Pitina | A Very Old Italian "Hunter's Sausage" Salami

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#Charcuterie is a fantastic element of gastronomy. Within this niche is a #hunter #sausage from Italy called pitina. It is basically a fermented meatball rolled in polenta, smoked, and then dry aged until it loses about 35% of its moisture content. Unlike most forms of salami, this one finishes out relatively fast at about four weeks.

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Ken's Version of Pitina

1 1/2 lb. Ground Pork
1 lb. Ground Beef
1 c. Warm Water
2 tbsp. Red Wine
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp. Granulated Garlic
3 tsp. Salt
1 tbsp. Fennel Seed
1/2 tsp. Pink Curing Salt No. 1
3 tbsp. Dry Milk
3 tsp. @McCormickVideos Peppercorn Medley Grinder
1-2 c. Polenta or Medium Ground Corn Meal

Before making the salami, place the wine in a container with the bay leaf and the garlic. Cover, and let the mixture sit in a refrigerator 24 to 48 hours. After the wine has had sufficient time to marry flavors with the other ingredients, chill the pork and beef to 33°F. In a container add in the water and the cultured buttermilk and allow them to sit at room temperature. Break up the pork and add in the wine along with the salt, fennel, InstaCure Number 1, dry milk , and black pepper. When firm, mix in the water and buttermilk solution. Mix and then add in the beef. This step helps to keep the overall temperature of the sausage under 45°F. Stir until the meat is tacky and sticks when held upside down. Portion into meatballs. Conversely, you can shape into a narrow sausage-like log. Roll the meat in polenta or corn meal. Place on a sheet tray and cover with plastic wrap. Take a small amount of the farce meat (for sampling) and wrap it in plastic wrap without covering in polenta. Place the tray in an oven with the light on or in an area where the temperature can stay at a steady 75-80°F for 24 hours. The next day, the test sample should look waxy, pink, cohesive, and feel firm. It should have a pH of 5 or under. It should have a noticeably sour smell from the fermentation process. Once the target pH is reached, cover the sample piece in corn meal and strike up a cold smoker. Cold smoke the meat at under 110°F for an hour to an hour and a half. Remove the pitina from the smoker, weigh them, and mark your target weight. Typically speaking you will want about 30-45% weight loss with 35% being usual. Place the the pitina in a cold, low moisture environment (like a refrigerator) where they can get constant air circulation on all sides. Once a day, turn the pitina to insure proper drying on all sides. After a month, and once the targeted weight loss has occurred, you can thinly slice and serve with fruit, cheeses, other meats, and wine.