Morcón
-, Extremadura/Andalusia, Spain
Coarse, dense and paprika-rich, a stout cousin of chorizo in a knobbly casing.
Overview
Morcón is coarse, dense and paprika-rich, a stout cousin of chorizo in a knobbly casing. A large oval or short cylindrical sausage with crossed string, vivid red interior and large pieces of lean pork rather than a fine mince.
Where it's from
Climate. Extremadura and western Andalusia.
Altitude. Dehesa country
The cut
How to recognise it
A large oval or short cylindrical sausage with crossed string, vivid red interior and large pieces of lean pork rather than a fine mince. Shape and size: Large, rounded, knobbly. Lean colour: Deep red. Fat and marbling: White cubes. Casing or exterior: Pork caecum. Surface: Possible. The form is large, rounded, knobbly. the lean is deep red. the fat or marbling is white cubes. and the exterior uses pork caecum. Grease smear, hollow pockets, case hardening, a wet centre, rancidity or uncontrolled dark mould is a production fault.
- Shape and size
- Large, rounded, knobbly
- Lean colour
- Deep red
- Fat and marbling
- White cubes
- Casing
- Pork caecum
- Surface bloom
- Possible
Origins and history
Morcón belongs to the paprika-curing tradition of south-western Spain, spread across Extremadura and Andalusia, the same Iberian pig country that gives us chorizo and salchichón. It is a coarse cousin of chorizo, made from shoulder and neck cut into cubes rather than minced, then seasoned generously with pimentón for its deep red colour. The seasoned meat is packed into the pig's caecum, or blind cap, which lends the sausage its stout, knobbly form and slows its drying. Maturing commonly runs to two or three months in cool cellars, and longer still where the chambers are unheated.
The broad casing offered a way to preserve valuable chunks of shoulder and neck without grinding them finely. Its rugby-ball shape, crossed twine and very slow centre drying distinguish it from ordinary chorizo.
Name. Morcon, for the large gut it is stuffed into.
- Production today
- Producers in Extremadura and Andalusia.
- Protection
- Not EU-protected as a general name.
- Tradition vs modern
- Coarse, dense, slow-cured.
- Seasonality
- Winter matanza.
Compare with. Chorizo, Soppressata di Calabria
Serving and cultural significance
Once fully cured, morcón is eaten raw, sliced thinly to reveal its dark, marbled interior. It takes its place on a board of Iberian charcuterie beside chorizo, salchichón and lomo, and is usually served plainly with good bread. The coarse cut gives a firmer, meatier bite than the finer grind of ordinary chorizo.
Recipe and cure
This is not a finished recipe. It is a window into how this meat is traditionally cured. Before you follow any process, please run it through one of our curing calculators, so the salt, cure and timings are right and safe for your own batch.
Make this — the measured Curesmith version →The cure below is the traditional reference. “Make this” opens the measured Curesmith home recipe, scaled to your batch.
Traditional or protected production
Morcón is named for the pig caecum or blind-cap casing into which large pieces of seasoned pork are packed. Andalusian and Extremaduran versions are paprika-rich, broad and slow drying, frequently using high-quality Iberian pork.
The reference process can be summarised as follows: Cut pork into large pieces, season with salt, pimentón, garlic and wine, pack tightly into pig caecum, tie in both directions and mature slowly for several months.
- Meat
- pork
- Salt (%)
- 2.8
- Curing salt
- Not included in the base recipe below
- Fermented
- Yes
- Target pH
- 4.9
- Starter or mould
- Natural surface mould
- Smoked
- No
- Target aW or weight loss
- ~30% weight loss
- Temperature (°C)
- ferment 22 to 24, then dry 13 to 15
- Humidity (%)
- ferment ~90, then 75 to 80
- Maturation
- 2 to 4 months
- Basis
- per 1000 g green meat
- Style
- Traditional fermented and dried sausage
Ingredients
- Iberian pork neck meat (base)100% · 1000 g/kg
- pimentón, sweet2.5% · 25 g/kg
- pimentón, hot0.6% · 6 g/kg
- garlic1.2% · 12 g/kg
- white wine6% · 60 g/kg
Method
- Mince pork and fat and mix with all ingredients to green meat weight.
- Stuff into casing.
- Ferment to the target pH.
- Dry to the target weight loss.
Notes
- This traditional recipe uses no nitrite. For safety we recommend adding Cure #2: in a low-oxygen, slow-dried product nitrite is the specific guard against Clostridium botulinum, while salt, acidity and drying control Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria and Staphylococcus.
- Recipe reconciled to the fuller traditional cure, with the starter culture, curing salt and the complete spicing recorded as ingredients.
In the Codex
What this product teaches, and where to read more.
Temple. Roof, Water Activity