Lamb Salami

January 15, 2022 by AOG Leave a Comment

For this project, I decided to make a 100% lamb salami using trim left over from butchering out the lamb culatello from a leg of lamb, discussed in a previous post. A lot of times, lamb salami uses pork fat due to its mild flavor and low slip melting point which helps it to “melt on your tongue”. However, there is no reason not to use the lamb fat itself, one just needs to be aware that when enjoying this salami, you want to let it warm to room temperature+ before eating it for the most enjoyable mouth feel experience.

The Meat

As mentioned, the meat for this salami came from the leg of lamb butchered for lamb culatello.

The meat/fat ratio for this was based on what I butchered from the leg, which was closer to 80/20 than my usual ratio of 70/30. I par-froze the meat at this point, to make sure it was cold for the next steps.

The Spices

Weigh the lean and fat separately if possible, shooting for 15-30% fat relative to lean, and insert them into the appropriate spaces below on the spreadsheet and it will calculate the necessary amounts of the cure ingredients. (If you have eyeballed the fat/lean ratio, then just insert the total weight into the Meat+Fat cell.)

*Please use common sense. Make sure the spreadsheet is working properly for you and double check any calculations that don’t seem right.

Grinding

Both the lean meat and the fat that were pre-mixed with the spices were ground on the medium-fine die.

Mixing

After you have ground the meat, keeping everything cold, you should have some next particle definition. Make sure to keep everything cold during mixing to maintain this.

Make sure to mix this all well.

Stuffing

After you are done, it’s time to stuff! Get the farce loaded into the stuffer, and pick a casing that you like. For this I used a sewn hog after end which is a nice and wide casing.

Tying

After the salami has been stuffed, you can tie it up to get it a nice shape and get it ready to hang in the curing chamber.

Fermentation

(Done in the oven (off) with the light on… using a spray bottle to add in humidity. Conditions are around 21C/70F and high relative humidity for 48 hours)

Drying

(Drying conditions in the curing chamber: 13C/55F and 70% RH, Drying conditions with UMAI bag 4C/40F and variable humidity)

At this point, you’re ready to move this into your chamber. I ran into some issues and wasn’t able to this as expected, so instead, I cased it in an UMAI bag.

Using a metal rack, I set up a nice micro-environment for it in the vegetable drawer in the fridge. It can stay here until it loses 30-45% of its initial weight, or I can move it to the curing chamber at any point.

Tasting

To be continued!

Strolghino

November 21, 2019 by AOG Leave a Comment

As Halloween has come and passed, the most witchy of all the salami has been on my mind. Strolghino is usually a thin salami that is made using trimmings from the culatello, and eaten after only a few weeks of aging. Its name is thought to derive from the dialect word “strolga” which translates to a word like “witch”. The strolghino is named so for its power of prediction – it is the first indication of how the prized culatello will turn out a year later.

Planning

For this salami, to make it right, you really want to be doing it alongside of making a culatello and fiocco (as discussed here).

Ideally, you will take the trim left over from the leg in the culatello butchering process and use it to make the strolghino. Separate out the trim into pork 1, pork 2, and fat. For the stronghino, you will use the pork 1 (best quality lean meat with no tendons or fascia) and fat. The pork 2 can be used in any saucisson or sausage that will be cooked.

The flavor of meat from this part of the leg can be incredible, so the salami itself doesn’t need much more. Depending on the breed/age/diet of the pig, the leg you are using may have more or less fat. Generally, strolghino is a more lean salami, so you can aim for 15-30% fat for this salami, which is generally achievable just from the trim you will have.

*Please use common sense. Make sure the spreadsheet is working properly for you and double check any calculations that don’t seem right.

Cubing

After you have planned the ratios for your meat, it’s time to get started. If you’re breaking down a leg, you may have already done this part. If not, it’s time to prepare the meat to be ground. Making sure you keep everything cold (I par freeze my meat beforehand and return it to the freezer when I am done working with it), cube the meat and fat into 1 inch pieces that will fit into your grinder. You can also hand cut your fat if you prefer, if so aim for ¼ inch pieces.

