EMBRAPA charcuterie recipes

Recipes from the book “Sausages, Cold Cuts and Smoked Meats”, by Sylvio Cesar Rocco, published by Embrapa.

Reference:

ROCCO, Sylvio Cesar. Sausages, Cold Cuts and Smoked Meats. Brasilia: Embrapa, 1996. 94 p.

Revenues:

1. Mixed Sausage (p. 38)

• Pork: 5 kg
• Beef: 5 kg
• Bacon: 1.5 kg
• Sugar: 10 g
• Salt: 250 g
• Garlic: 30 g
• Nutmeg: 5 g
• Fine black pepper: 15 g
• Allspice: 5 g
• Sodium nitrate: 1 g
• Sodium nitrite: 1.5 g
• Emulsifier: 25 g

Preparation method: It is stuffed into medium-sized pig casings and the segments are made by twisting at 15 cm intervals.

2. Calabrian Sausage (p. 39)

• Pork: 10 kg
• Bacon: 500 g
• Sugar: 10 g
• Salt: 250 g
• Garlic: 30 g
• Red pepper: 30 g
• Fennel: 20 g
• Sodium nitrate: 2 g
• Sodium nitrite: 1.5 g
• Emulsifier: 25 g

Preparation method: It is stuffed into medium-sized pig casings, and the segments are made by twisting at intervals of 30 to 35 cm.

3. Tuscan Sausage (p. 39)

• Pork: 8.5 kg
• Bacon: 1.5 kg
• Sugar: 10 g
• Salt: 250 g
• Garlic: 20 g
• Fine black pepper: 25 g
• Sodium nitrate: 1 g
• Sodium nitrite: 1.5 g
• Emulsifier: 25 g

Preparation method: Stuff into medium-sized pork casing and tie with cotton thread, in 10 to 15 cm sections.

4. Portuguese Sausage (p. 40)

• Pork: 9 kg
• Bacon: 1 kg
• Sugar: 10 g
• Salt: 250 g
• Garlic: 15 g
• Nutmeg: 5 g
• Red pepper: 15 g
• Hot paprika: 30 g
• Sodium nitrate: 1 g
• Sodium nitrite: 1.5 g
• Emulsifier: 25 g

Preparation method: Stuff into medium-sized pork casings and tie the ends with cotton thread, forming individual 35 cm semicircular sections.

5. Chicken Sausage (p. 41)

• Skinless chicken meat: 10 kg
• Salt: 250 g
• Garlic: 20 g
• White pepper: 25 g
• Laurel powder: 2 g
• Sodium nitrate: 2 g
• Sodium nitrite: 1.5 g
• Emulsifier: 25 g

Preparation method: Stuff into pig or sheep casings and make the segments by twisting at 15 cm intervals.

6. Curried Chicken Sausage with Raisins and Almonds (p. 41)

• Skinless chicken meat: 10 kg
• Salt: 250 g
• Curry: 50 g
• Garlic: 10 g
• Chopped black raisins: 500 g
• Ground roasted almonds: 300 g
• Sodium nitrate: 1 g
• Sodium nitrite: 1.5 g
• Emulsifier: 25 g

Preparation method: Stuff into 20 cm twisted sheep intestines.

7. Sausage for Feijoada (p. 42)

• Pork: 9 kg
• Bacon: 1 kg
• Sugar: 10 g
• Salt: 250 g
• Garlic: 60 g
• Cognac: 100 ml
• Black pepper: 20 g
• Red pepper: 20 g
• Sodium nitrate: 1 g
• Sodium nitrite: 1.5 g
• Emulsifier: 25 g

Preparation method: Grind on a large-caliber disc, stuff into medium-sized pork intestines, in 15 cm tied segments. Can be smoked. Used cooked in feijoada because it is strongly seasoned.

8. Provolone Sausage (p. 43)

• Pork: 10 kg
• Provolone cubes: 1 kg
• Sugar: 10 g
• Salt: 200 g
• Garlic: 30 g
• White wine: 500 ml
• Black pepper: 20 g
• Oregano: 10 g
• Sodium nitrate: 1 g
• Sodium nitrite: 1.5 g
• Emulsifier: 25 g

Preparation method: Grind on a coarse disc and stuff into medium-sized pork casings, making 15 cm long, tied segments. Optionally, you can grind the meat and cheese on a fine disc, stuff into sheep casings and make 5 cm segments, thus obtaining appetizer-type sausages.

