I got my crash course in charcuterie from my friend Robbie who owns Norcini & Co – Norcini & Co, so since I owe my initiation to him, the first thing I thought we should put in Cur’an (my children at school likes to name all the cabinets, including this fridge) was a Soppressata. The process was pretty straightforward: grind the meat, while keeping it as cold as possible (freezing everything 30 minutes before hand helps), emulsify the sausage with the wine and spices in a stand mixer, stuff and hang.

We used a mix with an 80/20 meat to fat ratio with 2% Insta Cure and the following seasoning:
Red wine: 5%
Whole pepper corns: 0.4%
Fennel: 0.4%
Red pepper flakes: 0.3%
Cayenne: 0.3%
Paprika: 0.3%
Chili paste: 5%
Temp: 10°C, RH: 67.5%
Pulled at about a range of 35-41.5% weight loss (30% is ideal). Took about 30 days.

Issues we came across:
1) We had a hard time keeping all the sausages the right size so the sizes and time varied. Next time, we’ll have to pay closer attention to this and weigh them more often. It’s good to label the date, starting weight, finishing weight and weights along the way.
2) I was disappointed to not see any white mold. When I hung the last batch years ago in my garage, it developed a nice white mold, but this time around, it didn’t happen. It could be that we did not have enough curing time, or maybe incorrect temperature and humidity.
3) I was also told not to tie them in bunches so I will keep them in singles in the future.