I loved this video and appreciated the methodical approach you used. Makes me marvel at how my immigrant grandfather was able to make his sausages given the lack of such awesome equipment. Thanks for posting.
Lou, I absolutely enjoyed the video. You’ve broken it down to a science. I’ve got a series of questions that I will forward to your email address. Once again, this video is extremely valuable to any or all home Sausage/ Soppressata makers.
There are stuffer funnels out there that I use for cappicola, but I haven't found one small enough for these smaller casings. Lately, I haven't even netted the soppressata's and they seem to still work out great.
@Lou Santello - Very organized. I love the idea of keeping recipes in a spreadsheet like that so I can just plug in my meat weight and it gives me the grams of seasoning to add. Is this formula available somewhere or did you do it yourself? I'm useless with MS Office but any advice you could provide on how to do this would be appreciated.
This was the favorite of my Calabrian grandmother and can remember her sweating as she enjoyed it. I just ordered some hot Calabrian chili paste to make some of my own as a tribute to her.
Thank you. Great video. I sometimes use meat that I have frozen. Either before grinding or after because I buy a lot more than I can use if it’s on sale. I do check the ph and aim for 5.1 to 5.0. The frozen meat does seam to get to those levels properly. Should I not be using frozen meat or just don’t use frozen meat from the grocery stores, which I don’t. I would love to know your thoughts Thanks again Neil
Hi lou I thought your video was great very informative and detailed. I've made sausage and jerky in the past but always wanted to make salami. Being Italian to satisfy my craving for salami I'd have to purchase super market products which were ok or very expensive .I'd like to make my own .Is it possible to get the spredsheet.Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Genius! At least in all the food videos I've seen (don't ask how many...) the Excel sheet with updating cells (simple really) has never been shown. I'll bet this can be done for bread as well. Thanks Lou!
Hi, Lou! Thank you for posting all of this very specific knowledge. I emailed you inquiring about your spreadsheet, but now I'm wondering if you have a list of tools & products with model numbers & names? i.e. The cultures, the ph tester, the grinder, the temp & humidity gauges in your fridges, the various casings, etc... Again, thank you very much for everything you have posted, it's incredibly helpful!
There's a tremendous amount of information on my facebook page with 3000 members. Please join. All of the information you are asking for is already there: facebook.com/groups/curedmeat/?ref=bookmarks
Great video well done Thanks for taking the time to do this video,You would think that they would put a compression fitting or spring clip on the handle so it stays on, Happy Holidays
Fantastic video Lou...the best I have watched thus far. I emailed you some questions and would also appreciate the spread sheet. Also do you recommend the clipper? I'm confused with the culture, the curing salt and salt...could you share exactly what salts you use. Thank you so much! Paola
The clipper is great. I am looking for a wider clip. It would be so much easier on beef middles if the staple was wider. Sometimes, you end up poking the casing which can cause a hole and rip apart. In the video, you will see that I also use 2 seperate staples between each soppressata. The only reason to do this is if you choose to cut a middle one out because it may be done and the others are still a little soft. I also replied to your email.
Hi Lou, Thanks for sharing and your time with video. Would love to know how you came up with your choice of ingredients and their amounts. There in lies the magic or true Italian culinary creation. Thanks again.
My brother still makes it the old way. I was too young when my parents made it to even have any interest in it, other than eating it. But I do remember them frying some up in a pan prior to stuffing. They never used percentages. It was all done by feel and taste testing. When I started making my own, I joined a few groups to understand more of the science. The key ingredients, like salt, cure, dextrose and culture are all very similar in percentages on almost all ground cured products, salt being 1.8-2.5%, cure #2 is 0.25%, dextrose is anywhere from 0.4-0.6% and the culture dosage is on the package. You really can't overdose the culture, as it will only feed based on the total dextrose introduced. The rest of the ingredients are purely there for taste. In a mild, I always use a smaller amount of red pepper flakes and some black whole peppercorns. In the hotter batch, I use more red pepper flakes, pulverized red pepper powder and not black peppercorns. I also have other recipes that calls for red pepper paste. This too is another common Calabrian way to make soppressata. So in short, as far as the hot, I started with the similar recipe that I used for hot italian sausage as a reference for "heat" amount, and of course, cured product contains the suggest salt amount, which is required to be higher than fresh sausage. I documented ever recipe by weight in grams and created a spreadsheet by percentages against the meat weight. My spreadsheet always has my most current recipe, so when I make a new batch, if I decide that the last batch needed something more or less, I knew exactly what I used on the previous batch. Then I just modified the calculations for the new batch and altered the spreadsheet. Again, I never had a bad one. They are all very consistent. Also, as far as red pepper, there's only a certain amount of heat you will get out of that type of pepper. After that, you would have to change to a different pepper ( or pulverized powder of the same pepper is more evenly distributed which makes it feel hotter). But in short, I do like to keep things very mild and basic,,allowing the meat flavors and textures to come through. There are more people that would get totally turned off if it was too hot versus people who would get turned off if it wasn't hot enough. It kinda makes sense.
