All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
As a proud eater of pork, from sausage and prosciutto to chops and ribs, there's no logical reason for me to love kosher beef salami. After all, it's just a simulacrum, a mere facsimile of pork salami for those who choose not to eat pig. It is the veggie burger of salami, the Coke Zero of charcuterie.
It's natural to believe that, I guess. Until you taste it. Fact is, beef salami has been around for a long time. Across the Middle East, salami and sausages are often made out of beef, lamb, or mutton instead of pork. And across Romania, beef salami is a specialty, called karnatzl. The robust, tangy taste is every bit as delicious as pork sausage—with its own unique personality.
And while it can be hard to track down authentic versions of beef salami if you don't have an Eastern European or Jewish market nearby, there is a widely available supermarket version here to save you from pork-sausage monotony. The only caveat? Supermarket beef salami isn't for eating straight (even though they might slice it at the deli counter for precisely this purpose). Eat it cold, and it will leave you the same way.
No, kosher beef salami comes into its own only when sliced or cut into chunks and sizzled in a pan. As the fat renders (and believe me, there's plenty of it), the flavors intensify, and all that beefy richness only intensifies. When your kitchen starts to smell maddeningly delicious, it's time to toss something else in the pan with your salami. Throw in sliced onion and/or torn greens, sauté until golden, and stir in a few beaten eggs and cook like a frittata. Or use as a base for stuffing mushrooms. Or just let those salami slices fry until crisp and insanely addictive, and eat them one by one, right out of the pan. Bologna who?
