Homemade Lunchmeat (Salami)

This recipe comes from the 1981 “Whole foods for the whole family: LaLeche League International Cookbook” and it is one of my top three favorite cookbooks of all time.  My mom bought it for me from a flea-market once, long ago, not long after I gave birth to my first son.  The book is EXCELLENT, however I do not recommend the other Le Leche League Cookbooks, they just are not as good and they started jumping onto the low-fat bandwagon in later copies of the book and I personally DO NOT recommend a low-fat diet for anyone, but most especially nursing mothers…FAT is essential to the proper development of your baby’s brain (and your own brain 😉 ).  And this homemade salami has plenty of good delicious FAT….hahahaha!

4 lb. 75% lean ground beef (preferably “grass-fed” only…I’ve also used half ground beef and half venison for this with delicious results!)

4 tsp. moist grey celtic sea salt

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp. of ground black pepper

2-3 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1 tbsp. liquid smoke (mesquite is my favorite :-))

The best way to do this is to allow the meat to come to room temperature so that it is softer and thus easier to mix in the flavorings.  Mix it ALL thoroughly together in a really big bowl, cover and chill for 24 hours.  Divide into quarters.  Shape each quarter into a firm “sausage roll” shape, really compact it together to make sure there are no air bubbles in the middle.  The original recipe calls for wrapping each roll snugly in nylon netting, but I’ve never bothered…just stick the rolls on a rack in a pan and bake at 225 degrees F for about 4 hours.  After removing from the oven allow to stand and cool for about 10 minutes or so, then use paper towels to blot off the exterior fat and wrap tightly in butcher paper or aluminum foil.  This stores very well in the freezer and it’s easiest to slice very thinly when it is partially frozen.  Yields about 3 pounds of salami meat.

Salami...Dress??

Variations:

Herb Recipe

3 Tbsp. dry red wine

4 tsp. moist grey sea salt

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

2 Tbsp. mustard seeds

1 Tbsp. dried basil

1 Tbsp. dried oregano

1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese

Spicy Recipe (my favorite version 😀 )

3 Tbsp. dry white wine

4 tsp. moist grey sea salt

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

2 Tbsp. chili powder (we use dried smoked paprika peppers, grown in our garden, finely ground into a powder)

2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (we like to use habanero flakes from homegrown peppers)

1 tsp. ground cumin

A cabin made entirely of salami and bacon!