Photo by Adobe Stock
Ingredients
- 5 lb. Danish cut pork loin (boneless, with skin on)
Cure
- 3.5 oz. sea salt
- 1.75 oz. Chinese five spice
- 0.2 oz. Cure #2
Culture
- 2 oz. flour
- 0.5 oz. dispersed koji spores
Homemade Chinese Five Spice
- 6 tsp ground cinnamon
- 6 tsp crushed anise
- 1.5 tsp crushed fennel seed
- 1.5 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- Combine all five-spice ingredients and grind together well. Store in a cool place in an opaque bottle.
- Combine all the cure ingredients and use half of the cure mixture to cover the surface of the loin. Seal and cure in the refrigerator for 9 days, then remove and add the remaining cure mixture to the loin. Seal again and cure for another 9 days, overhauling at even intervals.
- Remove the lomo from the cure and place in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the koji spores and the flour, then cover the meat generously with the flour mixture. Culture in your koji incubator at 85-88°F and 90-95 percent relative humidity for 48 hours, or until the koji is established.
- Hang the loin in your charcuterie cabinet at 50 – 60°F and 65 percent relative humidity until it has lost 40-50 percent of its weight. Slice thinly to serve.
Cover Courtesy of New Society Publishers
More from Pure Charcuterie:
Reprinted with permission from Pure Charcuterie by Meredith Leigh and published by New Society Publishers.
Pure Charcuterie
Cured meat products arose from the need for preservation, in a time when cooking and refrigeration were not always available. Today, charcuterie is an embodiment of art in the kitchen, combining precision, balance, patience, and creativity; an economy of ingredients, as poetry is an economy of words. The confluence of these elements, along with the purest of ingredients, can enable anyone to craft cured meats in their home.The analogies drawn between art and food, along with creative and accessible photographic discussions of charcuterie technique, make this book an essential primer on the basics of charcuterie: the mystery, the science, the art, and the technique. Ideal for home cooks working in small spaces, Pure Charcuterie is a must-have for experienced and new cooks alike — and any home artisan.