9. Paio (p. 44)

• Pork: 10 kg
• Sugar: 10 g
• Salt: 300 g
• Garlic: 25 g
• Fine black pepper: 25 g
• Hot paprika: 25 g
• Rum (glass): 1
• Sodium nitrate: 1 g
• Sodium nitrite: 1.5 g
• Emulsifier: 25 g

Preparation method: Grind into a medium disc, stuff into thick pork casings, make 15 cm segments and smoke, raising the temperature during the process until the internal temperature of the product reaches 65 °C (check with an appropriate thermometer), when the process is finished.

10. Sausage (p. 45)

• Beef: 500 g
• Fat bacon: 125 g
• Salt: 14 g
• Sugar: 1 g
• Fast cure: 1.5g
• Emulsifier: 2 g
• Cassava starch (sweet cassava starch): 15 g
• Cold water: 150 ml
• Ground nutmeg: 1 g
• Ground black pepper: 1 g

11. Chicken Sausage (p. 45)

• Chicken meat: 500 g
• Fat bacon: 125 g
• Salt: 14 g
• Sugar: 1 g
• Fast cure: 1.5g
• Monosodium glutamate (Ajinomoto): 0.5 g
• Emulsifier: 2 g
• Cassava starch: 15 g
• Cold water: 150 ml
• Ground nutmeg: 1 g
• Ground white pepper: 1 g
• Laurel powder: 0.5 g

Note about sausages (p.46-47):

When making sausages, whether made from beef or chicken, the meat and bacon must be ground cold, into a thin disc and separately. The ground meat, seasonings, emulsifier and half of the ice-cold water must be vigorously mixed until a well-combined, pasty mass is obtained. Once this mass is obtained, the cold bacon and cassava starch are added and mixed very well.

At this point, the temperature of the dough should not exceed 12 °C. The dough is then divided into 100 g portions, which are passed through a food processor (or similar), gradually adding the remaining ice water in order to facilitate the refinement and maintenance of the temperature, so as to obtain a dough with a fine and homogeneous texture. During processing, the temperature of the dough should not exceed 12 °C, as temperatures above this level compromise the quality of the product: the texture of the dough becomes unstable, the fat from the bacon separates from the dough during cooking, causing defects (dry and wrinkled).

The mixture is then stuffed into sheep intestines, making sections every 15 cm, which are heated in a stove oven (hanging on the grill) at a temperature of 70 °C (low heat and door ajar) for 20 minutes or until the pieces turn pink. These can also be lightly smoked, which improves their appearance, flavor and aroma.

After being heated in the oven, the sausages should be cooked in a bain-marie at 60°C for fifteen minutes, gradually increasing the temperature to 80°C (the internal temperature of the pieces reaches around 73°C at this point), at which point the process is finished. You can also colour the sausages by adding a special annatto-based colouring solution to the bain-marie, which is sold commercially and should be used according to the manufacturer's recommendations.

After cooking, the pieces must be cooled in running water, dried, packaged and kept refrigerated for a maximum period of five days and, when vacuum packed, for 45 days.

12. Thick-crust Italian Sausage (p. 48)

• Lean pork or beef: 10 kg
• Diced bacon: 2 kg
• Salt: 250 g
• Garlic: 60 g
• Nutmeg: 15 g
• Black pepper: 25 g
• White or red wine: 500 ml
• Sodium nitrate: 1 g
• Sodium nitrite: 1.5 g
• Emulsifier: 25 g

Preparation method: Grind the meat with a fine grinder, mix all the ingredients except the bacon cubes until you get a good consistency. Once you get the consistency, add the bacon cubes to form a homogeneous mixture without air bubbles. You can stuff it into beef esophagus or wrap it in thick cellophane (transparent and white), tying the ends very well.

The pieces must be cooked and smoked according to the techniques described in the Cooking and Smoking items, then cooled in water, dried and stored under refrigeration. It is recommended to consume after resting for 48 hours.