Grinding and Mixing

After grinding the meat, making sure to keep it cold throughout the entire process, mix the meat, fat, and spices together to get a nice bind. I used a stand mixer on the slowest setting for this, although you can also do this step by hand. You want to mix it enough to get a good bind, but not so much that it becomes mush.

Grind your meat (and your fat if you are not choosing to hand cut it) while it is still partially frozen to make the process go as smoothly as possible. I ground the meat using a coarse die here, and hand cut the fat. You can mix the spice cure with the cubed meat before you grind it, or with the ground meat afterwards. I generally mix it before hand to get better spice cure distribution.

Stuffing

After the meat has been mixed together, it’s time to stuff it. Strolghino generally uses small diameter casings, since those were the ones that were traditionally ready first, and will result in the quickest drying. Here, I used wider diameter casings because I had them on hand. Feel free to use what you have available, but the smaller diameter casings will be more authentic for this.

After stuffing the salami, you can either tie it up by hand, or use netting to secure it.

Fermentation
Temperature: 70ᵒF/21C (strain dependent)
Humidity: 80-90% RH
Time: 48-72 hours (until pH drops to at least 5.3)

After you have stuffed the strolghino into the casings, it’s time for fermentation. The conditions you use for fermentation will depend upon the starter culture strain that you have used. Look it up on the packaging or the website if you’re not sure.

I use B-LC-007, which is a starter culture that requires temperatures of ~70F and a relative humidity ~80-90%. I let the strolghino ferment for ~48 hours, which is about the time it should take to allow the pH to drop into the ideal range. My fermentation chamber is my oven, off, with the light on. This generally gives me the conditions I need.

I don’t currently use a pH meter (they’re relatively expensive), but if you have one, now is the time to use it. Ideally, you want to see the pH drop to around 5.3. In this step, you need to balance the safety concerns (ideally a fast pH drop with American style fast acidifying starter culture) and flavor concerns (ideally a gradual pH drop with European style starter culture). I find the traditional European methods work well for me, but everyone should take into consideration their own concerns when doing this.

Drying
Temperature: 54F/12C
Humidity: 70% RH

After the meat has undergone fermentation, it’s time to let it dry. The strolghino is traditionally only dried around 20 days when in is cased in the traditional small diameter casings. Because I used wider diameter casings, I knew it would not achieve the same level of water loss in that time. So, I hung it in my curing chamber in the usual conditions, ~55F/70%RH, until it lost ~25-30% if its initial weight, which took ~2 months.

Tasting

Ahh. The best part. The tasting. The key to a good strolghino is to use good quality meat and let the quality of the meat shine through by using a simple spice cure. I made this with trimmings from a sow leg from Ham Sweet Farm, and the quality pork flavor shines through. One of my all-time favorites.

Served well on bread.

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.

Italian Style Dry Cured Salami

March 7, 2017 by AOG 1 Comment

If you’re looking for a nice, easy salami to make that evokes the sensory experiences of traveling to Italy, look no further than to this salami. This is a good jumping off point to make salami because it uses a moderate amount of traditional, Italian spices. After making this salami, you can decide if you want to use more fennel, make a spicy variety, or throw in some crazy spice that’s a favorite of yours.

Planning Phase:

The first step is to weigh your meat and input it into your spreadsheet. A good ratio of lean meat to fat is generally around 70% to 30%. This can be achieved if you get a nice fatty shoulder, although I like mixing meat from the shoulder and the belly. Based on the weight of the meat, you will be given how much of each spice you want to use.

Then you want to weigh out all the spices that you will be using.

To prepare for the next steps, I like to freeze my meat for a few hours before starting. This helps to keep the meat cold during the grinding process, and makes things go more smoothly.

Cubing Phase:

Next, you want to take the cold meat and cube it into pieces that will fit into your grinder, usually about an inch by an inch by an inch.

I separate the meat from the fat, since I may end up grinding them with different size grinds.

You can cube both the meat and the fat, unless you are planning to hand dice the fat instead of grinding it. If you are planning to hand dice the fat, cut it into pieces that are the size you want in the salami, usually about ¼ of an inch on each side.

