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Yield: One 18- to 20-inch/45- to 50-centimeter coppa

[ NOTES: 1. If you choose to freeze your pork, do so 2 to 3 weeks before making this sausage, according to the instructions on page 180. Thaw the meat in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. 2. See pages 107–116 for a detailed description of the basic grinding, mixing, stuffing, and cooking techniques. ]

SPANISH CHORIZO

One of the best dry-cured sausages there is, for its rich flavor and versatility. It’s excellent sliced and eaten as a canapé. It can be sautéed and added to beans or stews or eggs. It’s a key ingredient in paella. Chorizo is often smoked but it doesn’t have to be. Its distinctive characteristic is the paprika, so be sure to use smoked Spanish paprika, as we do here, or fresh Spanish or Hungarian paprika, paprika that hasn’t been hanging out in the spice rack for several years.

5 pounds/2.25 kilograms boneless pork shoulder butt, diced (see Note 1 below)

2 ounces/50 grams kosher salt (1⁄4 cup)

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

1 tablespoon/10 grams dextrose

1⁄4 cup/20 grams Bactoferm F-RM-52 (live starter culture; see Sources, page 301)

1⁄4 cup/60 milliliters distilled water

2 tablespoons/16 grams smoked hot Spanish paprika (pimentón)

2 tablespoons/16 grams ancho chile powder

1 1⁄2 teaspoons/5 grams cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons/36 grams minced garlic

10 feet/3 meters hog casings, soaked in tepid water for at least 30 minutes and rinsed

1. Combine the pork with the salt, Insta Cure #2 or DQ Curing Salt #2, and dextrose. Grind through the large die into the bowl of standing mixer set in ice (see Note 2 below).

2. Dissolve the Bactoferm in the distilled water and add it, along with the remaining ingredients, to the pork. With the paddle attachment, mix on low speed about 1 minute to incorporate all the ingredients.

3. Stuff the sausage into the hog casings and use string to tie into 12-inch/30-centimeter loops. Using a sterile pin or needle, prick the casings all over to remove any air pockets and facilitate drying.

4. Hang the sausage (ideally at 60 degrees F./15 degrees C. with 60 to 70 percent humidity) until it feels completely stiff throughout and/or it’s lost 30 percent of its weight, 18 to 20 days.

Yield: About 3 pounds/1.5 kilograms sausage; 5 large rings

[ NOTES: 1. If you choose to freeze your pork, 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. ]

HUNGARIAN SALAMI

Brian was inspired to make a Hungarian sausage because of his Hungarian mother-in-law. This Hungarian-style salami is like traditional salami in texture but with the additional flavors of garlic and paprika. Cold-smoking the sausage (as Spanish chorizo often is) adds a depth of flavor as well as a mold-inhibiting acidic coating to the casing. If you don’t have the capacity to cold-smoke, though, this can be dried in the manner of the Tuscan Salami (see page 183).

Paprika plays a big role in this sausage. We recommend that you stay away from generic brands; use good Hungarian paprika. And be sure the paprika you use is very fresh; if you don’t remember when you bought it, take that as an indicator of how fresh it is.

2 pounds/900 grams pork back fat, diced (see Note 1 below)

2 pounds/900 grams boneless lean pork shoulder butt, diced

2 pounds/900 grams boneless lean beef chuck, diced

3 ounces/75 grams kosher salt (6 tablespoons)

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 cup/140 grams nonfat dry milk powder

6 tablespoons/48 grams Hungarian paprika

2 tablespoons/20 grams dextrose

2 tablespoons/20