Smoked Cold Cuts
Sausage, cotechino, salami, and cacciatorini.
Product features: The slight aroma of the smoking process and the great balance of the recipe release unique aromas and leave on the palate a surprising taste of balance and fragrance, recalling the mountain lands and the clean air.
Description of the processing, preservation, and maturation methods: The essential ingredients come from the trimming of the main products (ham and speck) and from the skinning of the rumps. Preparation of the bowels: bowels washing and cutting at the required length, with consequent closure of an end with a metal clip for the salami and a sufficient length to contain 6 pieces for cacciatorino. The sausage and cotechino bowels are bagged for their whole length. Once the mixture has been put in the bowel, it is tied up. The seal, with the production date and the company logo, is applied with the sealing machine. As far as salami are concerned, the seal is applied to each salami, while for cotechino and cacciatorino the seal is applied to each string. Afterwards, cold cuts are hanged from frames and they should not touch each other. The drying period (for the products that will not be subject to the smoking process) lasts 3-4 days. The smoking process lasts about 6-8 hours: beech timber is burnt in special fireplaces, so that smoke is produced lightly and constantly, monitoring at the same time the temperature and humidity inside the smoking premises. The product remains in the smoking premises for 3-4 days. Sausage and cotechino remain only 12 hours. Maturation is carried out to obtain a quality product, and lasts 2-3 weeks; sausage and cotechino do not undergo maturation: at the end of the maturation process, the cold cuts are covered with molds, that are eliminated once they are washed with water. After washing the frames containing the cold cuts, they have to dry for a few hours.
Features demonstrating that methods have been homogeneously applied according to traditional rules for a period not inferior to 25 years: In Carnia, many families have always been producing a great quantity of smoked hams and cold cuts. Year after year, thanks to the modern trading activities, the fame of these excellent products has gone beyond the regional borders, and these products are known all over Italy and abroad. Selected ingredients and a great care in each processing stage: fresh product processing, salting, periods of rest, slight smoking with beech timber in real fireplaces as in the past are the stages making these cold cuts excellent products.