The gland is definitely removed. The person cutting the meat is my butcher and I am always there when he does this. The gland is very noticeable. It's a grey gland near the neck. Once you find it, just cut it out and remove it.
Great video Lou! I still make mine the old fashion way. I use handfuls to measure my ingredients. However, I would like to start documenting my ingredients. Can you share your spreadsheet?
Looks great! I see very little to no casing hardening. I have a triple glass fridge that I modified as well and keep it at about 80% RH; however, I find the fans are too powerful and tend to harden the outside of the salami if I’m not careful. How do you deal with this?
deflect the fans using something so the air doesn't hit them directly. Also, buy a sensorpush. That will show you an average humidity daily or weekly. Are you sure your humidity sensor is calibrated properly? I would have other issues if my average was 80%.
@@lousantello2498 I use a simple outside humidity dial gauge that I put in a ziplock bag with 1/4 cup of salt and leave it for a day. Then observe what the dial indicates and adjust the screw on back till the needle indicates 72%. Apparently that's where salt will stabilize at in a sealed environment. I will check it each time I want to use it to confirm accuracy and seldom have I had to tweet it.
So Lou Awesome video Do you think venison meat will make a decent Soppresatta ? -I know I will need to add some pork butt and a bit of fat back. I have been doing Venison and Hog butchering for years and I must say your operation was very professional ! One other question the meat in the video at 35:33 in the right hand cornor is that a Prosciutto ?
I cant speak for Venison. I've never made it. I assume it's more lean and I can't say what flavor profile it will give. The upper right meat in the still photo is Brasaola which is cured eye of the round beef. It's too lean for me. I made it a couple of times. I probably wont make it again.
Very excellent video and very good tips throughout. One question - you explain the temperature control in your (old) fridges, but how do you control the humidity?
During fermentation at 70 degrees, there is no refrigeration, so the meat itself is usually enough to keep the humidity high. Once they are transferred into the chamber @ 48-50F, the temperature is controlled by outboard controllers. I have a humidifier and dehumidifier in the chamber that are also controlled from an outboard humidity/dehumidification controller to keep the humidity within 5% of 75% at all times. If there is alot of meat in the chamber, most of the time you are dealing with dehumidifying.
Excellent soppressata making video. This detailed recipe is the best I've seen. I've been making dried sausages the old fashion Italian way and was exploring RU-vid on how to make soppressatas. You got me hooked on going your hi tech way. I'm pretty welled equiped as to the equipment you have. I'm definitely be ordering a Digital PH meter. A few questions Lou, what are the pork meat portions that you use (shoulder, prosciutto, etc) for this recipe. I'm located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and I'm a bit confused on the starter culture. Can't seem to find your B-LC-007 locally. We have a local supplier of called BSA in Montreal, but I don't know which of their starter culture is similar to the B-LC-007.. If I may ask, would it be possible to send me you spreadsheet if I send you a quest by email? Thanks for sharing your expertise, once again, great video. Ciao...Tony D'Agostino
Thank you for lesson on how to make soppressata. Am the guy you help understand the need for metric and dealing with grams and kilos thank you for sharing PS how do I make up a chart like you have on your computer I'll email you thank you
I'm having a bit of a problem using the crimping tool on natural casings. The casings are too large for the clips and causing punctures. With weight while hanging, some are ripping and falling. I am looking for a larger clip that may fit this machine
This is by far the best video on soppressata I've ever seen. Is there anyway to get a copy of your spread sheet formulas or a list of suppliers for all those great toys?!
If you would like a copy of the spreadsheet, just email me. All cells are locked, but you can unlock them and tweak your percentages. It’s very helpful and maintains the same exact consistency every time you make it. If I choose to make something a little hotter, I have a reference of what I normally use, then decide how much more heat I want to try and start another column with that new recipe. It’s the only wway to dial in what you like. My email is Lsantello@media-designers.com
Lou Santello excellent video! Thank you for sharing this. We just butcher our pigs and I would love to try your recipe. I’ll be emailing you for the spreadsheet and excel file if you don’t mind.
Hi Lou, great videos with lots of accurate information! One question: you don't use Paprika, you said it turns dark. I've always had that problem but did not suspect it's due to large amounts of Paprika I was adding. Do you find the sopressata tastes "authentic" enough without it? I'm assuming you've done it with and without; How strongly do you feel about omitting paprika? I'm making some soon and I'm just curious, I might try it without paprika. I've said paprika too many times.
