Flawed
Well-Known Member
Thought you might be interested in my latest guide and video as I attempt to lure more of you into trying some homemade charcuterie ) :
How to make Fuet.
As with all my tutorials I do try to explain process as well as the traditional side & history.
Fuet (pronounced ‘foo-ett’) is a dry cured long narrow sausage from Cataluña, Spain with its history dating back to the 14th century and being part of the matança festive ritual where the pig would be killed and cut into its many forms requiring specific buttery knowledge. The word “Fuet” means ‘whip’ in Catalan and its name refers to the long thin sausages resembling horse whips. This cured sausage is typical of the gastronomy of Catalonia and similar to the salami-type sausage known as salchichon, although it is smaller in diameter. It is also very similar to a French saucisson with its strong but mouth watering flavour profile, understandable given Cataluña is slapped between the gastronomic and political influences of both France and Spain. Typically flavoured with garlic and white pepper this is often devoured within Spanish bocadillos (Spanish sandwich made with crusted bread, similar to a short French baguette, and served in tapas bars and cafes). Due to its size it cures quickly and is ready to eat in weeks.
Many Spanish chefs like to use fuet in other recipes such as casseroles, soups, pasta dishes or serve it on warm bread, and many regions across Cataluña have their own recipes – The Pyrenees mountain towns of Osuna and Vic are especially known for excellent examples of fuet sausages. Some fuets are covered in a white mould, and some aren’t.
When making I like to use either sheep casings (as these are thinner butt can be more delicate to use) or 30-34mm hog casings that I don’t pack tightly. Instead, I like to partially shape the fuet sausages akin to an isolceles or scalene triangle shape to give an almost irregular shape, another characteristic from traditional and artisan makers of this cured sausage. You are looking for long thin cured sausages and the best results coming from using pork cuts with no connective tissue (such as the shoulder).
INGREDIENTS
1kg pork – I use an approximate mix of 80/20 (meat to fat ratio) that can be achieved through using pork loin and pork belly. I find 600g pork loin and 400g of belly pork (skin removed) a good mix)
30g salt (3% of the weight of meat) *
10g of freshly minced garlic (around 3 cloves)
5g of white pepper
50ml of dry white wine
1.5m-2m of hog casings (30-34mm)
[OPTIONAL] – using Bactoferm T-SPX – if you like to use a starter culture to generate the white mould then use 0.125g of T-SPX with 25ml of room temperature distilled or bottled water. Don’t use tap water as the chloramine will kill the starter culture. This can be added to the mix or sprayed on the sausages after the initial fermentation period.
*I make my own informed choice on the use of additional nitrates and curing salts due to their carcinogenic properties. If you choose to use these - swap the 2.5% in salt to 2.0% salt and 0.25% Instacure #2 / Prague Powder #2.
METHOD
1. Soak your hog casings as per instructions. Soak in fresh cold water and refresh a few times over 2 hours, running some water through the casings as well. Prior to using I add a teaspoon of wine vinegar to the bowl but this is not essential.
2. Grind the pork using a 4-6mm plate. It is worth putting your equipment and pork in the freezer for 10-20 mins so it stays firm through the process, or else the grinder action can warm the meat and turn the fat/meat mix sludgy (where the meat and fat is almost indistinguishable).
3. Place the ground/cut pork in a bowl and add the salt and start to mix through thoroughly with your clean hands (or use the paddle attachment on the mixer). It is important to mix the salt through thoroughly so the meat binds in the final casing leaving no air pockets.
4. Add the white pepper and minced garlic and start to mix through a bit before adding the white wine. Now mix through and churn with your hands for a couple of minutes. The salt and the acidity and the wine make the meat inhospitable for bad bacteria to grow. If you are using a starter culture then add this and mix through as well.
5. Put into your hog or sheep casings with either a sausage stuffer or the plastic bottle funnel method (see TIPS). Make sure the skins are packed with the mix so there are no air pockets but there is enough flex in casing to assist with shaping and thinning the cured sausage length. Tie into manageable lengths as you go ensuring you have good tie at both ends. I aim for lengthy 35cm-45cm lengths which is about the max I can get away with in my wine fridge where I hang most of my cured meats.
TYING TIP - tie one granny knot around the casing skin to close it, then loop the flap of casing over the knot, and tie another knot, then with the two ends tie into a loop for hanging.
