kosher

Duck salami, or salami d’anatra, is a project that I had been wanting to tackle for a while. Duck salami itself isn’t easy to find commercially, and even the duck salami that is found in stores and restaurants tends to use pork fat. I was looking to create a pork free product, for those who keep kosher or halal, so I debated a number of different sources for fat, before deciding to do a 100% duck salami.

I love duck fat, so the taste of it was a huge pro for me. I also like the way that duck fat melts in your mouth, another pro. My main concern about using duck fat in duck salami was working with the duck fat at room temperature. I have seen a few different values given for the slip melting point of duck fat, but the most consistent value seems to be around 77F/25C. I made sure to do all of my processes at around 70F/21C, worked fast, and I utilized the freezer to make sure everything stayed cold.

Planning Phase:

I bought 4 duck breasts to use for this project. Before I started, I put them in the freezer for an hour or so to get them nice and cold. I cut the fat away from the meat, and I weighed the meat and the fat separately. Ideally there would be a 70% meat to 30% fat ratio, mine was close enough to that, so I just worked with what I had. I decided to try two different cures, one spicy using calabrese peperconcini and one in the style of duck l’orange.

Below are the cure ratios I used:

I weighed everything necessary for the cure, and mixed it altogether (with the exception of the starter culture).

Meat Cubing Phase:

After I weighed all of the meat, fat, and cure spices, I was ready to move on. I cubed both the fat and the meat and kept them separate.

In this case, I mixed the cure with the cubed meat. I don’t always do this; sometimes I wait to mix the cure with the ground meat. I haven’t assessed which method is best yet, and both have worked for me.

Meat Grinding Phase:

After I cubed the meat, I put it back in the freezer to let it get colder again. After an hour or so, I was ready to grind the meat. I had decided to use a course ground on the duck meat, and hand cut the duck fat in order to avoid smearing.

I ran the meat through the meat grinder, and collected it into a bowl at the end. At this point, I had course ground duck meat and hand cut fat.

I mixed this with the fat that was hand cut. I also dissolved the starter culture in a minimal amount of water and mixed it with the ground meat, hand cut fat, and spice cure.

If you are in need of a break, this is a good point to stop. You can freeze the mixture overnight, and get started again if the morning if need be.

Meat Stuffing Phase:

Once you have your ground meat/fat/cure/spice mixture it is time to stuff it into casings. I used to use the grinder to stuff my salami, but I have since moved to a dedicated stuffer and it is awesome.

I only had one wide diameter casing left, and a bunch of small ones. I decided to make the duck l’orange into a larger duck salame, and the spicy calabrese duck salami into numerous smaller duck salami. I soaked the casings to get them ready to use.

I made sure to mix the ingredients together thoroughly. I put the mixture into the stuffer, and got out as much air as possible.

At this point, I picked the casing, tied off one end, and gathered the rest of the casing, pushing it down around the stuffing horn.

I used one hand to steady the casing around the stuffing horn, and another to crank the stuffer. When the salami reached my desired size, I twisted the casing and used butcher string to keep the separation.

I continued this process until I finished stuffing all of the duck salami mixture. I used a toothpick, to puncture any air holes in the salami at this point.

Fermentation Phase:

Temperature: 75ᵒF/23-24C

Humidity: 80-90% RH (strain dependent)

Time: 48-72 hours (until pH drops to at least 5.3)

Once all the salami was stuffed into casings, it was time to allow the meat to ferment. This is the stage I was most worried about when thinking about using duck fat. Luckily, the starter culture I was using had a relatively low fermentation temperature, and I made sure the temperature didn’t rise about 75 F/23-24C in the fermentation chamber.

At this point, I sprayed the salami with Bactoferm 600, a commercially available form of penicillium nalgiovense.

I have attempted to track the fermentation stage using pH monitoring before, but I don’t always do that. This time, I tracked the fermentation stage just by time. After 3 days, I moved on to the drying phase.

Drying Phase:

Temperature: 54F/12C

Humidity: 70% RH

For the drying phase, I set the chamber to its usual settings (55F/70-80% RH). The salami was allowed to dry over time. Usually I allow my salami to go to 40% weight loss, but these plateaued at around 35% weight loss. I attribute this to the higher fat content of these salami. Regardless, they were pulled at around 35% weight loss.

Initial Tasting Phase:

After the duck salami weight loss plateaued, I pulled them from the chamber.

After I pulled the duck salami, I removed the casing, and wiped them down with white vinegar. I patted them dry after this.

I sliced them open. Wow.

The spicy calabrese duck salami was a kick in the mouth. Flavorful and spicy. They were slightly over powering due to the strong heat from the calabrese pepperoncini, but if it’s not spicy, you’re not doing your job right?