13. Alheira with Wine (p. 49)

• Diced pork: 500 g
• Diced beef: 250 g
• Diced chicken meat: 250 g
• Salt: 25 g
• Minced garlic: 10 g
• Ground black pepper: 10 g
• White or red wine: 500 ml
• Stale French breads: 10 units.

Preparation method: Place the meat in a pan, add the ingredients, top up with water to cover them, and cook until tender. Once cool, grind the meat into a fine disc and use the cooking broth to soak the crustless stale bread rolls. Mix the bread dough with the ground meat and add:

• Ground black pepper: 15 g
• Hot paprika: 20 g
• Chopped parsley: 20 g

Preparation method (continued): Mix well and add the 50 ml of olive oil in which the 10 g of chopped garlic were fried until golden, mix everything until it is sufficiently combined, and stuff into thick pork casings, forming semicircular cones, which should be smoked for a period of six hours.

Note: Traditionally, alheiras are made without wine, which can be omitted from the recipe, depending on taste.

Loin, Bacon, Cup and Pancetta (p. 69)

(p.70) Formulation for dry curing 10 kg of meat:

• Salt: 250 g
• Sugar: 50 g
• Sodium nitrate: 2.5 g
• Sodium nitrite: 2.5 g

Note: The following formulation made from a ready-to-cure mix (fast cure) can also be used:

• Salt: 190 g
• Sugar: 50 g
• Fast cure: 60 g

(p. 71) Preparation method: The pieces should be rubbed with 4% of dry curing salt over their entire length, then placed in a plastic box or similar, covered with plastic film and placed in the refrigerator for a variable period, depending on the product desired. For the loin and bacon (Fig. 16), the curing period is one week, and for the rump, fifteen days (the curing salt should be renewed after seven days, rubbing it on the rump pieces in the same proportion as the initial curing).

After curing, the pieces should be thoroughly washed in running water to remove excess salt, tied at the ends with cotton string, and cooked. They are then smoked for a period of eight to twelve hours if cold smoking. Hot smoking takes less time: six to eight hours.

Bacon (p. 71-72): Pancetta is an Italian specialty made with thin pork belly, with layers of meat and skin. The belly should be rubbed with 4% dry curing rub and cured in the refrigerator for four days, inside a plastic box or similar. Once cured, the piece is washed in running water to remove excess salt and spread out on a table, skin side down. The top is rubbed with a mixture of Calabrian pepper and black pepper, in equal parts, enough to cover the entire surface. The piece is then rolled up like a Swiss roll, with the skin on the outside, tied with cotton string and placed in the refrigerator for 24 hours. It is then cooked until it reaches an internal temperature of 70°C, at which point the process should be stopped, and finally smoked for a period of six to eight hours.

Ham type tender (p. 73)

(p.76) Formulation for one liter of brine:

• Salt: 150 g
• Sugar: 30 g
• Sodium nitrate: 1.5 g
• Sodium nitrite: 1.0 g
• Disodium phosphate: 25 g
• Sodium ascorbate: 5 g
• Drinking water: 1.0 l

Note: Phosphate and ascorbate can be eliminated when preparing small volumes of products, in occasional production, without compromising quality.

(p. 73-75) Preparation method: This product is made with pork leg (Fig. 17), boneless or not, with turkey breast, chicken breast and other meats. Once trimmed, the pieces must be injected with brine, in the proportion of 10% of their weight, through the arteries that irrigate them (in the case of legs) or, when this is not possible, through deep punctures distributed evenly over the entire surface. The injection of brine is essential for the distribution of curing salts in depth, to ensure uniform curing, since in the case of large pieces, uneven distribution can cause defects and even deterioration of the final product.

The pieces must then be rubbed with 3% of dry curing (the same as for loin, shoulder, bacon and bacon), placed in plastic boxes and kept refrigerated for a curing period of eight days.

After the curing period, the pieces must be washed in running water to remove excess salt and wrapped in raw cotton mesh, called stochinette, whose function is to give a rounded shape and support the pieces during cooking and smoking.

Once prepared, the pieces are cooked until they reach an internal temperature of 70 °C, and then smoked for a period of eight to twelve hours.

