French Dry Sausage with Pepper

Freeze pork shoulder and back fat for 90 minutes until semi-frozen (-4°C). Grind meat through a 10 mm plate – medium grind is typical for Saucisson Sec. Cut back fat into 5-8 mm cubes or grind through a 6 mm plate. Keep everything below 8°C immediately.

Stir together salt, curing salt, coarsely cracked pepper (internal spice), Quatre Épices, garlic, and starter cultures with the white wine. Work into the meat-fat mixture and knead firmly until the mixture binds lightly and pepper is evenly distributed (approx. 6-8 minutes). Cover and rest the mixture at 4°C for 6-12 hours.

Soak pork casings (Ø 45-60 mm) or beef rounds in lukewarm water for 30 minutes. Stuff mixture firmly with no air pockets, tie off into 20-25 cm links. Immediately roll the freshly stuffed sausages in coarsely cracked Tellicherry pepper and gently press it in with your hands to create an even crust. Tie hanging loops.

Ferment sausages at 20-22°C and 85-90% relative humidity for 36-48 hours. The pepper crust adheres well to the surface during fermentation. Target pH after 48 hours: below 5.3. Exterior color: slightly reddish beneath the pepper crust. Ensure good air circulation between sausages – they must not touch each other.

After fermentation, reduce temperature to 10-13°C and humidity to 72-78% RH. Saucisson Sec matures relatively quickly due to its smaller diameter. Check every 4-5 days. A white mold film is desirable and typical for French saucissons. Remove any unwanted mold with a lightly salted cloth. The sausages should already feel firm after 3 weeks.

Ready when weight loss reaches 30-35%. The Saucisson Sec should feel firm but not rock hard when pressed. Cut face: uniform pink-red meat color, white fat cubes, clearly visible peppercorns inside. Aroma: peppery-savory, slightly acidic, nutty from mold maturation. Exterior: characteristic white mold layer and pepper crust. Keeps up to 4 weeks at room temperature (18-20°C).