The salame duck l’orange was amazing. The complex flavors really lent themselves well to the flavor of the duck.

After one last look…

I took the salami and vacuum sealed them, before putting them in the fridge for long term storage.

Disclaimer: Meat curing is a hobby that comes with inherent risks. We can all do things to limit this risk by educating ourselves about the process and the utilizing the safest known methods to create our products. This website is for educational purposes only, and all experimentation should be done at each individuals own risk.

Ratings of the Best Non-Pork Fat Options for Salami:

Brisket (cow) Fat: Best option, low melting point, palatable taste
Duck Fat: Second best option, harder to work with due to room temperature melting point, great taste
Lamb/Goat/Cow Fat: Easy to access, may have strong flavor, higher melting point
Fat Replacer: Fine for increasing fat mouth feel, no chunks of fat, doesn’t really cut it
Lamb tail fat: Hard to find, personally have never used, seems promising

Overview:

Most salami that we see in the stores and restaurants today are made out of pork meat and fat. Even salami that are made from different animal meat sources often use pork fat due to its beneficial properties. It has a great flavor and a lower slip melting point (the way that the melting point of a waxy solid, such as a fat, is measured and reported) than most other animal fat, although not so low that it becomes a liquid on the lower end of room temperature. This means it maintains its integrity when in the salami, but will melt in your mouth when you take a bite. Basically, creating perfection.

However, some people choose not to eat pork. Having friends and family who are pork free, I have done a lot of research into finding pork free charcuterie recipes. For the most part, this hasn’t been too hard. There are many pork free whole muscle cure alternatives. When I turned my attention to salami though, I faced a conundrum. Most recipes that use non-pork meat still use pork fat because of its aforementioned qualities. I found historical evidence of halal salami producers using lamb tail fat, but it is notoriously difficult to find in most areas of the United States. Some stores sell “fat replacer” to help with the mouth feel that fat produces, but is not the same as having real chunks of fat in your salami.As a pork eater myself, I cannot deny the pleasure of pork fat, as it melts in your mouth, creating sinful bliss. I was determined to find a way to replicate this so that my non-pork eating friends could enjoy the same luxury as me.

As a side note, I discuss these fat options in terms of salami because that is what I have focused on making. It can also apply to sausage and other charcuterie products.

Background:

As a chemist by training, my initial instinct where to look into the chemical composition of the fat of different animals compared to pork. The slip melting point will vary based on the ratio of different fatty acids in the fat itself, therefore it is important to know what types of fatty acids each fat you are considering uses has, and in what ratios.

There are saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids tend to “stack” better together, and are therefore are harder to “pull apart”, and tend to have a higher melting point. Unsaturated fatty acids have double bonds which introduce a kink into the molecule. This means they cannot stack as well, are easier to “pull apart”, and therefore have a lower melting point.

Stearic Acid is an example of a saturated fatty acid:

Oleic Acid is an example of an unsaturated fatty acid:

As you can probably see from their structure, saturated fats like stearic acid have no problem stacking together. This makes them harder to pull apart, as discussed above. Whereas, from the structure of oleic acid, you can see that there are kinks on the molecular structure that make it less stackable, and therefore make it easier to pull apart. (These terms are not 100% scientifically accurate but are being used to illustrate the concept, feel free to read the source material for a more scientific discussion of the forces that hold these molecules together.)

In general, animal fats have a slip melting point between 22-40 C/71-104 F. It turns out, the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids plays a very important role in creating these slip melting points.

The composition of the fats from different animals varies based on their species, their diet, their genetics, and the area that the fat is taken from. These are all important factors that one must consider when looking at fat sources. For example, some animals are purposely fed a particular feed in order to lower their fat slip melting point. Other animals have been engineered to have increased marbling with lower slip melting points of that fat.

So, what does this have to do with our quest for a non-pork fat source for salami? A lot, actually. In general, pig fat tends to have a slip melting point around 30C, which varies based on feed, genetics, and cut. Cow fat, the most commonly available substitute, has an average slip melting point of 40C. This difference is enough to change that melt in your mouth feel that well cured pork products succeed in producing.

Brisket (cow) Fat:

Interestingly, fat from the brisket cut of a cow has a very unique composition. It is high in unsaturated fats like oleic acid, and low in saturated fats like stearic acid. This means that the fat from the brisket area of a cow has a much lower melting point than cow fat in general; in fact it averages around 25 C. This is a slip melting point as low as most pork fat, making brisket fat an ideal substitute for pork fat.

