Homemade Cotechino Recipe
User Reviews
4.9
27 reviews
Excellent
-
Prep Time
2 hrs 30 mins
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Total Time
2 hrs 30 mins
-
Servings
36 (18 sausages)
-
Calories
571 kcal
-
Cuisine
Italian
Homemade Cotechino Recipe
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A classic Italian sausage made from different parts of the pig. Incredibly tasty in many cucina povera dishes, and even eaten plain.
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Ingredients
Cotechino Sausage:
- 3 lbs pork belly (with skin)
- 1 lbs pork shoulder
- 1 lb pig ears (about 3)
- 1 ½ lb pig snout/cheek meat
- 3 Tbsp salt (Kosher Diamond)
- 3 Tbsp fennel seed
- 1 Tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 Tbsp black pepper (freshly ground)
- 2 Tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp cayenne powder (to 1 Tbsp depending on your preference, optional)
Casings:
- natural hog casings (as needed)
- water (as needed for soaking casings)
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar (a splash, poured in the water)
Instructions
How to Make Cotechino Sausages:
- Rinse the hog casings by running water inside of them. Next, allow to soak in a mixture of water, and a splash of white vinegar while you prepare the meat.
- Start by cutting up all the pork meat, cheek, snout and ears into ¼" to ½" (about .75 cm) pieces (smaller is better). Store in the fridge.
- Cut the pork rind into the same sized pieces.
- Bring the other cut pieces of pork out of the fridge.
- Place all the cut pork products into a very large bowl, then add the salt, pepper and spices.
- Mix all the ingredients together by hand until everything is evenly distributed (about 10 minutes of mixing). This is a very important step. (Although we love this ratio of ingredients, you can cook a little of the mixture and taste it yourself to adjust the seasonings before stuffing the sausages.)
- Tie off an end of a casing, then feed the entire length onto the end of the funnel. The length does not matter
- Spoon the mixture into the funnel and squeeze into the casing, making sure to not have too much air pockets. (This is the part where you definitely want help.
- If you see larger air pockets, poke the casing with a sharp tool (like a toothpick), and work the air gap out. Do this as you stuff the sausages
- Tie off the sausages with the butcher's string into approximately 5" (13 cm) lengths (or whatever you like), then prick the sausages all over, to get rid of any more air gaps.
- If you aren't dry-curing them, freeze them until solid, and then place into vacuum-sealer bags and seal. Place back into the freezer. These will keep in the freezer for 6 months (if you don't use vacuum bags, then only keep frozen for up to a month.
Notes
- Tip: try to have help (at minimum) for the stuffing and tying part.
How to Use Cotechino
Cotechino is incredibly good when added to minestra, a dish made with different greens and beans. Cotechino and lentils is a typical New Year's dish (for good luck, and wealth) in Italy!
- Cotechino is incredibly good when added to minestra, a dish made with different greens and beans.
- Cotechino and lentils is a typical New Year's dish (for good luck, and wealth) in Italy!
- Adding cotechino to your garlic and olive oil when making pasta sauce (replace the ground beef in this recipe) makes a delicious sauce, especially when using it for pasta and beans! Of course, it's so delicious, I sometimes just cook it in the air-fryer and eat it plain with some bread!
- Adding cotechino to your garlic and olive oil when making pasta sauce (replace the ground beef in this recipe) makes a delicious sauce, especially when using it for pasta and beans!
- Of course, it's so delicious, I sometimes just cook it in the air-fryer and eat it plain with some bread!
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Serving
1sausage
Calories
571kcal
(29%)
Carbohydrates
2g
(1%)
Protein
21g
(42%)
Fat
52g
(80%)
Saturated Fat
17g
(85%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
4g
Monounsaturated Fat
19g
Cholesterol
95mg
(32%)
Sodium
1264mg
(53%)
Potassium
240mg
(7%)
Fiber
1g
(4%)
Sugar
0.1g
(0%)
Vitamin A
196IU
(4%)
Vitamin C
1mg
(1%)
Calcium
27mg
(3%)
Iron
1mg
(6%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 36(18 sausages)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 571 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1sausage | |
| Calories | 571kcal | 29% |
| Carbohydrates | 2g | 1% |
| Protein | 21g | 42% |
| Fat | 52g | 80% |
| Saturated Fat | 17g | 85% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 4g | 24% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 19g | 95% |
| Cholesterol | 95mg | 32% |
| Sodium | 1264mg | 53% |
| Potassium | 240mg | 5% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 0.1g | 0% |
| Vitamin A | 196IU | 4% |
| Vitamin C | 1mg | 1% |
| Calcium | 27mg | 3% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
27 reviews
Excellent
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