I was introduced to espelette peppers by my in laws. They have a small organic farm near Santa Cruz, California. These peppers in fresh and powdered form, quickly become a favorite of mine and a staple in our house in all forms of cooking. Because of this, they are also a common ingredient in my charcuterie. Any pepper can be substituted but i would encourage you to try this pepper powder in particular.
Espelette lonzino
Ingredients
- Pork Loin
- Salt at 2.5%
- Cure 2 at 0.25%
- White sugar at 1%
- Espelette pepper powder at 0.7%
- White pepper at 0.3%
- Granulated garlic or garlic powder at 0.5%
Method
- Apply cure to meat and loosely vacuum seal. I like to be able to work ingredients around for even distribution on meat when drying.
- Cure for approximately 6 weeks
- Remove meat from cure. Do not rinse. Truss and apply casing as desired. I have also trussed and used aging bags here, before my chamber was completed.
- Dry to desired moisture loss. I prefer 40-45% weight loss. In my chamber at 48⁰f and 75%RH, this takes approximately 7 weeks on average, cased in a beef bung.
- At this point, the meat will be ready to eat, as long as there is no case hardening, but the flavor is spectacular after a 6-12 month vacuum rest at refrigeration
