Brother in Law says "Grandpa used to do it all the time with sausage from the market" but I have a feeling that this isn't the same thing. This doesn't feel right.

by WolfieVonD

21 Comments

  1. username_gaucho20

    Oh, it’s definitely a thing! Make sure to put a plate under it to collect any dripping oil. It will start to shrivel like a raisin, and then shrivel more. And then it will be perfect and delicious. I have done it many times. However, I’m not a health inspector and don’t want to recommend anything you are uncomfortable with.

  2. Background_Trick1410

    You’re not gonna catch me hanging up a grocery store salami in my kitchen. But as long as it smells normal funky (not bad funky) it probably won’t kill you (?) (probably????)

  3. That’s a tough call but it says to refrigerate so I would probably do so. But I would guess is ok to be left out for a couple days, I do at times out camping or back packing. That said there are other more dry cured types that would definitely last way longer. I don’t buy or eat those that often but when I do they don’t last long at all, especially with hungry kids

  4. thewhaleshark

    This is a thing that old world immigrants used to do with commercial salamis back in the day.

    I do charcuterie as a hobby and drying cooked salami (Hebrew National and other kosher salamis are all cooked in the US) is definitely a valid process; usually, you want to dry and *then* do heat processing, but you can also do it this way. Personally, I would heat-treat it after drying no matter what, to be as safe as possible.

    However, I’d be cautious about using your kitchen, because humidity fluctuations may lead to a phenomenon called case hardening; that’s when the exterior of the salami dries much faster than the interior and forms a hard case that prevents the inside from drying. Ideally, you’d want a humidity-controlled cabinet to allow it to dry slowly.

    Some people use a wine fridge, and you can also buy products by a company called Umai – they make special drying bags that allow you to dry things in your fridge.

  5. FonzoLatrundo

    I’m with the OP on this. I’m a chef and I make a lot of sausage both fresh and cured, pastrami, corned beef, hams, bacon and have made fermented and aged salumi. There’s a process that needs to be adhered to to properly execute aged salumi and a process for lightly cured sausages and hams that will eventually be cooked or smoked like kielbasa or bacon. Because Hebrew National advises keeping this salami under refrigeration my suspicion is that it is cured and cooked and is absolutely not prepared for aging. The risk for pathogen growth like listeria and botulinum is very real. Botulinum grows in low air packaging like this packaging. A true fermented aged salumi is never aged in air tight packaging although it’s often sold in it – post maturity. If someone with more expertise wants to correct me I’m all ears but I don’t see any reason to risk this.

  6. AVeryFineWhine

    Okay, New york delis used to hang a similar product. The difference is, this is a commercially prepared variety that is meant to be refrigerated and eaten. So unless someone grew up going to NY deli’s, as I did, and wants to hang this in the kitchen to be sentimental ornamentation ( which I still wouldn’t advise doing as it could attract bugs), this is now useless IMHO.

    I personally would never risk it. As someone who’s had food poisoning twice in my life, there is absolutely nothing worth taking that risk for. ( Ironically, the worst of my life was from a kosher deli. It was the only meal my Mother, Aunt and I had together, and the 3 of us were sick as dogs for days). I was going to suggest calling Hebrew National, but since they’re now owned by Conagra, well you could try. But unless they were to tell you this is safe, is any risk worth it??

  7. Refrigerate it as long as the thick plastic casing is off and you’re down to the red breathable it will dry out in the fridge…
    Give it a try after week one… Then after week two… As it dries you’ll taste less wet fat and more of the seasoning in the salami…
    Find a good place for your taste and just thin slice it into a sandwich and enjoy… A bit of mustard… Rye bread… So good…
    Done this for years… Drying it out makes it much better salami and it’s in the fridge…

  8. You eat that, you’ll be in the hospital within 24h.

  9. eldeejay999

    I’d dry it out on the top shelf of the fridge a few months.

  10. oh_no_the_claw

    Throw it away. It’s supposed to be refrigerated. It says it on the packaging. It’s not hard Italian salami.

  11. The_Actual_Sage

    It’s not the right sausage. Also you’re supposed to hang them in a cool and dark place.

  12. Impossible-Charity-4

    That’s like storing Beaujolais Nouveau for 20 years in your cellar because someone said aged wine is better, except the Beaujolais won’t literally kill you if you consume it.

  13. TazzleMcBuggins

    They come refrigerated iirc which means that’s completely spoiled and will make you violently ill. But I’m no doctor.

  14. FramingLeader

    Hebrew National makes a hard salami that you can hang. I remember it being thinner than this one. This looks more like the chub version which needs refrigeration

  15. Artistic-Tale5859

    I mean you could win a darwin award. So why not just go for it 🙄
    Srsly though, how can this even be a question?
    Or is it judt a stupid shitpost farming for engsgement? Tell me

  16. sigmacoder

    Bro really told you to Go hang a salami. (I’m a lasagna hog)