The complete curing process
For us the overall process involves curing one pig at a time, nose to tail, curing everything but the squeal. We don’t used commercial cuts, we work with small quality producers and work with our neighbours Wyatts Butchers employing their skills.
Meat
We Source our meat from small local producers in the Hampshire area. We’ve also reared our own pigs, choosing Oxford Sandy & Black as the breed of choice.
Butchery
We butcher our own meat in house. We break down the whole animal into the required primal cuts and then isolate the main muscle groups for curing. The remaining meat is trimmed of fat and sinew beforehand dicing and grinding for salami making. The better the quality of the meat, the better the quality of the product.
Flavours & Curing
We mix all our seasoning to our own recipes. We do not use commercial curing mixes. We source products in Italy, researching the various recipes and ingredients, trying and testing and then perfecting our own curing mixes using only the best and freshest ingredients. We toast our spices and grind them by hand in true artisanal fashion.
Casings
We use natural wet casings from a UK supplier, including sheep and hog casings, as well as ox runners and bungs. We use natural casing because that is the way traditionally salami has been made for centuries. Our dried casings come from an Italian supplier made from natural collagen which is an animal product and bonds well with the meat to effect a satisfactory maturation and slow controlled drying. We also wax dip our products to give a distinctive look which protects the cured meat keeping in optimal condition.
Maturation
All products mature in the curing room for between 4 and 12 weeks depending on the size of the salami or the muscle being cured, with the whole leg of the pig taking 12 months or more. Controlling temperature and humidity is crucial and ensuring conditions are right at all times are the preoccupation of the Hampshire Salami Co’.
