Mortadella
A classic Italian-style pork-and-beef mortadella, lightly cured and finely emulsified with cubes of pork fat, whole peppercorns and pistachios, poached gently and sliced thin.
Ingredients
| 1150 g | pork butt / shoulder |
| 525 g | beef |
| 225 g | pork fat |
| 60 g | non-fat dry milk |
| 47 g | corn syrup solids |
| 5.0 g | ground coriander |
| 1.5 g | ground mace |
| 4.5 g | ground white pepper |
| 5.0 g | garlic powder |
| 2.0 g | paprika |
| 35 g | kosher salt |
| 1.0 g | allspice |
| 1.8 g | Cure #1 |
| 4.0 g | whole black pepper |
| 60 g | pistachio nuts |
Instructions
- Divide the pork fat into two groups. Cut one group into 1/4 inch dice, then chill and set aside for later.
- Grind the chilled meat together with the other half of the fat through a medium plate.
- Add the salt and cure, mix well, then refrigerate for several hours to let the meat cure.
- Add the remainder of the spices (except the whole peppercorns) to the meat and blend thoroughly.
- Regrind through a smaller plate (3.0 mm), adding 1/2 cup of ice water if necessary to keep the paste smooth.
- Add the reserved cubed fat, the whole peppercorns and the pistachios, mixing well to disperse the ingredients through the meat paste.
- Stuff into fibrous casing.
- Poach in 165 F (about 74 C) water until an internal temperature of 155 F (about 68 C) is reached.
- Transfer to an ice bath to cool down.
- Chill very well before slicing thin, and serve.
Note: the cure amount here is deliberately on the low side - it is added for texture and colour only, since this sausage is meant to be cooked thoroughly at a higher temperature (165 F), not smoked. If you wish to smoke it, adjust the cure to the meat weight (1 level teaspoon of cure per 5 lbs of meat).