The data shows that the fat from areas that have lower concentrations of saturated fats have a lower slip melting points. Brisket fat has fewer saturated fatty acids, and therefore a lower slip melting point, as illustrated in the following figure:

Since the way that animals are raised, their genetics, and their feed play such an important role in the overall taste of the fat, I would love to see more research looking at these factors as well. One example of ongoing research is the genetic engineering of Japanese black cattle (think Waygu or Kobe beef) which have been engineered to have higher ratios of unsaturated fatty acids, better marbling, and a lower slip melting point. In addition, the distinctive taste of jamón iberico de bellota fat is created by a combination of genetics, European acorn feed, and the way the pigs are raised. Farmers in the United States (and abroad I am sure as well) are doing a lot to understand how important these factors are for their pigs, and are doing really good work ensuring that they raise pigs that not only have higher ratios of unsaturated fatty acids but great marbling and taste. All of these factors are important in creating delicious cured meat products.

Overall, there is some really interesting research being done on this topic, and for those who are scientifically minded I suggest taking a look into the literature. In the references below (where the figures have come from), I have referenced two pamphlets that have been written for the general public consumption, which I have found very fascinating. They have their own references page, where more information on individual studies can be found.

Duck Fat:

Duck fat is my second recommendation for fat to use in salami. It is a particularly palatable fat, but does have a slip melting point that is around room temperature, some sources saying that it is around 77F/25 C. This can make working with it tricky. However, as long as you keep your temperatures low and work fast, there is no reason it can’t be used. In addition, if you are working with an old world culture, many suggest a lower fermentation temperature anyway. I found that using a fermentation temperature of 75F/23-24C worked perfectly for duck fat salami.

I should mention here, that by duck fat, I mean actual fat that has been taken off of a duck, not rendered duck fat like you can buy at the supermarket. Rendered duck fat does not have the collagenous matrix that raw duck fat from the animal has, and won’t hold up nearly as well in salami making. I will be posting the recipe of an all duck salami that I have made with duck fat, in order to give more insight into how this process can go smoothly and create a delicious final product.

Lamb/Goat/Cow Fat:

I assume that if you are making non-pork salami, you probably have a piece of meat that has both non-pork meat and fat. Using this fat is my third favorite option. The benefits are that the fat is on hand already. With this method, you make sure that nothing goes to waste.

One aspect of using this fat, which may be a benefit or a drawback (depending on your opinion) is that fat tends to store a lot of the flavor of the animal. Adding lamb or goat fat may add a stronger flavor to the salami than desired. Then again, that may be the exact desired outcome.

The big downside is the texture. The slip melting point of most commercially available animals, in most cuts, will be higher. This means the salami will not “melt in your mouth” in the same way as a pork salami will. However, talk to farmers, see how they treat and feed their animals. You may be able to find animals that have fat that is more amenable to your uses. Just because something commercially available may not be perfect, doesn’t mean the right option isn’t out there if you do your research and talk to the right people.

Fat Replacer:

Fat replacer is a commercially available product that is added to salami to create the mouth feel of fat without actual fat. It is made of cellulose, xanthum, and konjac. All of these are used to “mimic” the texture of fat. There are claims that it is good for “healthy” salami. I personally doubt any health claims the company may make, but if you are trying to make a pork free (or even vegetarian) salami and want to use this as a substitute, it’s not awful. That being said, I would use it in conjunction with actual fat as mentioned above.

Lamb Tail Fat:

The elusive lamb tail fat. As discussed above, many factors play a role in the slip melting point of fat. Of particular importance are the genetics of the animal, its feed, and the area you are taking the fat from. This is especially true for lamb tail fat. While most lamb have thin tails these days, certain breeds have fat tails. The fat in these tails, due to physiological reasons, has a lower slip melting point. As discussed above in the case of brisket cow fat, this creates that “melt in the mouth” taste that is so appealing.

I cannot say too much more about this, since I have never used it myself. I would love to try it in the future however. It seems to be used in many traditional halal products, so if you can get your hands on it and try it, I would imagine that it would be worth it.

People who know way more about lamb tail fat than me have written blog posts on it that are worth reading:

http://www.jennifermclagan.com/fat-tailed-lamb

http://www.anissas.com/those-fat-tails/

Summary:

All in all, these are some good non-pork alternatives to fat for salami or sausage making. I did some research, stumbled upon some things, and tried them out. This is by no means an extensive list, nor will it work for everyone. I suggest everyone to do as much research as they can and come to their own conclusions. I welcome any feedback from people who make non pork salami and any methods they have found to be useful.

References:

http://www.beefissuesquarterly.com/CMDocs/BeefResearch/PE_White_%20Papers/Marbling%20-%20Management%20of%20cattle%20to%20maximize%20the%20deposition%20of%20intramuscular%20adipose%20tissue.pdf

http://animalscience.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2012/04/Handout-3-Melting-Points-of-Animal-Fats1.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stearic_acid

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleic_acid