Every recipe is different. The only reason my parents were trying Paprika was to get more red color. In all cases, it actually made it turn more brown. I personally have never used a Paprika in my soppressata's, but that doesn't make it right. With many comparisans of recipes since I posted this video, it's amazing how many different recipes there are. I've tried many and I can't say I had a bad one. They're all just different.
@@lousantello2498 annatto powder can be used for coloring too. I like the added "zip" it puts on the tongue. It's not heat sensation but spice, similar to cumin or coriander.
Thanks for your interest. Scales to me are like some people that have passions in wristwatches. LOL The larger the scale can handle, the less accurate they are for smaller measurements. So to answer your question, I have 3-4 different scales I use. The large scale is good for 300 pounds and can measure in tenths of Kilograms, which means it has an accuracy of 100 grams. Another scale I have will handle 22-30 pound and it measures to the gram, but still only accurate within 5-10 grams. Then I used a very small scientific scale that will max out at 500 grams, but it's accurate to the 1/10 of a gram. The small scale was cheap, somewhere around 15.00-20.00 at any Harbor Freight etc. The middle scale can be bought at a william sanoma. The larger scales I ordered from Butcher & Packer in Michigan
Lou Santello thanks Lou. I have one that measures up to 11 lbs from Walmart. When I do my % and it comes out to say 1.6 grams I don't have the second digit. I need one that displays 2 digits to the right. Does the one from harbor freight display 0.xx?
Sir I must commend you for the excellent video. I have watched many many hours of charcuterie videos and this is far and away the best I’ve seen. Is there any chance you would share your spreadsheet with me?
From Guatemala, excellent video, very informative and your wife she really knows how to help you. Here in mi country is difficult to get any kind of culture, would you please tell me How much wine would recomend to add per pound of meat. thankyou very much (I´m sorry for my english)
WIne will drop the PH. So will dextrose or sugar. As far as relying on the wine, it also depends how sweet the wine is. You could add anywhere from 3 grams to 6 grams per kilo (0.3-0.6%) of dextrose to drop the PH. If you do that, I would hang the soppressata at 70F for no longer than 72 hours, then transfer them into the chamber below 50F. It would be good if you had a way to test the PH. At 70F, dont hang the meat any longer than 100 hours at 70F and see if the meat dropped to 5.1-5.3. Do not hang any longer at that 70F temperature. You can also keep the dextrose at 3 grams per kilo and add 16 grams of wine per kilo. ( 1.6%)
I use a Milwaukee Instruments with a separate glass PH meat probe. The probes get goofy after 1.5-2 years where they start reading goofy. The probe can be replaced as needed without replacing the whole machine. I hear Hanna makes a real nice machine also that a lot of people use that cost a lot less. You can also create a slurry and use PH sticks, but I have never tried doing it that way.
well explained ''but ''not everybody has equipment like he has or could afford it eithe,r the old italian's always had good meat without all that equipment
Thank you for your reply. It's a modified refrigerator and a 100.00 controller that now gives you the ability to make it anytime you want to without relying on the weather and climate conditions. I am very familiar how it was done.
So I appreciated the video however the only aspect that I was curious and I'm comfortable with is that you were so meticulous about everything except wearing gloves when you were processing the meat through the equipment or was that not a factor in the whole process I'm just curious why you never wore gloves
Thanks for the reply. I run a very clean environment, and that includes excessive washing of hands during the whole process. The surfaces are cleaned with a spritz bottle mixed with 1 cap of bleach and 1 gallon of water which exceeds commercial safety standards. If I am mixing by hand, I will usually wear gloves, only because the meat is very cold to handle. Other than that, as long as you wash your hands thoroughly and keep your fingernails trimmed to a reasonable length, I've never had a problem. When I am handling meat, I am constantly washing and drying my hands. With gloves, I feel it's a false sense of security because although you think your hands are clean with gloves on, it's less often that you remove your gloves and replace them with new ones. At that point, I think my hands are actually cleaner than the gloves, for as often as I wash them thru the whole process.
Gloves do nothing. Gloves get just as contaminated as hands. Ppl touch everything with gloves without thinking. I was an RN for 20yrs, aseptic/sterile techniques ingrained. They just keep your hands cleaner. Like masks, they don't work. They only really catch your germs, though some will go through.
Here's also a thorough 4 hour video for those who have nothing to do on a saturday afternoon. LOL Enjoy . Please ignore the first few minutes. It was a live video, so there's no way to edit it. Thank you. facebook.com/lou.santello/videos/10218693658832976/
Your making me nervous with that knife I'm surprised you still have all your fingers I would have lost mine by now lol please don't take that in a bad way
