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Field guide8 Curing Problems: How to Diagnose, Fix, and Prevent Them

Dry-cured sausage recipeOrigin Recipe

Corallina

Studded with coral-like lard, peppery and festive, the salame of a Roman Easter.

Draft

This recipe is a draft, pending verification by The Curesmith. Treat the salt, cure and timing figures as provisional and confirm them against your own judgement before curing.

Introduction

Corallina is studded with coral-like lard, peppery and festive, the salame of a roman easter. A red cohesive slice containing conspicuous white lardons, with black pepper, garlic and wine aromas and a firm but not dry texture.

The Curesmith home method

The encyclopedia article is ready, but the Curesmith home recipe is withheld pending product-specific technical validation of its safety endpoints. No formula or process should be inferred from the traditional description.

Where it comes from

Pork cut chart with the Shoulder highlighted
Pork · Shoulder
Umbria/Lazio, Italy

Before you begin

Purpose and scope

The recipes published on The Curesmith are intended for educational and informational purposes only. Meat curing, fermentation and smoking involve processes that, if carried out incorrectly, can result in products that are unsafe to eat. By using any recipe on this website you acknowledge that you do so entirely at your own risk, and you agree that The Curesmith and its authors cannot be held liable for any outcome arising from its use.

Limitation of liability

The Curesmith and its authors accept no responsibility or liability for any illness, injury, loss or damage arising from the use of these recipes, including but not limited to illness caused by improperly cured, handled or cooked meat products, errors in measurement or technique, equipment failure, or deviation from the stated method or quantities.

Nitrite and cure safety

Meat curing involves the use of nitrite salts, which must be measured accurately and used strictly according to the quantities specified. Nitrite in excessive quantities is toxic. Please ensure you understand the following before proceeding:

  • Always use a calibrated digital scale accurate to at least one gram. For smaller batches, a scale accurate to 0.1g is strongly recommended.
  • Never exceed the stated cure amounts. Never substitute cure types without recalculating.
  • Store all curing salts clearly labelled, separately from regular salt, and out of reach of children.
  • Different cure products have different nitrite concentrations. Always check your manufacturer's label and adjust quantities accordingly.

Food hygiene and cross-contamination

Raw and cured meat products must be stored, handled and prepared in a clean environment using food-safe equipment. Hands, surfaces, tools and containers must be thoroughly cleaned and where appropriate sanitised before use. Cross-contamination between raw meat and ready-to-eat products must be avoided at all times.

Temperature control

Temperature control is critical throughout all curing and smoking processes. Inadequate temperature management can allow the growth of dangerous pathogens including Clostridium botulinum, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella and E. coli. A reliable refrigerator thermometer and a calibrated probe thermometer are essential pieces of equipment for anyone producing cured or smoked meat at home.

Uncooked cured products

Whole muscle products that are eaten without cooking, such as air-dried bresaola, coppa or prosciutto, must reach their target weight loss before consumption. Products that have not been cured and dried to the correct specification may not be safe to eat uncooked. Pancetta and guanciale cured to less than 38% weight loss must not be consumed uncooked.

Bacon and other uncooked cured products

Bacon and other uncooked cured products must be cooked thoroughly before eating. Cold smoking adds flavour and colour but does not cook the product. A cold-smoked bacon or sausage remains a raw product and must reach a safe internal temperature before it is safe to consume. For pork and beef this is 72°C / 162°F. For poultry this is 74°C / 165°F.

When in doubt, seek professional guidance

If you are unsure about any aspect of the curing, smoking or fermentation process, we strongly encourage you to seek formal training or guidance from a qualified food safety professional before proceeding. The information on this website is not a substitute for proper food safety education and training.

Commercial production

These recipes are produced for home and small-scale producers. They are not intended for commercial food production. Commercial meat processing is subject to regulatory requirements that vary by country and jurisdiction. If you intend to produce cured or smoked products for sale, you must ensure full compliance with all applicable food safety regulations in your region.

