Capicola Recipe
User Reviews
5
Capicola Recipe
Description
This Capicola Recipe begins by grinding a curing rub of sea salt, sugar, crushed red pepper flakes, and pink curing salt evenly, which is rubbed thoroughly into the pork coppa or loin. The meat is wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for five days before being flipped and refrigerated for an additional five days, allowing the cure to penetrate and firm the meat.
After curing, the meat is unwrapped, rinsed under cold water to remove excess rub, and dried. A coarse seasoning rub made from ground coriander seeds, fennel seeds, black peppercorns, anise seeds, and red pepper flakes is prepared and pressed onto the surface of the meat. The coated pork is then rolled tightly in meat netting, which helps the shape during aging or cooking.
This process preserves and flavors the meat, developing its distinctive pink color and spicy aromatic profile. The use of Prague powder (curing salt #1) ensures that the meat maintains its characteristic cured appearance. The specific combination of spices gives the capicola its signature taste.
Ingredients
- For the Curing Rub:
- 3 pounds pork coppa coppa is the traditional and preferred cut (we highly recommend it if you can get one from your butcher), see blog post for description, or pork loin
- 2 1/2 tablespoons salt sea salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes crushed
- 1 teaspoon curing salt #1 this is essential for maintaining the pink color of the meat as opposed to brown/gray once it's cooked, aka Prague powder
- For the Seasoning Rub (feel free to tweak according to preference):
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 1 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 3/4 teaspoons anise seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- You'll also need:
- meat netting size 24
Instructions
- To make the cure, place the sea salt, sugar, red pepper flakes and pink curing salt in a coffee/spice grinder or use a mortar and pestle to grind them. (It is essential that the pink salt is evenly distributed in the rub.)Place the pork in a large bowl or on a work surface and massage the rub into the pork, making sure to get every nook and cranny.Wrap the pork tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 5 days. After 5 days flip it over so the bottom side is up and refrigerate it for another 5 days.
- After 10 days unwrap the meat. It will be firmer to the touch. Thoroughly rinse it under cold water to remove all the spices and set it aside while you prepare the final rub.To make the rub, place the fennel seeds, coriander seeds, anise seeds, red pepper flakes and black peppercorns in a coffee/spice grinder or use a mortal and pestle to grind the spices until you get a coarse rub. Lightly blot the pork with a paper towel.Spread the rub out onto a plate or work surface and roll the pork in it, coating all sides. Use up all the spice rub to coat the meat.Next you'll need a #24 netting roll. Cut a piece of netting off the roll that is a few inches longer than your capicola.Stretch the netting and feed the capicola through it (unless you have a ham-stuffing funnel, it's easiest to do this with two people).
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Fill a pan up with water and place it on the middle rack of the oven. This will create humidity as the pork cooks to keep it moist. Place the pork on a roasting pan fitted with a wire rack and place the pan on the top rack of the oven. Cook the capicola for 1 hour, then turn the capicola over so the bottom side is up and bake it for another hour or until the internal temperature reaches 145-150 degrees F. Don't overcook or the meat will be dry.Be patient, it's not quite ready yet! Remove the capicola, place it on a plate and refrigerate uncovered for 4 hours.
- At that point your homemade Italian capicola is ready to eat! Slice it thinly and enjoy it on your sandwiches, pizzas or eaten on its own! (For professional looking deli meat slices, use an electric meat slicer.) To store, keep it wrapped tightly in plastic wrap in the refrigerator where it will keep for up to 2 weeks.The sliced capicola can also be frozen for up to a couple of months.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 24Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 79 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 60g | |
| Calories | 79kcal | 4% |
| Carbohydrates | 2g | 1% |
| Protein | 13g | 26% |
| Fat | 2g | 3% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.2g | 1% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Cholesterol | 37mg | 12% |
| Sodium | 757mg | 32% |
| Potassium | 233mg | 5% |
| Fiber | 0.3g | 1% |
| Sugar | 1g | 2% |
| Vitamin A | 39IU | 1% |
| Vitamin C | 0.1mg | 0% |
| Calcium | 10mg | 1% |
| Iron | 0.4mg | 2% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
You'll Also Love
