# Peppered Lonza



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Lonza is dry-cured pok loin. This is my first attempt making it. It is somewhat similar to prosciutto and coppa in flavor but is much more tender and cures in a very short time frame.

Trim any lose muscle, the silverskin, and most of the fat off of the loin. Make a rub with 1 cup of non-iodized salt and a tbsp of freshly ground black pepper. Throw in some peppercorns if you like.









Rub one-half of the cure into the meat and wrap with Saran wrap, removing all the air. Store for 1 week in a refigerator. Turn the loin every couple of days. Liquid with be forced from the loin as it cures. Remove the loin, rinse in cold water, and rub in the other one-half of the cure. Store in the refigerator for another week. 









The lonza has been curing for a couple weeks now it is ready to hang.









The meat loses moisture, loses weight, as it cures. After 2 weeks curing in the fridge remove the lonza and rinse in cold water. Wiped the loin down with red wine and then coated it with black pepper. Wrap it in paper, weigh it and hang it in a cool place. 









Hanging out. 









Weigh the lonza. It is ready when it has lost at least 33% of it's original weight. I took mine down when it had lost 50%. (I forgot about it. :roll: )









A nice white mold growth was starting to form. Notice how small the loin is after curing compared to the original photo. 









Sliced the lonza about 0.025" thick.









Don't care for the big layer of fat in the middle of the loin. Should have used the loin section further back on a hog.


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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

Do the boots give the meat an earthy taste? :mrgreen:


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

gdog said:


> Do the boots give the meat an earthy taste :mrgreen:
> 
> .............quote]
> 
> ...


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## hattrick (Aug 29, 2011)

Looks like I know what my next food project will be.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

hattrick said:


> Looks like I know what my next food project will be.


Good on you. Be careful, this pork is dry-cured, not cooked.

This recipe is from _The Craft of Italian Dry Curing Salumi_ by M. Ruhlman & B. Polcyn. What a great book!


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## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

So you don't trim off that mold before slicing/eating?


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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

wyogoob said:


> Be careful, this pork is dry-cured, not cooked.


Careful of what....making sure its cured long enough to eat? How cold do you need to keep it while hanging?


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

gdog said:


> wyogoob said:
> 
> 
> > Be careful, this pork is dry-cured, not cooked.
> ...


18° C ?

The average ambient temperature of Florence Italy for November 5. ?

The average ambient temperature of my basement for November 5. ?

Uh...I'm doing it the way they did it in 225 B.C. After it lost 50% of its original weight I took it down and ate a piece of the moldiest part. Waited 48 hours to see if I died from food poisoning and then put up this thread.

Want some?


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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

wyogoob said:


> Waited 48 hours to see if I died from food poisoning and then put up this thread.
> 
> Want some?


Sure...your still alive :shock:


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

It's better today, saltier I think. Better "mouth feel"...uh...I don't have a clue what "mouth feel" is; sausage guys use the term all the time.

I will make some more with a better cut of meat.


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## Jonwo (Apr 29, 2010)

wyogoob said:


> It's better today, saltier I think. Better "mouth feel"...uh...I don't have a clue what "mouth feel" is, sausage guys use the term all the time.
> 
> I will make some more with a better cut of meat.


Goob your a funny guy! Love the recipes going to have to try this one out one day.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

The more I sliced on the lonza the less fat there was:









Looks ok:









Sliced thin:









Getting ready to pack Santa's sleigh:


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I found a package of Lonza in the spare fridge. It's 3 1/2 years old and it's lost a little of its flavor.

I put some peach slices on it and then sprinkle some fresh thyme on top and it disappeared!!


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

utahgolf said:


> So you don't trim off that mold before slicing/eating?


In this case, no. But you can't be too careful. I'm a little reluctant to put up fully-cured recipes. If the correct ingredients and preparation instructions are not followed you could get sick, but I guess that goes with any recipe posted here.

I don't get too concerned about white mold, but that doesn't mean it won't make you very sick. Sometimes I purposely spray bacterial cultures on curing meat to induce mold like what you see on fine Italian Genoa Salami or Pepperoni. That's tough to pull off. The combination of temperature and humidity has to be just right, and very consistant, to get a thorough coating of "good" mold.

7 days per inch of pork is the standard curing time per Fed and most state regulations. Keep in mind the cure has to be properly applied, evenly spread all the way around the cut of meat. If there's bone it's best to pump some brine around the joints to prevent bone-souring. I've had my share of hams bone-sour. Among other things the salt removes the moisture from the meat. Moisture is a breeding ground for "bad" bacteria. Usually when the meat loses 33% of it original weight it's ready to eat. I took this loin down at 50%. I forgot about it hanging in the basement. :roll:

For more see: http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/sausage-making/curing

Also, if you want to see some great sausage, really moldy sausage, Google "Len Poli sausage". He's "Da Man."

.


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

gdog said:


> Sure...your still alive :shock:


Are you sure... makes me think of this when reading and seeing some of what Goob eats:shock:


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