Saucisson sec d’Auvergne / Saucisse sèche d’Auvergne
Also known as Saucisson sec d'Auvergne, Saucisson sec d’Auvergne, Saucisse sèche d’Auvergne
Auvergne (regional), Auvergne, France
Coarse, hearty and peppery, an upland saucisson of the Massif Central.
Overview
Saucisson sec d'Auvergne is coarse, hearty and peppery, an upland saucisson of the massif central. A clean unsmoked sausage with dry natural casing, white-grey bloom, a red interior and about one-fifth visible fat. Garlic and pepper should support the pork without creating harsh acidity.
Where it's from
Climate. The volcanic Massif Central of the Auvergne.
Altitude. Volcanic Massif Central
The cut
How to recognise it
A clean unsmoked sausage with dry natural casing, white-grey bloom, a red interior and about one-fifth visible fat. Garlic and pepper should support the pork without creating harsh acidity. Smoke, herb crusts, a wet centre or a brittle dry shell are inconsistent with the protected style.
- Shape and size
- Cylindrical, coarse
- Lean colour
- Deep red
- Fat and marbling
- White cubes
- Casing
- Natural casing
- Surface bloom
- Natural mould
Origins and history
A robust dry sausage of the Auvergne, cured in the clean air of the volcanic Massif Central. Coarsely cut and simply seasoned with pepper and garlic, it is a hearty mountain saucisson, a natural partner to the region's cheeses and rye bread. It sits alongside the Auvergne ham in the region's upland tradition.
The volcanic uplands of Auvergne developed a broad farmhouse and commercial salaison culture. Cool cellars and dry mountain air favoured both large saucissons and narrower sausages, with garlic linking them to the wider regional pork tradition. The verified production area is Auvergne production area, France. Stories and etymologies are retained when they help explain the tradition, but legends are not used as evidence for the modern specification.
Name. Saucisson sec, dry sausage; Auvergne the region.
- Production today
- Auvergne producers.
- Protection
- IGP.
- Tradition vs modern
- Upland-air curing.
- Seasonality
- Year-round.
Compare with. Saucisson de Lacaune / Saucisse de Lacaune, Jambon d'Auvergne
Serving and cultural significance
Cut the broad saucisson thinly and the narrow saucisse slightly thicker. Serve with rye bread, Saint-Nectaire, Cantal, pickles and a light Auvergne wine. Its unsmoked garlic-and-pepper profile also makes it useful in sandwiches without overwhelming the cheese.
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.
Curesmith home adaptation — not designation-compliant
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
Saucisson sec d'Auvergne and Saucisse sèche d'Auvergne are protected pork sausages distinguished mainly by diameter and minimum drying time. The product is not smoked and may not be coated with herbs or spices. Garlic is a characteristic seasoning, while authorised curing agents, sugars and cultures may be used.
- Meat
- pork
- Salt (%)
- 2.5
- 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
- 4 to 8 weeks
- Basis
- per 1000 g green meat
- Style
- Traditional fermented and dried sausage
Ingredients
- pork (base)100% · 1000 g/kg
- sea salt2.5% · 25 g/kg
- black pepper0.4% · 4 g/kg
- garlic0.3% · 3 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
- The official protected specification controls the named product. Any Curesmith EQ, starter-culture, curing-salt or home-scale adaptation is a separate method and must not be presented as designation-compliant.
- 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.
In the Codex
What this product teaches, and where to read more.
Temple. Roof, Water Activity