The recipe

StyleFermented dry-cured
CureCure #2
CultureStarter culture
Min. weight loss38%

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Ingredients

gAdjust to
scale the recipe
Meat & fat
Pork shoulderReference1000 g
Diced Pork back fat42.85% of pork shoulder430 g
Cure, salt & sugar
Salt (additional)2.25%30 g
Cure #2 is about 94% salt. This additional salt brings the total to the 2.5% target.
Cure #2for 156 ppm3.6 g
Dextrose0.3%4.3 g
Feeds the starter culture. If substituting sugar, use 60%: 2.6 g
Starter culture
Starter culture0.357 g per kg meat0.4 g
I prefer Flora Italia LC, but you can use your preferred starter culture. No precision scale? Use 1.0 g - you cannot meaningfully overdose a starter culture. Dissolve before mixing in.
Water (to dissolve culture)20 ml per kg meat20 g
Aromatics & seasoning
Black pepper0.5%5.0 g
Garlic0.2%2.0 g
Red wine4%40 g

Nitrite safety check

Nitrite (NO₂)
156.0ppm
Nitrate (NO₃)
99.8ppm
Nitrite level156.0 / 200 ppm max
0156 ppm200 ppm
Safe
Within safe limits. Effective for pathogen control and colour development.

Curing timeline

Ferment24-48 hours at 20 to 24 C (68 to 75 F), 90 to 85% RH
Target pH4.8 to 5.3
Dry10-14 C (50 to 57 F), 72-75% RH
Minimum weight loss38% before eating
Target weight loss40%

Method

1
Bone, trim and keep it cold. Bone out lean shoulder and belly and hold the ratio at roughly seven parts lean to three parts fat, never letting the fat rise past about a third. Cut firm back fat into large, even cubes. Chill the meat and fat until almost frozen so they cut and mince cleanly.
2
Mince the lean, cube the fat. Pass the lean through a fine plate so it comes off as a close, smooth paste. Keep the fat as hand-cut cubes rather than grinding it, as these are the pieces that show through the slice like pink coral and give the salame its name.
3
Season. Weigh the seasoning against the meat, working to about 22 g of salt and 5 g of black pepper for each kilo of mixture, leaving some of the pepper whole. Fold through a little garlic and a small splash of red wine. Some makers add the faintest grating of nutmeg, or a hint of clove and cinnamon, for a rounder flavour.
4
Mix and rest. Work the lean paste and the fat cubes together until the cubes are evenly spread and the mixture feels slightly tacky. Cover and rest it cold for two to three hours so the salt draws and the flavours settle.
5
Stuff and tie. Load into a natural gut casing of pale pinkish colour, about 55 to 60 mm across, packing firmly to avoid air pockets. Tie by hand and prick any bubbles that remain.
6
Warm rest to start the ferment. Hang in a warm, humid room for roughly seven to ten days. A gently wood-heated space is the traditional setting; this warm rest starts the fermentation and the first loss of moisture.
7
Mature cool and slowly. Move to a cool, airy cellar at around 13 to 15 degrees and about 75 percent humidity. Give it at least a month, though the best examples are held for three to five months, until it has lost enough weight to slice firm and keep. A grey-white bloom on the casing is normal and welcome.
8
Dry to weight loss. Move to a cooler room and dry until a weight loss of at least 38%, at 10 to 14 degrees C and a humidity of 72 to 75%. Record the green weight and weigh regularly; the finish is gated on measured weight, not the calendar.
Key tipsThis recipe is the house equilibrium version, standardised for safety, with the traditional flavourings from the Atlas entry. Keep everything cold, ferment to pH by measurement not by clock, and gate the finish on weight loss. Traditionally this is finished at about 30% weight loss; the house recipe holds to at least 38% for safety.
ImportantThis is eaten uncooked and is safe only once it has reached at least 38% weight loss (40-42% recommended), measured against the recorded green weight. Never taste or eat it before that.

Recipe by The Curesmith — thecuresmith.com