How to measure pH of fermenting salami

[Kaiser Soze]

Hi all,

I made some sopressa salami yesterday, and it's currently fermenting. I have a pH meter and I'm wondering how I go about testing the pH of the sausages? Presumably, the best way would be to push the probe into the meat, but obviously all the meat is inside the casings. I'm actually fermenting them in my oven with the pilot light on, and they're in a covered roasting pan, so would it be logical to take a pH reading of the juices that collect at the bottom of the roasting pan? Or do I touch the probe to the outside of the casings? How do others do it?

[johngaltsmotor]

One common approach is to keep a small portion outside the casing (e.g. what remains in the stuffer that has to be cleaned out). If you put this in a bowl in the same conditions as the fermenting sausage you can test this to track the pH change inside the casing.

[Kaiser Soze]

Well, I hung the salamis last night after about 60 hours fermentation. One of the casings broke as I was hanging it, so I had a chance to measure the pH. It was 4.6! That's presumably pretty low, and they had a distinct sour smell. I fried some up, and it tasted 'tangy' but still delicious! Will be interesting to see how they turn out.

It was fascinating to see how the meat had changed in just that short space of time (generally they are encased, so I don't get to see). The meat was spongy, almost rubbery. It had bound together, and while it was still moist, there wasn't a lot of free liquid. Just thought it was interesting.