Smoked Sausage and Italian Salumi

I know that it has been a while since my last post.  Chalk it up to laziness.  Check out some of the tasty chicken smoked sausage that was made a while back with some of my friends in Morris.  It was amazing right out of the smoker (after a quick ice water batch).  Great amber color and smokey flavor!  Much better than the first time we tried to make it.  Next time I have to make a Texas style hot link or a Polish kielbasa.

Also since my last post, I received a baseball bat-like package from a from a friend with the following note.

Lobo was in Italy visiting his sister and noticed all the hanging meat and sausages at the local markets.  We had been having conversations about salami since I started this blog and I guess I piqued his interest.  I remember when I was in Rome that some of the markets have vacuum sealers and will ship goods, so I asked him about shipping me a sample.  He said he would look into it.  Truthfully, I forgot about the conversation until the package arrived in the mail.  Inside was a long salami covered in beautiful white mold.  Check it out.

The salami was amazing.  Deep red color mixed with large chunks of wonderful fat.  It had a distinct salami flavor and a good amount of spice.  I have been addicted to spicy lately, so it was right up my alley.  I still have a little left in the fridge and it's great on a crusty bread with a little mustard.  Thanks again, Lobo!

Stay tuned for a guanciale update!