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

Dry-cured sausage recipeOrigin Recipe

Salchichón de Vic / Llonganissa de Vic

Peppery, refined and clean, cured under white mould in the foggy Osona 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

Salchichón de Vic and Llonganissa de Vic are the Spanish and Catalan names of one protected sausage. Selected pork and firm fat are seasoned mainly with salt and black pepper, then matured in the cool, fog-prone Vic plain until the broad slice becomes firm, fragrant and gently sweet.

The Curesmith home method

Retain the audited pork-only formula with Cure #2 and mandatory Starter culture. We prefer Flora Italia LC. Ferment to measured pH, manage a clean protective bloom and dry slowly to verified water activity, especially in broad casing.

Where it comes from

Pork cut chart with the Shoulder highlighted
Pork · ShoulderMinced pork and fat
Vic, Spain

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 back fat33.35% of pork shoulder335 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 ppm3.3 g
Sugar0.4%4.0 g
Feeds the starter culture. If substituting sugar, use 60%: 2.4 g
Starter culture
Starter culture0.333 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
White pepper0.3%3.0 g
Black peppercorns0.1%1.0 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
Grind and dice. Pass the lean pork through an 8 mm plate and cut the back fat separately into 6 mm cubes so the fat stays defined in the finished slice.
2
Season the mix. Fold the salt, curing salt, dextrose, white pepper and whole black pepper evenly through the meat and fat until the seasoning is well distributed.
3
Hold the cure. Rest the mixture at 4 to 6 C (39 to 43 F) for 24 to 48 hours so the cure and seasonings settle before stuffing.
4
Stuff the bungs. Stuff firmly into pork bungs and form lengths of roughly 50 to 60 cm, keeping the mix tight and free of trapped air.
5
Ferment warm. Ferment at 20 C (68 F) in high humidity of 90 to 95 percent for 48 hours to begin acidification.
6
Dry slowly. 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
Finish and store. A white surface mould is expected and welcome. The source counts the sausage as ready once it has lost close to 30 percent of its weight, then it is stored at 10 to 12 C (50 to 54 F) below 70 percent humidity and served raw.
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