Housemade Salumi Recipe

Prepare equipment

Chill the bowl, grinder parts, blades, and cutting board in the refrigerator or freezer for 30 minutes so meat stays cold during grinding. Cold meat prevents smearing and helps proper texture.

Weigh and measure all cure ingredients. Combine kosher salt and Prague #1 curing salt in a small bowl so the cure is evenly distributed.

Place the cubed pork shoulder and chilled pork back fat in a large stainless-steel bowl. Sprinkle the combined salts, cracked black pepper, crushed garlic, dried oregano, crushed red pepper, and brown sugar evenly over the meat and fat.

Pour the white wine and cold water over the seasoned meat. Mix thoroughly with clean hands or a spatula for 3–5 minutes until the cure and liquids are evenly distributed and the mixture feels tacky. This step helps extract proteins needed for good binding.

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours to allow the cure to penetrate. Turn the meat once at 12 hours to redistribute the cure.

After 24 hours, set up a grinder with a 6 mm (or medium) plate. Keep meat and fat cold — place in refrigerator or on ice if needed. Pass the cured meat and fat through the grinder once. If you prefer a coarser texture, use a larger plate.

Scrape the ground meat into a chilled mixing bowl. Mix vigorously by hand or with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle on low-to-medium speed for 2–4 minutes until the mixture becomes sticky and starts to bind. This develops the myosin for a cohesive salumi.

If the mixture feels dry, add up to 30–60 ml (2–4 tbs) cold water or additional wine, a tablespoon at a time, to achieve a tacky but not sloppy texture.

Prepare casings: rinse natural hog casings thoroughly under cold running water, flush them inside and out, and soak for 30 minutes in warm water. Keep them in a bowl of lightly salted water until ready to use.

Fit your sausage stuffer or grinder attachment with an appropriate sized horn for approximately 1" finished diameter. Slide the prepared casing onto the horn, leaving a 6" tail to tie off.

Fill the stuffer with the mixed meat and feed it slowly into the casing, using steady pressure to avoid air pockets. Use a gentle back-and-forth motion. Leave short sections (6–8" links) or one long log according to preference.

Twist or tie links using butcher's twine, leaving small air gaps to allow some compression during resting. Prick any large visible air pockets with a sterilized needle to release trapped air.

Weigh individual links (optional) to ensure consistent size. The recipe yields approximately 8–10 small links (based on 1" diameter, 6–8" length) or 1–2 larger logs.

Hang the stuffed salumi in a cool (50–60°F / 10–15°C), well-ventilated area with 70–80% relative humidity for initial drying. If you don't have a curing chamber, a cool pantry or refrigerator modified with a small fan and humidifier may work for short-term drying.

Allow the salumi to dry for 3–7 days at the initial conditions until the surface is tacky and a thin pellicle forms. During this period, check daily for excessive wet spots, off-odors, or undesirable molds. A whitish bloom of fine mold (Penicillium nalgiovense) is normal and protective; wipe off undesirable green/black molds with a cloth soaked in 1:1 water-vinegar solution.

After pellicle formation, move the salumi to an aging environment around 55–60°F (13–15°C) with 65–75% humidity. Continue to hang for 3–8 weeks depending on thickness and desired dryness. Finished salumi typically loses 20–30% of its weight; measure with a kitchen scale to judge doneness.

Optional: brush a thin coat of olive oil on the surface and dust with smoked paprika for additional flavor and appearance before serving.

Before serving, chill the salumi in the refrigerator for several hours to firm it up, then slice thinly with a sharp knife or meat slicer.

Always use the specified curing salt (Prague #1) in the exact amount listed. Over- or under-using curing salt can create safety risks. Maintain cleanliness: sanitize equipment, hands, and work surfaces.

If the salumi develops a strong putrid odor, sticky film, or fuzzy green/black mold that penetrates the casing, discard it. Healthy cured salumi has a pleasant cured meat smell and either no mold or a fine white mold.