Charcuterie Questions That Vex the Internet: Can You Freeze Salami?

As anyone who’s read an online recipe during the last decade will attest to, it has become traditional to bury the stuff readers are actually seeking (the ingredients and method) in five hundred words of claptrap about the author’s life. Blame SEO, as Google inexplicably believes users prefer this.

Bucking this trend, save for the context above, I’m going to answer this simple question simply initially, then explain it later. I feel no need to disclose anything about my life in connection with this.

Can you freeze salami? Yes, you can.

Why would you not be able to freeze salami?

Clearly, you can put salami in a freezer. It will freeze. That’s not why people are asking. It’s got to be about quality and safety. Will the salami still be good if it’s frozen? Is it safe to freeze salami?

It’s a ‘yes’ to both of those questions too. Freezing salami might change the texture a bit, but if it’s well wrapped, you’re not going to see a significant drop in quality. Assuming you’re freezing it because you need to, and not just routinely freezing all food which enters your house, frozen salami is much better than losing it.

Do you need to freeze salami, though?

Salami has a naturally long shelf life. If it’s sliced in packs, the shelf life will initially be a few months. If you acquire it at that point, it might be better to use the months of shelf life in the fridge or cupboard, rather than keep it even longer in the freezer. Do you really need to keep it longer than three months?

Is it safe to freeze salami?

Sure. Why wouldn’t it be? A very good reason might be that curing ceases in freezing temperatures. This won’t affect your salami though, as it’s already cured. You just can’t cure fresh meat in a freezer. As you won’t be reheating the salami afterwards, that isn’t a concern either. Therefore, there’s no safety issue with freezing salami.

How should you freeze salami?

It’s a bit like bread, in my experience. Easier to freeze it sliced than to thaw and slice it. I’d recommend slicing the salami thinly, placing it on a food board and vacuum sealing it. Tight cling film wrapping will do if no vacuum is available, or put your board of salami in a ziplock bag. If you can’t source salami boards, use some greaseproof.

How long does it take to defrost?

Having frozen your salami, you might find you need to get it back again in order to eat it. Luckily, if you sliced your salami before freezing, defrosting is very quick. The thin slices thaw quickly, making it easy to prepare charcuterie boards straight out of the freezer. Were you to freeze a whole salami, this would take much longer. One thing I wouldn't do, is try to defrost salami in a microwave, or with any sort of heat. That's just not going to be very nice.

There’s nothing to worry about with freezing salami. Decide whether you really need to do it, slice and wrap the salami, then quickly thaw before use,