Mixing Phase Part 1:

Once the meat and fat is cubed, you want to mix it with the cure spices and the starter culture dissolved either in the wine or if you prefer, water.

Grinding Phase:

Now that you have the meat and fat all mixed with the cure and ready to go, it’s time to grind that meat! I like to use 3/16” grinder plates for the meat and 3/8” grinder plate for the fat (if I decide not to hand dice the fat).

Run the meat through the grinder, making sure to keep everything as cold as possible, and return to the fridge or freezer when not in use.

Mixing Phase Part 2:

When you have finished the grinding phase, you should have a nice mixture of ground meat with the cure mixture and the starter culture thoroughly mixed in. The next step is to mix the meat and the fat together. This can be a tricky part. Ideally, you want to mix the meat and fat so that the mixture becomes tacky and sticks together, but not so much that the fat starts to smear. You can usually accomplish this if you keep the meat cold and work fast. This is either done using a stand mixer or by hand. One you have mixed everything together, you can leave the mixture to chill overnight in the fridge (which can help to increase the cohesion of the meat), or you can move on to the next phase.

Stuffing Phase:

Finally, we’re ready to stuff the meat. There are many options for casings, from the variety of natural casings that are available, to artificial collagen casings. The casings you choose will help determine the final diameter of your product as well as its final shape. Collagen casings are fine, and might be preferred by beginners since they are easy to store and use, don’t have an odor, and are relatively difficult to burst. For the traditional Italian style salami made here, I prefer using beef middles.

In order to stuff salami, you can use the stuffing horn that comes with many grinders, or you can use a dedicated stuffer. I have a dedicated hand crank stuffer, which I prefer to using the grinder to stuff the salami.

The first step is to tie off the end of the casing, and slide it down the stuffing horn.

With one hand on the casing, and one hand working the stuffer, start to stuff the salami at a constant rate. Ideally, you want to allow the meat to fill up the casing without having room for air gaps. This will put pressure on the casing walls, hopefully without bursting the casing. This is easier in certain types of casings compared to others, and over time you’ll find the right balance of pressure to apply to the casings that you use. When you get to the end of the casing, tie it off, and start again with a new casing until you finish stuffing all of the meat that you have prepared.

Fermentation Phase:
Temperature: 75ᵒF/23-24C
Humidity: 80-90% RH (strain dependent)
Time: 48-72 hours (until pH drops to at least 5.3)

At this point, you’ve finished all the heavy lifting! You want to put your salami in a fermentation chamber in order to jump start the beneficial starter culture that was added to the meat, which will make it both safer and tastier over time. People have come up with very clever ways to do this, from dedicated chambers to DIY hacks. The temperature and humidity you want will vary based on the starter culture that you use. For B-LC-007, I aim for 64-75 ⁰F and 80-90% humidity. In order to achieve this, I use my oven with the light on and an open pan with water in it. I also spray the meat with a bactoferm mold-600 solution to encourage the growth of the beneficial penicillium nalgiovense.

If you have a pH meter, you want to monitor the pH during this phase. Ideally, the pH will drop below 5.3 during the fermentation phase. If you don’t have a fermentation meter, you can do this stage by time and smell. I generally let my salami ferment for 48-72 hours before moving on to the next phase.

Drying Phase:
Temperature: 54F/12C
Humidity: 70% RH

After you’ve allowed your salami to ferment for the appropriate amount of time, it’s time to let it dry. This is best done in a curing chamber with a temperature around 55F and a humidity of 70% RH.

Overtime, you will see beneficial mold growth on the salami in your curing chamber.

I track the salami weight loss over time, and pull them from the chamber at 40% loss of the original weight.

Tasting Phase:

And now, to the best phase of making salami! The taste testing. When the salami have reached 40% weight loss, I pull them from the chamber.

I remove the casing, rinse the down with red wine or vinegar, and slice them on a bias.

These Italian style salami make a nice addition to a home cured meat platter.

Or packaged up to give to friends and family.

Isn’t it just beautiful?

Smile!

Duck Salami

March 14, 2016 by AOG 13 Comments

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.

Non-Pork Fat Options for Salami

March 9, 2016 by AOG 1 Comment

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