How is Fuet Catalan made?

The origins of Catalan fuet date back to the Baroque period in Catalonia. Its name is inspired by its shape which is similar to a whip or a riding crop. The method of preparation of fuet has since remained unchanged, which gives it this unique and irresistible flavor.

What is Catalan fuet?

Catalan fuet is a Spanish cured meat made with pork that looks like sausage or dry sausage. The only difference is in the caliber. This charcuterie is finer than sausage and dry sausage. This is thanks to the small diameter casing used for stuffing the meat.

Being thinner, it dries faster, which gives it its unique flavor. Another peculiarity of this fuet is the whitish coloring of its skin. The presence of mushrooms allows it to be preserved.

Catalan fuet is eaten raw, on its own or as an aperitif. It can also be made into sandwiches by placing thin slices on bread. The Catalan fuet offered by Directos.eu can be stored for 5 to 6 months.

What ingredients should be used to make this Iberian salami?

The main ingredients that go into the making of Catalan fuet are lean pork and bacon. It is possible to add spices to them. For this reason, there are several types of Catalan fuet. The spices most used in this Spanish charcuterie are:

• garlic,
• nutmeg,
• black pepper.

Other ingredients are salt and sugar (sucrose and dextrose). For the embossing, you need natural gut. The most recommended are the mutton menus which generally have the appropriate size (between 22 and 30 mm).

The different steps to make Catalan fuet

The production of the Catalan fuet is done in several stages. You have to follow a certain process to get a good product.

Trimming the lean pork and bacon

The first step is to trim the meat. This consists of deboning it and removing the unnecessary parts. The rack of pork tenderloin is used to make Catalan fuet, available in stock at Directos.eu.

This part has a good taste quality. You can also use ham. For bacon, back fat is the most used. This is the fabric that covers the back of the animal. That's the best part about having pork fat. Catalan fuet should be about 10 to 20% of it. You therefore need lean pork at a proportion of 80 to 90%. If the trimming is done incorrectly, it will have an impact on the taste of the product.

The charcuterie chop

Lean pork should not be finely chopped. It must be done with the 12 mm grid of the chopper. The bacon, on the other hand, should be barely visible in the fuet. The 6 mm grid is generally used. The chopper tends to heat the fat. The bacon may melt during the process, which is bad for drying the fuet. To avoid this, the fat is put in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours before this step.

Preparing the mixture

Once the chopping is done, the lean pork and the bacon are mixed with the other ingredients. It is put in a jar and the butcher mixes it with the minced meat and fat. He then adds the ground sugar, salt and spices. The homogeneous mixing can be done by hand or with a kneader. Before obtaining the fuet, the preparation then rests for 12 to 24 hours, at a temperature between 0 and 2 ° C.

Embossing and drying

After letting the mixture rest, the butcher proceeds with the stuffing. The mutton menus are rinsed and desalted before carrying out this operation. The embossing is done with a pusher. The professional then pushes the mixture into the hose at a regular speed.

He proceeds carefully to prevent the casing from breaking. After the embossing comesthe drying of the Catalan fuet. It is done in a place where the humidity is between 70 and 80%, at a temperature ranging from 8 to 15 ° C. About 4 days later, the first white spots on the Catalan fuet appear. After 2-3 weeks it will be ready.

You can use Catalan fuet in an Iberian recipe or use it to cook many dishes. The Directos.eu online charcuterie offers quality products to enjoy the best of Spanish flavors.