Mortadella Recipe
Smoking Goose, emulsified pork, cured back fat, cinnamon, black peppercorns
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Ingredients
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Meat & Fat
Cure & Seasoning
Binder & Emulsifier
Casings & Finishing
Method
Meat & Fat
- 1
Trim and chill
Trim pork shoulder of silver skin and large sinew. Cut pork and pork back fat into roughly 1" cubes. Place meat and fat in separate bowls, cover, and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or in the freezer for 20–30 minutes until very cold but not frozen.
- 2
First grind (optional)
Using a coarse plate (3/8" or 6 mm), grind the chilled pork shoulder once. Keep ground meat cold in the refrigerator. Grind the cold back fat separately through the same plate and keep chilled.
Cure & Seasoning
- 3
Mix cure and spices
In a small bowl combine kosher salt, pink curing salt, sugar, ground black pepper, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and garlic powder. Stir to evenly distribute the curing salt and spices.
- 4
Emulsifying & Batter
- 5
Emulsify to a smooth batter
Place the seasoned ground pork in a food processor or heavy-duty meat grinder/emulsifier in batches. With the motor running, add the ice-cold water in a steady stream to help create an emulsion. Process until the mixture becomes a smooth, pasty batter (similar to bologna/mortadella) — about 2–4 minutes per batch. Scrape down sides as needed and work quickly to keep meat cold. If using a grinder, process through a fine plate and return to the processor or grinder hopper to emulsify until smooth.
- 6
Incorporate fat
Gradually add the chilled back fat (cut into small dice or thin strips) into the processor while pulsing, incorporating until evenly distributed but still visible as small white pieces in the batter. Reserve.
- 7
Adjust seasoning and stud with peppercorns
Taste a small fried patty of the batter (optional safety note: if using curing salt, cook sample thoroughly) and adjust seasoning if necessary. Fold in cracked black peppercorns for the characteristic studded appearance and texture.
Stuffing & Forming
- 8
Prepare casing
Soak the collagen or natural casings per package instructions (if required). Rinse natural casings and flush with water. Fit your stuffer with a tube size appropriate for the chosen casing.
- 9
Stuff the mortadella
Stuff the emulsified batter into the prepared casing, packing tightly to avoid large air pockets. Leave about 2–3" of casing at each end. Twist and tie the ends with butcher twine, and roll the log on the counter to distribute the filling evenly and achieve a uniform cylindrical shape. Prick any large air pockets with a sterile pin and re-roll to smooth.
- 10
Tie and net
Tie off the ends securely with butcher twine. If available, wrap the log in a mesh netting or tie spiral bands of twine every 1–1.5" to maintain shape during cooking.
Cooking & Smoking
- 11
- 12
Cold smoke (optional)
Cold smoke the mortadella log for 1–2 hours with mild wood (apple, beech, or beech-like) to impart a delicate smoke flavor. Maintain smoker temperatures below 100°F (38°C) if performing a true cold smoke. This step is optional; you can also skip smoking and proceed to poaching/roasting.
- 13
Cook to safe temperature
After smoking (or directly if not smoking), cook the mortadella in a water bath (sous-vide) or in an oven/steam bath until the internal temperature reaches 150–155°F (65–68°C). For sous-vide, set 150°F (65°C) and cook 2–3 hours. For an oven method, place the log in a roasting pan with hot water (bain-marie) and roast at 180°F (82°C) until internal temp reaches 150–155°F, checking with a probe thermometer. Maintain gently simmering water if poaching on the stovetop and keep temperature steady.
- 14
Cool and rest
Immediately after reaching temperature, transfer the log to an ice bath to rapidly chill to below 40°F (4°C) to firm the texture and stop carryover cooking. Chill at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, before slicing.
Serving & Storage
- 15
Slice and serve
Remove casings before slicing if using collagen casings that do not peel. Slice thinly on a sharp knife or slicer and serve chilled. Mortadella is classic on sandwiches, antipasti platters, or diced in salads.
- 16
Storage
Wrap tightly and refrigerate for up to 7 days, or vacuum-seal and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator before slicing.