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Brined & cooked recipeOrigin Recipe

Salame d'oca di Mortara

Fine and mild, a goose-and-pork salame with deep local and Jewish roots.

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

Salame d'oca di Mortara is fine and mild, a goose-and-pork salame with deep local and jewish roots. A goose-neck or tubular cooked sausage with the skin adhering closely to a compact slice. The flavour is sweet, delicate and gently spiced, with clear goose character.

The Curesmith home method

Use 1,000 g lean goose meat, 857 g Pork neck and 1,000 g Pork belly and jowl. Add 57.1 g salt, 7.14 g Cure #1, white pepper, allspice, garlic and red wine. Stuff in a suitable casing, dry one to three days, cook to at least 72°C and chill. Remove starter culture and dry-salami instructions. Dry briefly after stuffing, cook the centre to at least 72°C, chill rapidly and refrigerate.

Where it comes from

Pork cut chart with the Shoulder highlighted
Pork · Shoulder
Mortara, 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

StyleCooked
MeatsLean goose meat, Pork neck, lean, Pork belly and jowl
Salt1.6%
Cook to72 C / 162 F

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Ingredients

gAdjust to
scale the recipe
Meat
Lean goose meatReference1000 g
Pork neck, lean85.71% of lean goose meat855 g
Pork belly and jowl100% of lean goose meat1000 g
Seasoning
Salt1.6%45 g
White pepper0.1%2.9 g
Allspice0.05%1.4 g
Garlic0.1%2.9 g
Red wine0.5%14 g

Production

GrindAs the style requires
Rest1 hour, ideally overnight
Cook to72 C / 162 F internal

Method

1
Grind the meats. Keep the goose and both pork cuts well chilled, then grind everything together through an 8 to 10 mm plate so the mix stays coarse and defined.
2
Season and mix. Add the salt, curing salt, sugar, white pepper, allspice, garlic and red wine to the ground meat and fat. Mix thoroughly until the seasonings are evenly spread and the mass begins to bind.
3
Stuff the casing. Pack the mixture firmly into a 60 mm casing, working out any air pockets. The traditional casing is the bird's own skin, trimmed and stitched closed with cotton thread; a protein-lined fibrous casing is a practical substitute.
4
Prick and rest. Prick the surface to release trapped air, tie the ends, then hold the sausage at 14 to 18C (57 to 64 F) for one to three days in a cool, ventilated space.
5
Poach to temperature. Cook gently in water held at about 80C (176 F) until the core of the sausage reaches 72 to 75C (162 to 167 F). This is a cooked product, so the core temperature is what makes it safe to eat.
6
Cool and store. Immerse the cooked sausage in cold water for about ten minutes, then finish cooling in the air. Keep refrigerated and slice to serve.
Key tipsThis is the house version of a cooked product; the Atlas entry carries the traditional detail. Keep everything cold, cook to a measured core temperature, and cool quickly.
ImportantThis is a cooked product. Cook thoroughly to a safe internal temperature of 72 C / 162 F before eating, cool promptly and keep refrigerated.

Recipe by The Curesmith — thecuresmith.com