Aunt Ellen's Salami

[framing fowl]

Aunt Ellen's Salami

2 lb burger
1 C water
3T Morton's Tenderquick
1T Mustard Seed
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt

Roll into log in tinfoil. Refridgerate for 24 hours. Boil 1 hour in water (leave in tin). Prick the end. Stand on end to drain. Refridgerate for 24 hours.

Yummy!


Aunt Ellen was an elderly Dutch farm wife when I was a kid. I would ride my horse over to her house and play in her tree fort or in their old sheepherders wagon. They had a commercial holstein dairy, chickens, turkeys, hogs, draft horses, geese, and pheasants.

 

[JRmom]

Will definitely be trying this recipe! Is the Morton's Tenderquick easily available?

I wish I had grown up with an Aunt Ellen.

 

[Neko-chan]

...

 

[redhen]

Sounds yummy! Thanks for sharing!

 

[freemotion]

What is Tenderquick, and why is it needed for hamburger?

From Morton's website:

Morton Tender Quick mix contains salt, the main preserving agent; sugar, both sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite, curing agents that also contribute to development of color and flavor; and propylene glycol to keep the mixture uniform.

 

[Rhettsgreygal]

Is it possible to make the salami successfully without nitrates and nitrites?

 

[freemotion]

I'm sure you could make this recipe with just plain salt....just use it up faster and understand that it will look like cooked hamburger and not pink store-bought salami. My bacon was somewhat grey last year but it tasted divine! "Development of color and FLAVOR...." smacks of msg. I'll have to look that one up. The solution, as usual, is onion and garlic powder and extra salt!

 

[framing fowl]

I was wondering the same thing so thank you Free! I did want to try the recipe as is first because we aren't eating any commercially processed pork right now due to budget. I figured a little bit of nitrates/nitrites wouldn't hurt.

Just the thought of plain hamburger boiled for an hour didn't really sound that appetizing to me. I could just make meatloaf for that. I will try it though after we eat this up because it would be healthier without the tenderquick.

 

[~gd]

I was wondering the same thing so thank you Free! I did want to try the recipe as is first because we aren't eating any commercially processed pork right now due to budget. I figured a little bit of nitrates/nitrites wouldn't hurt.

Just the thought of plain hamburger boiled for an hour didn't really sound that appetizing to me. I could just make meatloaf for that. I will try it though after we eat this up because it would be healthier without the tenderquick.

It would be healthier without the salt and the fat from the hamburger but who would want to eat that? The nitrates/nitrites are those pesty preseratives that you have been warned about so long, they make the difference between modern bacon and ham which spoils without refrigeration and real bacon and ham that don't need refrigeration. I was thrilled to learn about the tenderquick I am planning on getting at least a case to add to my SHTF stash. this is the SS forum isn't it? Of course saltpeter has other uses like making Black powder...~gd

 

[JRmom]

Everything in moderation. I try to stay away from processed foods as much as possible, but meat cured with nitrates/nitrites doesn't bother me, especially since sodium nitrate occurs naturally in a lot of foods.