Meats and Sausages
Saucisson de L’Ardéche
Saucisson de l’Ardèche carries PGI (23.07.2011) European certificate of origin. The Ardèche is located in south-east France in the Rhône-Alpes region. The sausage is made from fresh meat and hard pork fat, which is minced and placed in a natural pork casings which may come from all parts of the pig’s intestine. It is then fermented and dried. It derives different names from the type of casings it is stuffed in using a single recipe - saucisse sèche, chaudin, jésus, rosette (small intestine, large intestine, caecum, pork bung).
Saucisse sèche. The dry weight of this sausage is 200 g or more. Its size is a function of the product’s low cross-section. The final salt content may vary. The sausage is stuffed into 30 – 45 mm diameter pork casing. The sausage’s length depends on whether it is straight or curved, or comes coiled around smoke stick.
Petit chaudin. The weight of this dry sausage varies from around 200 g to 600 g. The sausage is stuffed into 45 – 70 mm large diameter casing such as pork middle or pork bung.
Chaudin. Chaudin is 40 cm (16”) or longer and weighing from 600 g to 2 kg. It is long and can be straight or more or less wide depending on the diameter of the casing. The sausage is stuffed into 70 – 90 mm large diameter casing such as pork middle or pork bung. It has a slightly higher salt content. The sausage casing is reinforced by lacing it with twine and can be tied by hand or placed in a netting.
Gros chaudin. Its weight is greater than 2 kg. The sausage is 40 cm (16”) or longer and stuffed into a large intestine like pork bung. The sausage is stuffed into 70 mm or large diameter casing such as pork bung. It is hung up or laid out flat to dry, which alters its appearance. Its flavor is slightly acidic as a result of having matured over a long period. Cgaudin and Gros Chaudin are 40 cm (16”) or more in length.
Rosette. This is a large, dry sausage with a dry weight of over 1 kg and a length of 40 cm (16”) or more. Its cross-section is conical-shaped and bulbous at its end. The sausage derives its name from the casing, which at the broad end contains the ‘rosette’ (anal canal). The thickness of the casing slows down the drying process. Its flavor is slightly acidic as a result of having matured over a long period owing to the thickness of the casing.
Jésus. This large, dry sausage is swaddled (wrapped in blanket) and watched over like a baby child appearing at the family table at the time of year when the baby Jesus, was born is traditionally known as Jésus. It is a bulbous sausage, ovoid-shaped like its casing, the sac or caecum also known as blind cap, of variable diameter, about 35 cm (14”) long and weighing more than 400 g. Its flavor is slightly acidic as a result of having matured over a long period owing to the thickness of the casing.
Assuming that temperature and humidity are sensor monitored, the drying period will be mostly affected by the diameter and the texture of the casing. The production time {fermenting and drying) can vary: Saucisse sèche (19-23 days), Petit chaudin (20-23 days), Chaudin (32 days), Gros chaudin (43 days), Jésus (34- 66 days-due to different sizes), Rosette (59 days).
| Meats | Metric | US |
|---|---|---|
| Lean pork from shoulder or ham | 700 g | 1.54 lb |
| Pork belly | 200 g | 0.44 lb |
| Back fat | 100 g | 0.22 lb |
Ingredients per 1000g (1 kg) of meat
| Salt | 28 g | 5 tsp |
| Black pepper | 2.0 g | 1 tsp |
| Whole peppercorns | 2.0 g | 1 tsp |
| Cure #2 | 5.0 g | 1 tsp |
| Dextrose | 3.0 g | 1/2 tsp |
| Sugar | 3.0 g | 1/2 tsp |
| Garlic | 10 g | 3 cloves |
| Cumin | 1.0 g | 1/2 tsp |
| Nutmeg | 1.0 g | 1/2 tsp |
| Cloves, ground | 0.3 g | 1/8 tsp |
| Ginger | 0.5 g | 1/4 tsp |
| T-SPX culture | 0.12 g | use scale |
Instructions
- Chop meat into 1/4” (6 mm) particles.
- Chop belly and fat into 1/4 (6 mm) particles.
- 30 minutes before mixing step dissolve starter culture in 1 tablespoon de-chlorinated water.
- Mix ground meats with salt and cure #2 until sticky. Add spices, culture and chopped fat and mix again. Stuff firmly into 36 mm hog casings. Ferment at 20º C (68º F) for 72 hours, 90-85% humidity.
- Dry at 16 → 12º C (60-54º F), 85 → 80% humidity for 21 days (or longer when larger casing are used). The sausage is dried until around 30% in weight is lost. The sausage should develop a white mold. Store sausages at 10-15º C (50-59º F), <75% humidity.