6. Prick the casings all over with a sterilised pin or needle to remove any possible air pockets
7. Now weigh each length, make a note of the weight on some tape or a tag, and attached to the sausage. I find it useful to also record the date and the target weight. Calculate a 30% weight reduction (multiply the weight by 0.7 on a calculator) and write this down on the tag as target weight (T). This is the minimum weight loss you should work with, after this the texture will get firmer
8. [OPTIONAL] I like to purposely misshape these into irregular triangles with a bit of twist. When cut these provide a nice shape contrast to any charcuterie board
9. Now hang in relatively warm area for 48 hours. Anything around room temperature is ideal 16-20C, out of direct sunlight, before moving to a cooler area 9-12C. Again, out of direct sunlight and with some minimal airflow (so don't put it in a cellar with stagnant air) I hang mine near the back door in the winter and into a wine fridge during other seasons, then opening the door everyday to check my meats.
10. Now it just a case of waiting. Inspect everyday. If you see any bad mould (green) then you will have caught it early and can wash off with some wine vinegar – not all green mould is bad believe it or not, but with this fast cure it shouldn’t occur. White mould is good, but not essential for this fuet. White mould will improve the flavour further and also inhibit the growth of bad bacteria on the surface. If you see any black mould then you likely have something nearby causing it and I would bin the sausage to err of the side of caution. Sorry, it can happen depending upon your set up ; in 12 years I have had it once and isolated it to a pool of water I had missed growing in my fridge – I ended up bleaching my curing chambers and now check daily – and never had it again.
Your fuet lengths will lose weight very quickly at first before the weight loss slows down and start to have sweet pleasant porky smell. If at any point your fuet smells rancid or deeply acidic or is slimy then you should bin that as it means the bad bacteria has grown inside, probably within an air pocket. This is why you should pack your fuet tight and prick any air holes.
As your fuet cure they will start to harden. Once you get to the 2-3 week marker you can relax a bit, and once they hit the target weight you can continue to hang and cure them or move them to the fridge ready for eating or pack them. These will last a good while like any cured salami, though to be honest once your friends find out you have made these they will devoured along with a glass or two basking is the sunshine.**
** Sunshine is not guaranteed nor necessary to enjoy this charcuterie.
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask....maybe I have tempted you into some home charcuterie
This is also available here : How to make a catalan fuet cured sausage
How to make Fuet.
As with all my tutorials I do try to explain process as well as the traditional side & history.
Fuet (pronounced ‘foo-ett’) is a dry cured long narrow sausage from Cataluña, Spain with its history dating back to the 14th century and being part of the matança festive ritual where the pig would be killed and cut into its many forms requiring specific buttery knowledge. The word “Fuet” means ‘whip’ in Catalan and its name refers to the long thin sausages resembling horse whips. This cured sausage is typical of the gastronomy of Catalonia and similar to the salami-type sausage known as salchichon, although it is smaller in diameter. It is also very similar to a French saucisson with its strong but mouth watering flavour profile, understandable given Cataluña is slapped between the gastronomic and political influences of both France and Spain. Typically flavoured with garlic and white pepper this is often devoured within Spanish bocadillos (Spanish sandwich made with crusted bread, similar to a short French baguette, and served in tapas bars and cafes). Due to its size it cures quickly and is ready to eat in weeks.
Many Spanish chefs like to use fuet in other recipes such as casseroles, soups, pasta dishes or serve it on warm bread, and many regions across Cataluña have their own recipes – The Pyrenees mountain towns of Osuna and Vic are especially known for excellent examples of fuet sausages. Some fuets are covered in a white mould, and some aren’t.
When making I like to use either sheep casings (as these are thinner butt can be more delicate to use) or 30-34mm hog casings that I don’t pack tightly. Instead, I like to partially shape the fuet sausages akin to an isolceles or scalene triangle shape to give an almost irregular shape, another characteristic from traditional and artisan makers of this cured sausage. You are looking for long thin cured sausages and the best results coming from using pork cuts with no connective tissue (such as the shoulder).
INGREDIENTS
1kg pork – I use an approximate mix of 80/20 (meat to fat ratio) that can be achieved through using pork loin and pork belly. I find 600g pork loin and 400g of belly pork (skin removed) a good mix)
30g salt (3% of the weight of meat) *
10g of freshly minced garlic (around 3 cloves)
5g of white pepper
50ml of dry white wine
1.5m-2m of hog casings (30-34mm)
[OPTIONAL] – using Bactoferm T-SPX – if you like to use a starter culture to generate the white mould then use 0.125g of T-SPX with 25ml of room temperature distilled or bottled water. Don’t use tap water as the chloramine will kill the starter culture. This can be added to the mix or sprayed on the sausages after the initial fermentation period.
