Pitina 3 Ways | Northern, Southern & Biltong

Follow basic salami preparation practices when making this sausage.

1. Clean and sanitize all of your equipment.
2. Keep your meat and grinder parts cold (under 34f or 1c) during the grinding process.
3. Rehydrate your starter culture (in non-chlorinated water) for 30 minutes prior to use.
4. Rehydrate your mold (in non-chlorinated water) 30 minutes before use
5. Mix your very chilled mincemeat (under 34f or 1c), seasonings, and starter culture till the mince becomes very tacky.
6. Tightly stuff the mince into casings and prick out any air pockets.
7. Record the starting weight and the target weight of each salami link.
8. Brush with protective mold culture (unless you plan on cold smoking)
9. Hang the salami to ferment.
10. After the pH target has been hit, hang the salami to dry till the weight loss target has been achieved.
11. Remove from the drying chamber, slice thinly, and enjoy.

Here are a few things you might find useful when making salami.

• SavorYe Flavor Booster
• Dry Curing Cabinet
• Iodophor Sanitizer
• Starter Cultures and Molds
• Insta Cure #2 (Curing Salt with Nitrites/Nitrates)
• Insta Cure #1 (for short cures)
• EcoCure #2 (No Nitrite Curing Salt)
• Eco Cure #1 (A Nitrite free alternative to curing your meat)
• Dextrose
• Apera pH Meter with Bluetooth
• Cure Accelerator
• Thermapen ONE (Accurate Thermometer)
• Sausage Pricker
• ausage Stuffers
• Meat Grinder
• Meat Mixers
• Stuffing Horn Cleaner
• Butcher Twine & Dispenser
• Small accurate Scale for spices
• Large Capacity Scale (33 pounds)
• Drying rack and tray
• Custom Cutting Board
• Jende Lapping plate for sharpening our grinder plates and knife
• InkBird Controllers temp & Humidity
• Dehumidifier Eva Dry 1100
• Cool Mist Ultrasonic Humidifier

If you want to see the different things that we use in operation our be sure to check out our new Amazon Store.

2 Guys & A Cooler Amazon Storefront

All three versions of the Pitina we made in the video can be found below

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Northern Italian Pitina

Calabrian Style

Prep Time2 hours hrs

Drying time30 days d

Total Time30 days d 2 hours hrs

How much do you want to make? 1000 grams

Ingredients

Metric – US Customary

• 600 g lean beef
• 300 g pork shoulder
• 100 g pork belly
• 25 g Salt
• 7 g savorye
• 2.5 g insta cure #1
• 3 g black pepper
• 2.5 g fennel seeds crushed
• 2.5 g minced garlic
• 1.6 g fennel pollen
• .75 g Dextrose
• 30 ml Red wine
• Flavor of italy starter culture re-hydrate 1/4 tsp of starter in 1/8 cup of distilled water for every kilo (2.2 pounds) of meat/fat. Let this rest for 30 minutes
• Additional wine for dipping salami meat balls
• corn flour (polenta flour)

Instructions

Prepare the polenta

• take the polenta you plan on using to coat your pitina and place it on a baking tray. Bake at 350f for 8-10 minutes till you get the pitina to a temp of 180f (82.2c)

Prepare the Pitina

• Clean meat/fat and cut into small strips. Place in the feezer to chill for 45 minutes
• Grind the meat on a 6mm plate. (You can also finely mince the meat by hand if you don't have a grinder). Rechill before mixing (keep the temperature of the meat below 34f (1c) at all times during processing.
• Add the starter culture, the wine and all of the rest of the ingredients to the chilled mince meat. Mix to combine till the meat mass gets sticky. If you grab a small handful it will stick to your hand if you hold it upside down.
• Grab a handful your meat mixture and form the meat into a meat ball. I personally make 200 gram size balls. Dip the meatball into some red wine then roll it in some medium ground corn flour (polenta flour), and place it on a tray.
• Ferment your pitina by placing them in an environment that between 75F and 85F (24c-29c) with high humidity for 18-24 hours. You can achieve high humidity by covering the pitina in cling film. This locks in the moisture. A good place to ferment is in your oven with the light on but the oven off. (EVERY STARTER CULTURE IS DIFFERENT. THESE INSTRUCTIONS ARE FOR THE FLAVOR OF ITALY STARTER CULTURE). The goal of fermentation is to reach a pH between 5.2 and 4.9.
• Cold smoke during fermentation. Keep the temperature between 75 and 85f through the cold smoking process
• After 18 hours test the ph of your pitina. Once you hit your goal you can move on to the next step.
• Time to start drying. Ideal temperatures are 55f (13c) with an 80% humidity. Let dry for 3-4 weeks. The longer these dry the more firm they will become. I let mine dry for 4 weeks.

