Saucisson sec au Beaufort

This is a French dry sausage made with Beaufort cheese. Beaufort is a firm, raw cow’s milk cheese produced in Beaufort, which is located in the Savoie region of the French Alps.

Ingredients per 1000g (1 kg) of meat

Instructions

1. Grind lean meat through 1/4” (6 mm) particles.
2. Using a sharp knife cut partially fried back fat into 1/4 (6 mm) cubes.
3. Cut cheese into 3/8” (10 mm) chunks.
4. 30 minutes before mixing dissolve the starter culture in 1 tablespoon de-chlorinated water.
5. Mix ground meats with salt and cure #2 until sticky. Add spices, culture, wine and chopped fat and mix again.
6. Stuff firmly into 50 mm hog or beef casings making 6” (15 cm) straight links.
7. Ferment at 20º C (68º F) for 72 hours, 90-85% humidity.
8. Dry at 16 → 12º C (60-54º F), 85 → 80% humidity for 45 days. The sausage is dried until around 30% in weight is lost. The sausage should develop a white mold which is expected and desired.
9. Store sausages at 10-15º C (50-59º F), < 75% humidity.