*I make my own informed choice on the use of additional nitrates and curing salts due to their carcinogenic properties. If you choose to use these - swap the 2.5% in salt to 2.0% salt and 0.25% Instacure #2 / Prague Powder #2.
METHOD
1. Soak your hog casings as per instructions. Soak in fresh cold water and refresh a few times over 2 hours, running some water through the casings as well. Prior to using I add a teaspoon of wine vinegar to the bowl but this is not essential.
2. Grind the pork using a 4-6mm plate. It is worth putting your equipment and pork in the freezer for 10-20 mins so it stays firm through the process, or else the grinder action can warm the meat and turn the fat/meat mix sludgy (where the meat and fat is almost indistinguishable).
3. Place the ground/cut pork in a bowl and add the salt and start to mix through thoroughly with your clean hands (or use the paddle attachment on the mixer). It is important to mix the salt through thoroughly so the meat binds in the final casing leaving no air pockets.
4. Add the white pepper and minced garlic and start to mix through a bit before adding the white wine. Now mix through and churn with your hands for a couple of minutes. The salt and the acidity and the wine make the meat inhospitable for bad bacteria to grow. If you are using a starter culture then add this and mix through as well.
5. Put into your hog or sheep casings with either a sausage stuffer or the plastic bottle funnel method (see TIPS). Make sure the skins are packed with the mix so there are no air pockets but there is enough flex in casing to assist with shaping and thinning the cured sausage length. Tie into manageable lengths as you go ensuring you have good tie at both ends. I aim for lengthy 35cm-45cm lengths which is about the max I can get away with in my wine fridge where I hang most of my cured meats.
TYING TIP - tie one granny knot around the casing skin to close it, then loop the flap of casing over the knot, and tie another knot, then with the two ends tie into a loop for hanging.
6. Prick the casings all over with a sterilised pin or needle to remove any possible air pockets
7. Now weigh each length, make a note of the weight on some tape or a tag, and attached to the sausage. I find it useful to also record the date and the target weight. Calculate a 30% weight reduction (multiply the weight by 0.7 on a calculator) and write this down on the tag as target weight (T). This is the minimum weight loss you should work with, after this the texture will get firmer
8. [OPTIONAL] I like to purposely misshape these into irregular triangles with a bit of twist. When cut these provide a nice shape contrast to any charcuterie board
9. Now hang in relatively warm area for 48 hours. Anything around room temperature is ideal 16-20C, out of direct sunlight, before moving to a cooler area 9-12C. Again, out of direct sunlight and with some minimal airflow (so don't put it in a cellar with stagnant air) I hang mine near the back door in the winter and into a wine fridge during other seasons, then opening the door everyday to check my meats.
10. Now it just a case of waiting. Inspect everyday. If you see any bad mould (green) then you will have caught it early and can wash off with some wine vinegar – not all green mould is bad believe it or not, but with this fast cure it shouldn’t occur. White mould is good, but not essential for this fuet. White mould will improve the flavour further and also inhibit the growth of bad bacteria on the surface. If you see any black mould then you likely have something nearby causing it and I would bin the sausage to err of the side of caution. Sorry, it can happen depending upon your set up ; in 12 years I have had it once and isolated it to a pool of water I had missed growing in my fridge – I ended up bleaching my curing chambers and now check daily – and never had it again.
Your fuet lengths will lose weight very quickly at first before the weight loss slows down and start to have sweet pleasant porky smell. If at any point your fuet smells rancid or deeply acidic or is slimy then you should bin that as it means the bad bacteria has grown inside, probably within an air pocket. This is why you should pack your fuet tight and prick any air holes.
As your fuet cure they will start to harden. Once you get to the 2-3 week marker you can relax a bit, and once they hit the target weight you can continue to hang and cure them or move them to the fridge ready for eating or pack them. These will last a good while like any cured salami, though to be honest once your friends find out you have made these they will devoured along with a glass or two basking is the sunshine.**
** Sunshine is not guaranteed nor necessary to enjoy this charcuterie.
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask....maybe I have tempted you into some home charcuterie
This is also available here : How to make a catalan fuet cured sausage