Salami Loaf

This recipe is from an engineer (and friend) who worked for me up in Alaska about 25 years ago. Wait until your local supermarket has their family-pack CHEAP hamburger on sale to make this. You really do not want to use the good stuff; the fatter the better for best final flavor and texture.

• Ready In: 80 hrs
• Yields: 3 1lb loaves

Ingredients

• 4  lbs  cheap ground beef (don’t bother with the lean stuff; you need all that fat)
• 2  teaspoons black pepper, cracked or very coarsely ground (1/2 Tsp/lb)
• 2  teaspoons mustard seeds (1/2 Tsp/lb)
• 1  teaspoon garlic granules (1/4 Tsp/lb, or more to taste)
• 4  teaspoons Morton Tender Quick salt (1 Tsp/lb, Morton's Tender-Quick is a curing salt that contains nitrates to cure the meat.)
• 2  teaspoons hickory smoke salt (1/2 Tsp/lb, or 2 Tsp liquid smoke, plus 2 Tsp salt 1/2 Tsp/lb of each)
•  cayenne pepper or   crushed red pepper flakes, to taste if a spicier sausage is desired (optional)

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients well, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
2. Mix again, and refrigerate for another 24 hours, and repeat one more timel mixture should cure in refrigerator for a total of 3 days.
3. Form into 3 long sausages, and place on a broiler rack above a drain pan.
4. A wire rack over a foil lined cookie sheet works fine.
5. Bake at 150-175degF for 8-10 hours.
6. Remove grease from drain pan if too much accumulates.
7. If meat is not browned, firm, and crusty after 8 hours, continue to bake until it is.
8. Cool loaves to room temperature, wrap well, and freeze until needed.
9. To serve, thaw, and slice very thinly with a sharp knife.
10. Sausage casing is not needed, since the loaves form a crust while cooking.
11. Note: Since many oven thermostats are inaccurate at low temperature settings, use an oven thermometer to make sure oven is hot enough to properly cook the meat.