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(see Note 2 below). Chill while you grind the meat through the large die. Combine the ground meat and fat in the bowl of a standing mixer and refrigerate while you ready the culture and the remaining ingredients.

2. Dissolve the Bactoferm in the distilled water and add it, along with the remaining ingredients, to the meat. Using the paddle attachment, mix on the lowest speed until the seasonings are thoroughly distributed, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Stuff the sausage into casings. Tie the ends of the hog middle, if using. Or, if using hog casings, twist into 8-inch/20-centimeter links. Using a sterile pin or needle, prick the casings all over to remove any air pockets and facilitate drying.

4. Hang the sausage at room temperature, ideally 85 degrees F./29 degrees C., for 12 hours to “incubate” the bacteria; the beneficial bacteria will grow and produce more lactic acid at a warmer temperature.

5. Hang the sausage (ideally at 60 degrees F./15 degrees C. with 60 to 70 percent humidity) until completely dry or until it’s lost 30 percent of its weight. The time will differ depending on the size of the casings you use and your drying conditions—roughly 2 to 3 weeks.

Yield: About 3 pounds/1.5 kilograms sausage; one 14-inch/35-centimeter sausage if using a hog middle, eight 8-inch/20-centimeter links if using hog casings

[ NOTES: 1. If you choose to freeze your pork and fat, do so 2 to 3 weeks before making this 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. ]

COPPA

Coppa is made with chunks of pork (or whole muscles) that are cured and seasoned, but not ground, and simply stuffed into large casings, typically beef middles, by hand. Because it’s not ground, coppa is more like a cured ham than salami, with a rich earthy taste. Some of the curing is done outside the casing before it’s stuffed, and the heavy seasoning can be either spicy or sweet. In Tuscany, common seasonings include garlic, orange and lemon zest, cinnamon, and caraway. Here we include recipes for both spicy and sweet coppa. As with all these larger dried sausages, it should be sliced paper-thin and served before the meal, as an antipasto.

5 pounds/2.25 kilograms boneless pork shoulder butt, well trimmed of fat and sinew, cut into chunks about 3 inches/7.5 centimeters square (see Note 1 below)

THE DRY CURE

4 ounces/125 grams kosher salt (about 1⁄2 cup)

3⁄4 ounce/25 grams dextrose (about 2 1⁄2 tablespoons)

1 teaspoon/6 grams Insta Cure #2 or DQ Curing Salt #2 (see page 106)

FOR SPICY SAUSAGE

Hot paprika, preferably Hungarian to coat the meat (about 4 tablespoons/32 grams)

1 tablespoon/9 grams cayenne pepper

FOR SWEET SAUSAGE

3 tablespoons/40 grams sugar

2 tablespoons/20 grams freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon/8 grams ground coriander

2 teaspoons/12 grams minced garlic

1 teaspoon/4 grams ground mace

1 teaspoon/4 grams ground allspice

3⁄4 teaspoon/3 grams ground juniper berries

Beef middles, about 18 to 20 inches/45 to 50 centimeters long, soaked in tepid water for at least 30 minutes and rinsed

1. Combine the salt, dextrose, and Insta Cure #2 or DQ Curing Salt #2. Rub the meat all over with half the cure mixture and place in a single layer in a nonreactive baking pan or sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 9 days.

2. Rub the meat with the remaining cure mixture and pack tightly in a single layer in a nonreactive pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for another 9 days.

3. Remove the meat from the refrigerator, rinse under cold water, and pat dry with paper towels. Combine all the spicy or sweet seasonings and rub the pork well with the seasoning.

4. Pack the meat tightly by hand into the casings (see Note 2 below). Prick any air pockets with a sterile pin or needle before tying the ends.

5. Hang the coppa at room temperature for 12 hours.

6. Dry the coppa (ideally at 60 degrees