Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Coppa – Tasting

 IMG_2712 

Well, that took a while. The whole coppa that I found at my local market just came out of the curing chamber.

 

 

 

There really isn’t much to say or take pictures of so this will be a short post. The coppa is AMAZING. It’s wonderfully seasoned, with white pepper being the predominant spice. Juniper comes through, but might got a little higher next time. The texture is great; soft and tender, with melting fat. It’s a definite success. A solid A!

It took about 5 months with the chamber running at about 54 deg. and 75% RH. Weight loss was about 41%. I wanted it to be nice and firm before taking it down.

Let’s just enjoy some pictures.

  IMG_2712

Nice marbling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_2706

This picture was taken outside on a hot day. In less than 5 minutes the fat started melting, I did the only possible thing; I ate the whole plate as fast as possible!

22 comments:

Portland Charcuterie Project said...

nice.. looking forward to my next three coppas which should be ready within a month or three

Jasonmolinari said...

thanks. This took longer than i thought it would, and that might be part of why it's so tasty.

Marc said...

"I did the only possible thing; I ate the whole plate as fast as possible!" ... Perfect!

Jasonmolinari said...

I took one for the team Marc.....

Anonymous said...

Hi Jason,

Wonderful post as usual - I love how "round" you got your coppa almst looks too perfect haha- on another note here I know its not related to this exact post - but Ive noticed you have been doing more and more curing using natural skins - where as in the past you were using more synthetic - is this just your new preference ?

Great blog keep up the great work!

Jasonmolinari said...

Thanks. The coppa was so round because i really JAMMED it into the casing. It barely fit!

This one was artificial. I have started preferring naturals as they seem to be a little easier to work with as they are stretchy. They're definitely not as convenient as collagen, but they seem to develop fewer air pockets.

Anonymous said...

Thats great to hear - ive followed your blog for a while and was always amazed at how your artificial casings looked totally great - i was never able to get that clean of a product with artificial and made the switch to natural for that reason (the air pockets) ... nice to hear and enjoy your coppa!

I cant wait to see your salame gentile - that guy looks like a monster -

Jasonmolinari said...

It IS a monster! I'm thinking about 2 more weeks and it'll be ready

Kevin Kossowan said...

Looks super tasty. Envious.

dp said...

Oh.good.god. I'm really at a loss for word and can say nothing more than that looks awesome!

Jasonmolinari said...

thanks DP. It tastes even better than it looks.

E. Nassar said...

Man this looks beyond fantastic. I cannot stop looking at the damn thing.

Jasonmolinari said...

Thanks E. It's mesmerizing.

The Chef En amateur said...

First time here, what a fantastic blog! I would have never thought about curing my own meat but now I have a new challenge set in the back of my mind! Thanks for the inspiration.

- Josh
http://thechefenamateur.blogspot.com

Jasonmolinari said...

thanks Josh, glad i could help

matt said...

this looks absolutely perfect. looks like great dryness throughout! Lovely work mate.

Jasonmolinari said...

thanks matt. perfect moisture level. It's moist and soft but not too much so

Unknown said...

We love Charcuterie too! This Salami looks fantastic. If you’re looking for similarly hand-crafted stuff to display some of this goodness, we make it if you care to check it out. Our first “Charcuterie Platter” is here at http://www.etsy.com/shop/brownandgreen. We like Charcuterie thinking folks like yourself. Come check us out, we’re pleased to make any size you can dream up. Thanks for keeping this tradition alive!

Anonymous said...

Wht is the best way to store my extra coppas? Freeze, Leave in chamber? Fridge? Thanks

Jasonmolinari said...

Best is to vacuum pack and refrigerate.
Or wrap in plastic and refrigerate.

Anonymous said...

Just took 2 out after 33% weight loss. I did not have casings so i wrapped in 10 layers of chhesecloth and webbing. There is some mold on the outside-the power went out and it spent a few hours inside chamber at 80 degrees about a week ago. should I throw it away? thx bigmolar

Jasonmolinari said...

80 degres for a few hours shouldn't be a problem.
If the mold is white everything is fine. if it's black or green or other then you're in trouble.