt (Fine sea salt or refined rock salt (non-iodized, food-grade)
- 6 g curing salt #2 (0.3%) (e.g. Prague Powder #2 and Instacure #2 – don’t skip this ingredient as it’s important for preventing botulism and other bacterial growth during the long, slow drying process)
- 5 g dextrose (or glucose powder. You can use sugar but it’s not ideal as the results are not as consistent)
- 5 g black pepper (crushed)
- 2 g garlic powder
- 1 g nutmeg
- 1 g paprika (optional)
Casings:
- Natural beef middles (50–60 mm) or collagen casings suitable for dry curing
Process:
1. Preparation:
Keep the pork shoulder and back fat near-freezing (0–2°C).
2. Grinding & Mixing:
Dice the pork shoulder and back fat into small cubes, keeping the separate.
Continue to keep them separate. Grind the meat and fat, possibly through a medium plate (e.g., 6mm), keeping them separate and cold.
Mix the ground pork shoulder, fat, salt, curing salt, dextrose (or sugar), and spices thoroughly until a sticky bind is achieved (protein extraction is important).
3. Stuffing:
Stuff the mixture tightly into the casings, ensuring no air pockets. Tie or clip ends. Prick any visible air pockets with a sterile needle.
Weigh each salami log and record the starting weight to track moisture loss (batch, date, weight).
4. Fermentation (Optional but safer):
Although you are not using a commercial starter culture, a brief, controlled room temperature hang can encourage natural fermentation if local bacteria are present.
Some traditional methods go straight to aging with high salt without using this step. The goal is to drop pH to ~5.3 (use a pH meter or taste: tangy, slightly sour aroma). Once pH is achieved, move to the aging stage. Temperature: 20–24°C, Humidity: 90–95% RH, Duration: 48–72 hours
5. Aging in the Meat Ager:
Hang the salami in your Meat Ager at 12–14°C (50-59°F) and a humidity of 75-80%, with a gentle airflow. Avoid strong fans that cause case hardening. Duration: 4–8 weeks depending on size. Target weight loss: 35–40% (e.g., a 1000 g salami should end around 600–650 g)
Monitor weekly weight loss and mold growth (white mold = good, wipe off any green/black mold with vinegar-water mix). Monitor for any signs of spoilage, such as off odors or slime. A beneficial white mold may naturally form; this is acceptable, but any other colour mold (black, green, etc.) should be treated with caution.
6. Finishing:
Once the target weight loss is achieved, you can taste the salami. If satisfactory, vacuum seal and store in the fridge. Peel casing if desired. Store vacuum-sealed at 4°C or hang in 12°C/70% RH for up to 3 months.
Tips:
- Maintain Strict Hygiene: Keep all equipment, meat, and work surfaces extremely sterile and cold throughout the preparation process to minimize initial bacterial load.
- Don’t rush drying: slow equals flavourful.
- Monitor pH (Recommended): While traditional methods often rely on time and environmental conditions, using a pH meter is the safest way to confirm the meat has reached a safe acidity level (below 5.2).
- Keep the ager clean and mold-balanced (avoid cross-contamination from old batches).
- Taste and slice thinly across the grain.