I’m going to start this post by sending out a warning for any and all of my vegan or vegetarian friends. This post is all about meat. Continue reading at your own risk.
I love being Italian. That may seem like a super broad and open statement but it’s true. I love absolutely everything about it. I love knowing how to make delicious homemade sauce. I love having a million cousins and/or aunts and uncles who may or may not be related to me but we still call them family. I love seeing a Nonna in her cooking apron, pouring her love into all of the food that she makes for her loved ones. I love huge Italian weddings with at least 7 courses plus the midnight table. I love our pride in our beautiful country. Bonus points to you if you actually know how to speak the language! Today I’m going to talk about a long standing tradition for many Italians. The art of making cured meats. Whether it’s sausage, soppressata, prosciutto, pancetta or capicollo, family recipes have descended throughout generations of many families. Every family will argue that they make the best cured meats, and depending on your tastes, they’re all right in one way or another.
At the beginning of March, when the deep freeze gave way to more moderate temperatures that would allow us to survive a day-long adventure of sitting in a cold garage, I got together with my Calabrese in-laws and started documenting their process of making soppressata. Although I was sworn to complete secrecy as to the exact measurements for the ingredients, I did get permission to share general information as well as pictures.
What you’ll need:
- Ground pork
- Salt
- Hot pepper paste
- Chilli flakes
- Paprika
- Casing (the thin membrane that holds the meat)
- And a glass of wine. Or two. Or three. More or less.
Out of all of those ingredients, salt is the MOST important part because that’s what is going to cure the meat and ensure that it doesn’t go bad. According to them, it’s better to have more salt than less! The best way to test the salt content though is cooking it!
Depending on the superstition level in your family, women may or may not be allowed to help while making cured meats. There is a long standing superstition that if a woman is on her period, all of the meat will go bad and won’t cure properly. To avoid taking this chance, many families just don’t allow women to help at all. Between you and I, this is the one time I won’t jump in with a massive feminist rant. By all means boys, cover yourselves in raw meat and do all the grunt work! When it comes time to testing the meat though, this is where the women step in. Frying up the meat for the taste test, making the coffee and keeping the wine glasses full (while enjoying many glasses of wine at the same time). Now that’s my kind of job! Freshly fried up sausage meat with warm toasty ciabatta bread? The perfect snack. No fancy plates or cutlery needed, just grab a piece of bread, scoop the meat out of the frying pan to fill the bread and go to town!
According to the boys in charge, there are a few roles that need to be filled when preparing to make soppressata/sausage:
Meat mixer: This was my father-in-law’s job this year. One of the most crucial elements with this whole process is properly mixing the meat and all of the ingredients for an even distribution.
Ball roller: This was my brother-in-law Fred’s job this year. The ball roller takes the prepared meat and starts rolling them into what I can only describe as massive meatballs. By separating the meat like this, we have everything proportioned out to make it easier to feed the meat into the machine.
The ball inserter: This was my hubby’s job this year. Essentially, sit at the machine and slowly insert the pre-rolled balls of meat while turning the handle that feeds the meat into the casing.
Sausage stroker: This was also my father-in-law’s job this year. This job (he named it, not me) requires you to guide the meat into the casing while stroking it gently to make sure it’s all filled out properly. This position also tells the “ball inserter” when the casing is filled and when to stop cranking the handle.
Sausage tier: This was primarily my uncle Tony’s job this year (although he was training Fred, the next tier in line). This delicate task requires you to tie the end of the sausage or soppressata without making them pop. Tie it too tight and will explode. Tie it too loose and you’ll find meat all over your floor when you hang it to cure. This is one of the most important jobs. Years of mastery has even granted my uncle Tony with the luxury of having perfectly proportionate ears that hold many strings. By holding these strings around his ear, he’s able to very quickly grab the next one to continue tying.
Wine pourer: That’s where I stepped in. You can always count on me to keep your wine glass full!
Making sausages and soppressata is definitely labour intensive but the delicious outcome is totally worth it. The hardest part though? Being patient and waiting for them to dry/cure! There isn’t one right way to make it, so be open if you hear about different recipes. Just make sure to make enough to last for the whole year because trust me, once you start munching on this cured meat, you’ll want to eat the whole thing!
Jewels says
Sausages rule!!!
Salute!
xox