The History & Craft behind

our All Beef Salami

The History

Salami started as a practical way to make meat last. Long before refrigeration, European butchers relied on salt, seasoning, fermentation and drying to preserve meat and make use of as much of the animal as possible. In northern Italy, cured meats have been part of the food culture since 1436.

From there, every region developed its own version. Italian salami often leaned on garlic, wine and pepper, while Central and Eastern European traditions tended toward firmer, more heavily seasoned sausages and smoking in some styles. Germany alone developed an enormous sausage culture, with regional techniques built around preserving meat and using the whole animal.

Shop Now

What Makes North American Salami Different

One of the biggest differences is the meat itself. Many traditional European salamis are pork-based, while beef salami became much more common in North America, especially through Eastern European deli traditions. That gives it a richer, more savoury flavour and a different texture than many pork-based styles.

There’s also a difference in how salami is finished. Some salamis are dry cured, meaning they’re fermented and slowly dried over time, which gives them a firmer texture and more concentrated flavour. Others are cooked or smoked, which produces a softer, juicier salami that’s closer to the style most people recognize from a North American deli counter.

Shop Now

The Butcher Shoppe Way

For nearly five decades, our beef salami has been made from the same recipe at The Butcher Shoppe.

It starts with Canadian AAA beef, which is ground in-house and seasoned with paprika, garlic, onion, black pepper and a touch of cayenne. The mixture is then hand-stuffed into casings before being cooked and smoked in our ovens in-house.

That process has stayed largely unchanged over the years, from grinding the beef ourselves to stuffing each salami by hand. There’s a familiarity to it that comes from making something the same way for so long. The recipe, the spices, and the hands-on process have all become part of what makes this salami distinctly ours.

Shop Now