Coppa
Description
There are different ways to prepare this delicacy. Some people rinse the meat of salt and spices with water; others cure it in red wine or vinegar. More experienced charcuterie masters add starter cultures for the meat aging process. This is quite a long and meticulous process. Therefore, my recipe is designed for home cooks who want to try making capicola on their own without unnecessary hassle. The main requirement is not to neglect curing salt—it is an antibacterial agent and ensures the safety of the finished product. The appetizer is ready. Serve immediately.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
To prepare coppa, purchase a good piece of pork neck. You may use spices at your discretion. Curing can be done using only nitrite salt in its pure form, without mixing it with table salt.
- 2
Step 2
Prepare the meat and shape it, trimming off excess fat. Wrap the meat in parchment paper and refrigerate overnight until completely chilled.
- 3
Step 3
Place the spices, sugar, and salt in a mortar and grind them into a powder. Divide the resulting mixture into two parts.
- 4
Step 4
Rub half of the spices thoroughly into the chilled piece of meat.
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Step 5
Wrap the container with meat in plastic wrap to prevent air from getting in, and place it in the refrigerator for 9 days.
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Step 6
After 9 days, take the meat out of the refrigerator and rub it with the remaining half of the spices.
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Step 7
To marinate meat, you can use vacuum bags. If you don't have a vacuum sealer, you can do without it. To do this, place the piece of meat in a zip bag and close the zip lock, leaving the bag slightly open by a couple of centimeters. Fill a pot with water. Carefully lower the bag into the water, which will push the air out of it. Close the seal completely and remove the bag from the pot of water.
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Step 8
Put the bag with the meat in the refrigerator for another 9 days.
- 9
Step 9
After 18 days of marinating, remove the bag of meat from the refrigerator, scrape off any remaining salt and spices, and pat dry with paper towels.
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Step 10
At this stage, weigh the meat so you know when it is done—when it has lost 30% of its stated weight.
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Step 11
At this stage, you can rub the meat with a spice mixture without adding salt. Place the meat in a casing. This can be collagen film or waxed paper. I used a life hack from a website for home sausage makers. I placed the piece of meat in a new nylon stocking and a molding mesh. I secured the ends on both sides.
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Step 12
Place the meat in a ventilated room at a temperature of 21–26 degrees for 6–12 hours. Move the meat to a cool place (cellar, basement). In my case, that's the refrigerator. Cure the meat until it loses 30% of its volume. While curing, turn the hung meat over. This process will take approximately 1.5 months.
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Step 13
The finished coppa is firm in texture and slices well into thin slices. Very aromatic meat with a piquant flavor.
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Step 14
Prepare this wonderful delicacy and your guests will be delighted. The thinner the slices — the tastier!