/ Our magazine / Cured loin: a true delicacy from the pig's back.
/ Our magazine / Cured loin: a true delicacy from the pig's back.
We are used to considering pork as an alternative to the more “classic” beef. It is important to know, however, that the pig is the most commonly used livestock animal: its meat is used to create many products, especially thanks to the different cuts available. One of the best-known cuts, as well as one of the most consumed, is definitely the loin: it is derived from the back of the pig and includes all the vertebrae and the initial part of the ribs, excluding the front part of the back (the capocollo).
It is one of the leanest parts of the pig, from which steaks and roasts are normally made.
The pork loin is mainly composed of two parts: the loin itself, which has the shape of a slightly flattened cylinder, and the fillet, which can be separated and used for other preparations, or left together with the loin in the preparation of pork chops with fillet.
In the back part, that is close to the thigh, the meat of the loin has a homogeneous and light color, while in the back part it contains muscle bands of a very different, darker color, with more pronounced tenderness and flavor characteristics.
The bone-in loin can be sliced to produce chops, or used whole, and processed to obtain the pork loin.
A very particular and exclusive method is instead that of aging the pork loin to create a cured meat with a unique and unmistakable flavor. The aged pork loin is a cured meat obtained from the dorsal area of the pig: the fillets are seasoned with salt and pepper, massaged, and dried in air-drying facilities flavored with precious woods that give the product taste and aroma, while maintaining its characteristic delicacy of flavor.
The seasoning recipe is based on salt, sugars, pepper, and natural aromas. The product, after dry salting, is washed, carefully dried, trimmed, and stuffed, to then be sent for aging, which takes place in well-aired and ventilated rooms for a period of over five months. The aged loin is characterized by its pleasant typical aroma and its scratched appearance, with bright red color in the lean part, which is predominant, and milky white in the very few fatty parts.
An exceptional aged loin is undoubtedly the aged loin with pink pepper from Corrado Benedetti: it is a refined spicy variation of the loin that enhances the quality of the raw materials. The meat is massaged with pink pepper before continuing with its natural aging, which lasts no less than 120 days. Unlike other types of pepper, pink pepper has a completely different flavor, much milder and sweeter, which helps give Corrado Benedetti's loin a unique and inimitable taste.
The aged pork loin, if already sliced, should be stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 1-2 days, well covered. If it is whole, however, it lasts a long time and can easily be stored for 12 months, preferably in a cool place. Once started, however, it must be stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of one month, covering the cut part with plastic wrap.
The possibilities of using aged loin in the kitchen are many: from a simple and tasty sandwich to appetizer buffets where it can also be served dressed with a drizzle of oil and perhaps accompanied by shavings of parmesan and salad leaves. Naturally, its ideal place is in classic mixed cold cuts and cheese dishes, to be served as an appetizer in the most sociable phase of a lunch or dinner, perhaps accompanied by bread or focaccia.
Federico Risi
S&M
english
ITALY
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