Charcuterie_ The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing - Michael Ruhlman [86]
One attribute of a great dried sausage is its “definition,” which refers to the grind and the contrast of meat and fat in the finished sausage. The fat should be distinct in a dried sausage, which is why the fat and meat are ground separately from each other; often the fat is ground through the large die. If using the large hog middles, you could cut your fat into small dice rather than grind it; we recommend grinding it for the standard hog casings.
1 pound/450 grams pork back fat, diced (see Note 1 below)
4 pounds/1800 grams boneless pork shoulder butt, diced
2 ounces/50 grams kosher salt (about 1⁄4 cup)
1 teaspoon/6 grams Insta Cure #2 or DQ Curing Salt #2 (see page 106)
1⁄4 cup/20 grams Bactoferm F-RM-52 (live starter culture; see Sources, page 301)
1⁄4 cup/60 milliliters distilled water
1⁄2 cup/70 grams nonfat dry milk powder
3 tablespoons/30 grams dextrose
11⁄2 tablespoons/12 grams fennel seeds, toasted and cracked beneath a small heavy pan or side of a knife
4 teaspoons/12 grams coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon/6 grams minced garlic
4 ounces/125 milliliters Chianti or other dry Tuscan red wine
10 feet/3 meters hog casings, 20 feet/6 meters sheep casings, or one 3-foot/1-meter hog middles, soaked in tepid water for at least 30 minutes and rinsed
1. If you are not going to use whole chunks of fat, grind the fat while it is still very cold, or even partially frozen, through the large die into a bowl set in ice (see Note 2 below).
2. While the pork is still very cold, or even partially frozen, combine it with the salt and Insta Cure #2 or DQ Curing Salt #2 and grind through the small die into a bowl set in ice.
3. Combine the fat and meat in the bowl of a standing mixer and refrigerate it while you ready the culture and the remaining ingredients. (The purpose of keeping the meat and fat as cold as possible is to keep the fat distinct from the meat in the finished sausage.)
4. Dissolve the Bactoferm in the distilled water and add it to the meat, then add the remaining ingredients. With the paddle attachment, mix until all the ingredients are well distributed, about 1 minute.
5. Stuff the sausage into the casings. If using hog or sheep casings, twist into 8-inch/20-centimeter links. Or, If using a hog middle, tie off into 12-inch/30-centimeter sticks. Using a sterile pin or needle, poke holes all over the casings to remove any air pockets and facilitate drying.
6. Cover the sausage with a clean towel and leave out at room temperature, ideally 85 degrees F./30 degrees C., for 12 hours to “incubate” the bacteria; the beneficial bacteria will grow and produce more lactic acid at a warmer temperature.
7. Hang the sausage (ideally at 60 degrees F./15 degrees C. with 60 to 70 percent humidity) until it is completely stiff throughout and/or it has lost 30 percent of its weight (about 11⁄2 pounds/675 grams), 6 to 8 days if using sheep casings, 12 to 18 days if using hog casings, 25 to 30 days if using hog middles.
Yield: About 3 pounds/11⁄2 kilograms sausage
[ NOTES: 1. If you choose to freeze your pork and fat, do so 2 to 3 weeks before making the sausage, according to the instructions on page 180. Thaw the meat in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. 2. See pages 107–116 for a detailed description of the basic grinding, mixing, stuffing, and cooking techniques. ]
PEPERONE
This heavily seasoned sausage, dating to Roman times, is widely produced in America (where we spell it pepperoni), by virtue of its importance on pizza. Because of this mass production, the version most of us know is a pale imitation of the original peperone. True peperone (the name means large pepper, or large strong-tasting fruit) is a very lean, tangy, highly spiced sausage. Beef is typically used, but pork is also a good meat to use here.
5 pounds/2.25 kilograms boneless lean