  We use a dedicated drying chamber to dry our salami but if you have a cellar or basement with the above mentioned parameters you can dry that in there without any issues.
• After it's finished drying, thinly slice and enjoy. Store what's remaining in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Southern Italian Pitina

Calabrian Style

Prep Time2 hours hrs

Drying time30 days d

Total Time30 days d 2 hours hrs

How much do you want to make? 1000 grams

Ingredients

Metric – US Customary

• 600 g lean beef
• 300 g pork shoulder
• 100 g pork belly
• 25 g Salt
• 7 g savorye
• 2.5 g insta cure #1
• 3 g black pepper
• 2.5 g fennel seeds crushed
• 2.5 g minced garlic
• 2 g fennel pollen
• 8 g sweet Calabrian pepper
• 10 g spicy Calabrian pepper
• 30 ml Red wine
• .5 g Dextrose
• Flavor of italy starter culture re-hydrate 1/4 tsp of starter in 1/8 cup of distilled water for every kilo (2.2 pounds) of meat/fat. Let this rest for 30 minutes
• Additional wine for dipping salami meat balls
• corn flour (polenta flour)

Instructions

Prepare the polenta

• take the polenta you plan on using to coat your pitina and place it on a baking tray. Bake at 350f for 8-10 minutes till you get the pitina to a temp of 180f (82.2c)

Prepare the Pitina

• Clean meat/fat and cut into small strips. Place in the feezer to chill for 45 minutes
• Grind the meat on a 6mm plate. (You can also finely mince the meat by hand if you don't have a grinder). Rechill before mixing (keep the temperature of the meat below 34f (1c) at all times during processing.
• Add the starter culture, the wine and all of the rest of the ingredients to the chilled mince meat. Mix to combine till the meat mass gets sticky. If you grab a small handful it will stick to your hand if you hold it upside down.
• Grab a handful your meat mixture and form the meat into a meat ball. I personally make 200 gram size balls. Dip the meatball into some red wine then roll it in some medium ground corn flour (polenta flour), and place it on a tray.
• Ferment your pitina by placing them in an environment that between 75F and 85F (24c-29c) with high humidity for 18-24 hours. You can achieve high humidity by covering the pitina in cling film. This locks in the moisture. A good place to ferment is in your oven with the light on but the oven off. (EVERY STARTER CULTURE IS DIFFERENT. THESE INSTRUCTIONS ARE FOR THE FLAVOR OF ITALY STARTER CULTURE). The goal of fermentation is to reach a pH between 5.2 and 4.9.
• Cold smoke during fermentation. Keep the temperature between 75 and 85f through the cold smoking process
• After 18 hours test the ph of your pitina. Once you hit your goal you can move on to the next step.
• Time to start drying. Ideal temperatures are 55f (13c) with an 80% humidity. Let dry for 3-4 weeks. The longer these dry the more firm they will become. I let mine dry for 4 weeks.

  We use a dedicated drying chamber to dry our salami but if you have a cellar or basement with the above mentioned parameters you can dry that in there without any issues.
• After it's finished drying, thinly slice and enjoy. Store what's remaining in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Biltong Pitina

A new way to enjoy South Africa's #1 meat snack

Prep Time2 hours hrs

Drying time60 days d

Total Time60 days d 2 hours hrs

How much do you want to make? 1000 grams

Ingredients

Metric – US Customary

• 700 g lean beef
• 300 g beef fat
• 25 g salt
• 7 g savorye
• 2.5 g Insta cure #1
• 7 g black pepper course grind
• 6.75 g coriander seed toast and lightly crush
• .9 g coriander powder
• 2 g dark brown sugar
• 15 ml Worcestershire sauce 15ml = 1tbsp
• .75 g dextrose
• Flavor of Italy Starter Culture re-hydrate 1/4 tsp of starter in 1/8 cup of distilled water for every kilo (2.2 pounds) of meat/fat. Let this rest for 30 minutes

For the coating

• toasted coriander gently crushed
• toasted black pepper course grind
• Worcestershire sauce as needed

Instructions

Prepare the Spice Coating

• Gently toast the peppercorn and the coriander seed till aromatic. Set to the side.

  The amount you need will depend on how much you plan on making. I usually do 60% coriander to 40% black pepper but the choice is yours.

Prepare the Pitina

• Clean meat/fat and cut into small strips. Place in the feezer to chill for 45 minutes
• Grind the meat on a 6mm plate. (You can also finely mince the meat by hand if you don’t have a grinder). Rechill before mixing (keep the temperature of the meat below 34f (1c) at all times during processing.
• Add the starter culture, the wine and all of the rest of the ingredients to the chilled mince meat. Mix to combine till the meat mass gets sticky. If you grab a small handful it will stick to your hand if you hold it upside down.
• Grab a handful your meat mixture and form the meat into a meat ball. I personally make 200 gram size balls. Dip the meatball into a bowl of Worcestershire sauce then roll it in your toasted spice mix (coriander/black pepper) and place it on a tray.
• Ferment your pitina by placing them in an environment that between 75F and 85F (24c-29c) with high humidity for 18-24 hours. You can achieve high humidity by covering the pitina in cling film. This locks in the moisture. A good place to ferment is in your oven with the light on but the oven off. (EVERY STARTER CULTURE IS DIFFERENT. THESE INSTRUCTIONS ARE FOR THE FLAVOR OF ITALY STARTER CULTURE). The goal of fermentation is to reach a pH between 5.2 and 4.9.
• Cold smoke during fermentation. Keep the temperature between 75 and 85f through the cold smoking process
• After 18 hours test the ph of your pitina. Once you hit your goal you can move on to the next step.
• Time to start drying. Ideal temperatures are 55f (13c) with an 80% humidity. Let dry for 3-4 weeks. The longer these dry the more firm they will become. I let mine dry for 4 weeks.
• We use a dedicated drying chamber to dry our salami but if you have a cellar or basement with the above mentioned parameters you can dry that in there without any issues.
• After it’s finished drying, thinly slice and enjoy. Store what’s remaining in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

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