Home-made Calabrian soppressata

Today we reveal how to prepare the home-made soppressata, the traditional salami of Calabria. The soppressata is made from the best parts of the pork: ham, leg, fillet, shoulder and lard, without any additives.

Calabrian soppressata: the ingredients

  • 4 kg of pork meat
  • 600 g of lark pork
  • 80 ml of red wine
  • 115 g of salt
  • 150 g of red pepper powder (hot or sweet)
  • Peppercorns
  • Pork gut
  • Kitchen string

How to make the Calabrian soppressata

Desalinate the guts in cold water and place them in a bowl containing a solution of water and vinegar (20 ml of vinegar per litre of water) for one hour. After this time, rinse and set aside.

In the meantime, grind the meat with the fat (those who do not have the machine can cut them with a knife), put them in a bowl and add salt, black pepper, red pepper and red wine, then work everything with your hands, so that the spices are well distributed and the salt dissolves.

Let the dough rest for a few hours, then proceed to fill the guts, trying not to leave empty spaces to prevent air from forming inside the soppressata.

Once the mixture is ready, pierce the guts with a large needle to allow excess air to escape and close with kitchen string.

Place the soppressate in a rather large container, lined with dishcloths, and leave them there for 24 hours. Hang the soppressate, spaced out to help them dry. Let them dry for about 5 days, then place them between two sheets and put them between two boards; on the upper board gradually place weights to flatten them.

After 2-3 days, hang them again to season for about 80-90 days, depending on weather conditions.