After smoking, the pieces must be kept refrigerated for a period of twelve hours, and then removed from the storage room and wrapped in plastic, and always kept refrigerated.

Baked ham in a mold (p. 77)

Preparation method: Cooked ham is made from cured and boneless pork leg (Fig. 18), placed in a mold (lined with colorless cellophane paper) and cooked in a bain-marie, with the mold completely immersed at a temperature of 70°C, for a period of 80 minutes for each kilo of weight.

After baking, the molds are drained and kept refrigerated for a period of six to eight hours, in order to facilitate the unmolding of the pieces, resulting in products with a more uniform shape.

Cooked or smoked chicken and turkey hams are made mainly from breast cuts, following the same procedures described above.

Ham (p. 78)

Formulation for ham

• Meat: 2 kg
• Cold water: 200 ml
• Salt: 44 g
• Monosodium glutamate (Ajinomoto): 15 g
• Fast healing: 6 g
• Binder: 5 g
• Cassava starch (sweet cassava starch): 50 g
• Color fixer: 5 g

Preparation method: The manufacturing process consists of thoroughly mixing all the ingredients in the formulation, except the starch and color fixative. Once mixed, the dough must be stored in a refrigerator for two days to complete the curing process. At the end of this period, the starch and color fixative must be added, which are mixed vigorously until a uniform consistency is obtained. The dough must then be placed in ham molds, lined with thick, colorless cellophane paper, and cooked in a bain-marie, similar to cooked ham.

Pastrami, bresaola, hump, lizard and picanha (p. 79)

Preparation method: Pastrami (beef brisket) and bresaola (rump) are made in a similar way to tender ham, injecting brine into the pieces of meat (the same as for hams) in deep punctures, distributed evenly over the entire surface, in the proportion of 10% of the weight of the pieces, and then rubbing them with dry curing, in the proportion of 3% of the weight.

The pieces thus prepared are placed in appropriate containers in a refrigerator or cold chamber, where they will be cured for a period of five to eight days. Once cured, the pieces are washed in water, wrapped in stockinette, and cooked in an oven until the internal temperature reaches between 68 and 70 °C. They are then smoked for a period of six to eight hours.

(p. 80) Traditionally, the bresaola It is not cooked, but has a longer maturation period, which gives it a drier texture and, therefore, better preservation. To this end, a greater proportion of dry curing is used in the pieces, that is, 4% of its weight, renewing the dose after eight days, leaving the pieces for a new period of eight days of curing, always under refrigeration. The pieces are then washed, wrapped in stock, smoked for a period of six to eight hours and preserved in a ventilated, cool environment, free from insects and dust, for a period of 20 days, when they will be ready for consumption.

(p.81) O termite and the rump steak Smoked meats are prepared in a similar way to pork loin, by rubbing the pieces with 4% of dry curing, which are placed in appropriate containers under refrigeration for a period of five to eight days of curing. Afterwards, they are washed, wrapped in stockinette or tied, depending on the size or shape of the piece, cooked and smoked according to the techniques already described.

Large-volume humpback pieces should be processed using the same techniques used for pastrami.

Chicken and fish (p. 82)

Preparation method: These products are obtained from whole carcasses, in the case of chicken, and from fillets, in the case of fish. Preparation consists of immersing the pieces in brine (the same formula used for hams), so as to completely cover them inside plastic containers, and then storing them under refrigeration.

In the case of chicken, the curing time is three days, varying, in the case of fish, from twelve (small fish such as sardines and trout) to 16 hours (large fish such as salmon and mullet); then, the pieces are removed from the brine and washed in plenty of running water. The chicken is wrapped in stock (Fig. 19), cooked until it reaches an internal temperature of 68 to 70°C, and smoked for a period of six to eight hours.

The fish must be gutted, dried and, after the curing period, washed and smoked directly, without prior cooking, at a temperature below 40 °C, as higher temperatures cook the meat, compromising its consistency and making it brittle, due to the peculiar fragility of this type of meat. The fish can be hung by the gills or on metal hooks (Fig. 20). The fillets can be arranged on a fine metal screen, greased with edible oil, in order to prevent the pieces from sticking. The smoking time varies: from two to three hours, for smoking, and for more intense smoking, the time is determined by the desired color and aroma.