HOW TO MAKE CACCIATORINI SALAMI |
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So many things to love about this salami and its process as you go through your charcuterie journey. The Cacciatorini salami is a small , coarsely ground air-dried pork sausage originating in the Northern Hills of Italy and the name comes from the hunters who would carry these amazing treats in their bags to feed on while they hunted. They may also be referred to as cacciatore, cacciatoro, or salame milanese.
They are seasoned with wine and garlic and are ready quite quickly in curing terms, often in less than 3 weeks. One of the things I like about this is that it really doesn't require any specialist equipment (I see no documentation of hunters roaming around with a meat grider on their person!) The coarseness can be easily be achieved with some knife work and you can even stuff this without the need of specialist sausage stuffing equipment. These short cured salami can be achieved with some sausage casings (natural or artificial), a funnel made from the top of a plastic bottle, (see TIPS) and some string. No specialist equipment required! |
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The smaller you make them the quicker they can be ready. The acidity of the wine and salt, make it fairly inhospitable to bad bacteria, whilst with the hints of garlic and wine impart a lovely flavour.... these are so moorish, thickly sliced with a cold beer or glass of wine (or two!)
NOTE : The only preparation is to soak the garlic in the wine the night before...the rest is an absolute doddle....and I explain below how you can stuff the sausage casings without a mechanical press or hand press or sausage stuffer ....so you feel that real traditional skill....admittedly with the top of a plastic bottle!
Like everything in cooking - you get out what you put in, so if you have chosen some cheap meat near its sell by date, don't bother.
Like everything in cooking - you get out what you put in, so if you have chosen some cheap meat near its sell by date, don't bother.
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INGREDIENTS
*We make our own informed choice on the use of additional nitrates and curing salts. If you choose to use these - swap the 2.5% in salt to 2.0% salt and 0.25% Instacure #2 / Prague Powder #2. You can read more in our article here : To use or not to use Nitrates (Pink Salts, Instacures)?
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PROCESS
1. VERY IMPORTANT - The night before, shop the large garlic clove into 3-4 chunks and put into the glass of wine, and set aside. Leave it overnight to infuse. Trust me, this really makes the recipe work. 2. Finely chop and dice up the pork belly and pork loin. You may find it easier to pop the meat in the freezer for 20 mins to help chill the meat and make it easier for fine cutting. You are looking to slice, chop, and dice the pork to a size slightly larger than mince meat with no large chunks. Ideally 6mm-8mm at most. If you have a meat grinder then you can use the 8mm setting. |
Hand chopped pork mix
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3. Put in a bowl and start sprinkling the salt and cracked pepper over and mix it through. Mix the salt through thoroughly. (Use your clean hands!)
4. Remove the garlic from the wine, and pour the wine over your pork mix. Add the pepper corns and mix through thoroughly with your hands.
5. Now fill your sausage casings use your with your sausage stuffer or use a funnel to stuff the mix into the casings. If you don't have a funnel you can use the end of a plastic drinks bottle. (CLEAN IT FIRST!) Just cut the plastic near the top of the bottle (near the shoulder) and use the main body of the bottle as a the funnel. (see TIPS)Put the bottle cap end into the casing and push the mix through the neck into the casing.
6. You will now have one long sausage. Push the meat so it is fairly tight, but has some room so as not to burst the skin, and using your finger and thumb start pinching the sausage into smaller sausages about 7-8cm long and stretch gap so you have no meat for 2-3cm. Then tie string at both ends of the short fat sausages with a double knot. Smaller sausages will cure faster than a couple of longer ones. The 1kg total meat should yield 10-16 small sausages.
4. Remove the garlic from the wine, and pour the wine over your pork mix. Add the pepper corns and mix through thoroughly with your hands.
5. Now fill your sausage casings use your with your sausage stuffer or use a funnel to stuff the mix into the casings. If you don't have a funnel you can use the end of a plastic drinks bottle. (CLEAN IT FIRST!) Just cut the plastic near the top of the bottle (near the shoulder) and use the main body of the bottle as a the funnel. (see TIPS)Put the bottle cap end into the casing and push the mix through the neck into the casing.
6. You will now have one long sausage. Push the meat so it is fairly tight, but has some room so as not to burst the skin, and using your finger and thumb start pinching the sausage into smaller sausages about 7-8cm long and stretch gap so you have no meat for 2-3cm. Then tie string at both ends of the short fat sausages with a double knot. Smaller sausages will cure faster than a couple of longer ones. The 1kg total meat should yield 10-16 small sausages.
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7. Prick the sausages all over with the needle so any air pockets have a release valve. Prick them all over. Don't hold back here. This also aids the drying and curing process. Hit the like a machine gun all over!
8. Now weigh each salami, make a note of the weight on some tape or a tag, and attached to the salami. I find it useful to also record the date. Then calculate a 30% weight reduction ( multiply the weight by 0.7 on a calculator) and write this down on the tag as target weight (T). 9. Hang these indoors at room temperature (16-18C+) for 24 hours. It's worth popping a plate underneath at this point for any liquid that seeps out. 24 HOURS! Don't try and shorten this! 10. After 24 hours, hang in your fridge for 2-3 weeks. You can rig up a pole between the side rungs of the fridge or loop in a 'U" shape so they hang. No parts of the sausage should touch the sides of the fridge. |
11. Leave for 2 weeks minimum. You can now check if you have enough weight loss. They will be firm, but not dry to the bone. The sausage shouldn't feel spongey to the touch - just firm with a bit of give. You can always cut one and try it! It can take up to 3-4 weeks to hit the magic -30% weight loss depending upon your fridge base temperature and air flow. You can keep going after this if you want a firmer salami.
Don't forget to check regularly for mould. White mould is your friend. (Green mould should be wiped off with water+vinegar (50/50) as soon as possible. You shouldn't have black mould in your fridge - if you do then you have some bad food and hygiene problem that will require a deep clean of the fridge as all your food will be contaminated. The black mould will only come from somewhere else)
Don't forget to check regularly for mould. White mould is your friend. (Green mould should be wiped off with water+vinegar (50/50) as soon as possible. You shouldn't have black mould in your fridge - if you do then you have some bad food and hygiene problem that will require a deep clean of the fridge as all your food will be contaminated. The black mould will only come from somewhere else)
TIPS
If you have had any other salami with white mould before this, try and keep your string near to this prior to the salami making. Trust the transference of this good mould can really make a difference to the final product!
If you have had any other salami with white mould before this, try and keep your string near to this prior to the salami making. Trust the transference of this good mould can really make a difference to the final product!
Main Photo by Wesual Click