Nduja

Nduja is a spreadable Italian salami type sausage which comes from the southern region of Calabria. Its name most likely comes from the French word andouille, which is a type of sausage made with innards, tripe, lung, and liver, boiled with vegetables and spices. Nduja was locally made from meat trimmings that remained after winter time pig slaughter. The sausages were originally made in Spilinga, Vibo Valentia province, Calabria, “from pure meats and for the poor”; by poor meats was meant the cuts like lungs, heart, spleen and meat and fat trimmings that remained after making cured noble products like hams, butts, bacon or loins. Nduja remained not widely known for long time, however, what started as the sausage for the poor, has since 2016, become a popular spreadable salami sausage in Europe, UK and the USA. Nowadays. Nduja is made from quality pork meat, fat, salt and hot pepperoncino peppers. This spice added at 3% or more, gives a very intense red color and an unmistakable taste to the sausage.

Ingredients per 1000g (1 kg) of meat

Instructions

1. Meat and Ingredients. Meat (70%): shoulder and ham trimmings, loin, lean pork belly. Fat (30%): back fat, pork belly, jowls. The fat must not contain any connective tissue or leftover skin. Hot pepperoncino peppers are added at 3% or more.
2. * In Italy, it is common to add 150 g (5.29 oz) per 1 kg/meat of fresh sweet pepperoncino, as these peppers are inexpensive and available everywhere. Powdered sweet pepperoncino may be added as well. In other countries they may be hard to obtain so it may be practical to add powdered sweet Hungarian paprika. If whole dried peperoncino peppers are used, they are briefly soaked in hot water, then drained and the green stalks are removed. This washes and softens them which facilitates mincing and produces a better-quality meat paste after all ingredients are mixed together. The minor disadvantage of adding fresh pepperoncino peppers is that they bring additional moisture to the mix, which has to be later eliminated by longer drying. The grinding of the meat is carried out simultaneously with the grinding of the whole dried chili pepper after rinsing them in hot water to wash and soften them. The grinding of meat with chili pepper facilitates shredding and contributes to a smoother meat paste.
3. Grinding The meat and fat must be finely ground in order to produce easily spreadable sausage. Cut meat and fat into 12 mm (1/2”) strips or cubes, then grind through 3 mm – 5 mm (1/8-1/4”) plate.
4. Mixing/kneading. In the past in artisanal production nitrates were not added, however, they are strongly recommended today, not as much as color development, but for protection against pathogenic bacteria and to delay the onset of fat rancidity. Ground meat, fat, salt, cure #1 and pepperoncino powder are mixed very well together. Kneading with clenched fists, squeezing paste between the fingers, it is more like kneading the dough. Of course, with a mechanical mixer the mixing can be accomplished within minutes.
5. Stuffing. Normally the intestines of pork are used such as regular hog casings, pork bungs, or blind caps (caecum). The sausages are firmly stuffed and pricked around with a needle to allow movement of smoke and moisture. Nduja contains a lot of fat which may clog some of the casing’s pores and inhibit drying. Large diameter casings (blind caps) are reinforced alongside and across with cotton twine. The classic form of Nduja stuffed in blind caps (caecum) is known as “orba.”
6. Conditioning. The sausages are hung for 4-6 hours at room temperature until the casings feel fry.
7. Smoking/Drying. The sausages are smoked/dried at 20-25° C (68-77° F) for 5-7 days with smoke applied for 1 hour each day. Nduja was traditionally smoked with hard woods such as oak, beech or olive. Using soft resinous (like pine) or aromatic wood, would impregnate sausage with turpentine like aromas. Although application of smoke imparts some smoky its main benefit is prevention of mold which would normally start growing on the moist surface of the sausage.
8. Maturing. After smoking, the sausages enter the proper drying - maturing stage, often called ripening which is done usually in a separate room at 15→12° C (59→53° F), 65-75% humidity and some ventilation. In Calabria, hilly and mountainous areas provided perfect conditions. The sausage stored in the small intestine is ready for consumption (always raw) in 20 days after stuffing, the one preserved in the caecum needs up to 2 months and is usually consumed within the year.
9. Storing. Keep Nduja at 10-12° C (50°-55 F), 75% humidity.

Notes