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

Dry-cured sausage recipeOrigin Recipe

Salame S. Angelo

Coarse and full-flavoured, shaped by clean Nebrodi mountain air.

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 S. Angelo is Sicily's protected coarse salami from Sant'Angelo di Brolo in the Nebrodi landscape. Prime pork cuts are hand- or coarsely cut, seasoned mainly with salt and pepper and matured in a mild mountain-valley climate. Fat is restrained, keeping the slice red, tender and meat-forward.

The Curesmith home method

Use 1,000 g Pork shoulder and 200 g Pork belly. Add 30 g salt, 3 g Cure #2, 0.3 g Starter culture and 3 g coarsely cracked black pepper. Ferment gently to measured pH and dry slowly to verified water activity, preserving a tender meat-forward texture.

Where it comes from

Pork cut chart with the Shoulder highlighted
Pork · Shoulder
Sant'Angelo di Brolo, 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%

New to curing, or want step-by-step guidance?

The Recipe Wizard walks you through this recipe one step at a time, with explanations at every stage.

Ingredients

gAdjust to
scale the recipe
Meat & fat
Pork shoulderReference1000 g
Pork belly20% of pork shoulder200 g
Cure, salt & sugar
Salt (additional)2.25%25 g
Cure #2 is about 94% salt. This additional salt brings the total to the 2.5% target.
Cure #2for 156 ppm3.0 g
Dextrose0.3%3.6 g
Feeds the starter culture. If substituting sugar, use 60%: 2.2 g
Starter culture
Starter culture0.25 g per kg meat0.3 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
Coarsely cracked black pepper0.3%3.0 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
Cube the meat. Choose lean pork from the shoulder, loin, ham and trimmed belly, keeping the fat well below a fifth of the total and taking it mainly from the belly. Cut the meat by knife into pieces of about 10 mm so the finished slice shows a clear, coarse grain of lean flecked with white fat.
2
Wake the culture. About half an hour before mixing, stir the starter culture into a tablespoon of dechlorinated water and leave it to activate.
3
Season and mix. Combine the cubed meat with the sea salt, curing salt, cracked black pepper, dextrose and sugar, then work in the hydrated culture. Mix until the seasonings are evenly distributed and the mass begins to bind.
4
Stuff the casings. Pack the mixture firmly into wide hog casings of 40 to 60 mm, pressing out any air pockets, then tie into even lengths.
5
Ferment. Hold at around 20C (68 F) for 72 hours with humidity easing from 90 down to 85 percent, allowing the culture to acidify the meat and set a stable colour.
6
Dry in cooler air. 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.
7
Judge the finish. Consider it ready once it has shed roughly 30 to 35 percent of its starting weight and firmed throughout, then keep it cool below 75 percent humidity until served.
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. Some protected (IGP) specifications restrict or omit added nitrite; for safety the house recipe includes Cure #2 as the specific guard against botulism in a slow, low-oxygen cure. 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