Lean pork
Trimmed domestic-pig muscle supplies the protein framework, water and meat flavor in fermented sausages; cut, condition and handling affect how it binds and ripens.
Modern adaptation
Saucisson sec, starter-cultured
Saucisson Sec
Saucisson sec is a French dry sausage of seasoned pork and fat. This version uses Flavor of Italy starter, white wine and an optional Mold 600 surface culture.
History
Saucisson sec belongs to France’s dry-sausage tradition, which includes coarse and fine textures and many regional forms. Salted meat and fat are packed into permeable casings, then dried and matured; the white surface bloom may develop naturally or be deliberately inoculated. This modern formula uses a measured commercial starter and an optional named surface mold.
Ingredients
Scaling: source batch only
700 g
300 g
25 g
2.5 g
2 g
5 g
10 g
White wine
30 mL
Flavor of Italy starter cultureRehydrate in 1/8 cup distilled water for 30 minutes per 1 kg meat/fat.
1.2 mL¼ tsp as recorded
Mold 600 (optional)Mix in ½ cup non-chlorinated water; this suspension is for 5–10 lb salami.
2.5 mL½ tsp as recorded
Protein-lined casings61 mm diameter is the example; soak in lukewarm water.
Amount not stated
Distilled waterFor starter rehydration.
30 mL⅛ cup as recorded
Non-chlorinated water (optional)For the optional mold suspension.
118 mL½ cup as recorded
Method
Risks and precautions · High risk
Staphylococcus aureus toxin
Slow acidification during warm meat fermentation can permit growth and heat-stable toxin production.
Hazard sourceSalmonella and pathogenic E. coli
Fermented sausage needs a demonstrated pathogen-reduction process in addition to acidification.
Hazard sourceContamination of prepared mold suspension
A prepared suspension can be contaminated by yeasts during storage.
Hazard sourceTrack fermentation temperature and the time needed to acidify, using the degree-hour control appropriate to a validated process.
Control sourceUse a process with demonstrated control of Salmonella and pathogenic E. coli; assess pathogen reduction separately from the pH endpoint.
Control sourceUse the prepared Mold 600 suspension only on the day it is made and keep it stirred while applying.
Control sourceWarm fermentation can allow Staphylococcus aureus to form heat-stable toxin if acidification is too slow; monitor time, temperature and pH together against a validated fermentation schedule.
Acidification and brief drying do not establish Salmonella or E. coli reduction; use a process demonstrated to control those pathogens.
Use prepared Mold 600 suspension on the day of preparation; storage of the suspension risks yeast contamination.
- If using Mold 600, mix ½ tsp with ½ cup non-chlorinated water and leave at room temperature for at least 5 hours.
- Trim and dice the pork and fat; chill to 32–34°F (0–1°C). Soak the casings in lukewarm water. Rehydrate Flavor of Italy in ⅛ cup distilled water for 30 minutes.
- Grind pork and fat separately through a 6 mm plate and chill again. Mix in seasonings, curing salt, dextrose, wine and starter until tacky.
- Stuff tightly into the casings, prick air pockets and record each link’s starting weight. If using the mold, inoculate the casing surface after stuffing by dipping or spraying.
- Ferment at 75–85°F (24–29°C) in high humidity for 18–24 hours, to pH 4.9–5.2.
- Dry at 55°F (13°C) and 80% relative humidity until 30–40% of the starting weight is lost; 35–40% gives a firmer sausage.
Conditions
Active time120 min
Fermentation18–24 h
Temperature controlMulti-stage
Humidity80%
Cultures
Flavor of Italy — Commercial lactic starter sold as Flora Italia LC US; its product sheet lists Lactobacillus sakei, Pediococcus acidilactici and Staphylococcus carnosus.
Mold 600 — Optional surface culture: Penicillium nalgiovense.
Maturation
80% relative humidity during drying; fermentation calls for high humidity without a numerical value.
Places
France
Traditional preparation · Country evidenceFrench dry-sausage family; the selected commercial-starter recipe does not claim a specific protected regional method.
Related
Made from
Mold 600
Mold 600 is a freeze-dried Penicillium nalgiovense culture applied to dry sausage casings, where it develops a pale surface bloom and mushroom-like aroma.
Protein-lined casings
Non-edible fibrous sausage casings with an inner protein treatment that helps them stay against the meat as it dries and shrinks.
Read more
Salt: the mineral, the work and the foods it makes
Salt seasons a meal, shapes fermentation and preserves food. Its history follows the people who mine, harvest, trade and transform it, and the choices hidden inside an ordinary packet.
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Sources
2 Guys & A CoolerProcess
Saucisson Sec1 kg ingredient formula, Flavor of Italy and Mold 600 instructions, grind size, fermentation conditions, source pH target, drying conditions and weight-loss endpoints.
USDA FSISSafety
Ready-to-Eat Fermented, Salt-Cured, and Dried Products GuidelineHazard context for fermented meat; this guideline is not applied as validation of the recipe.
BCCDCSafety
Fermented Foods Safety GuidanceFermented-food hazard context; it does not validate this sausage.
Canadian Food Inspection AgencySafety
Preventive control recommendations for manufacturing fermented and dried meat productsStaphylococcus aureus heat-stable toxin, fermentation time-temperature-pH control, and separate Salmonella and E. coli reduction controls.
The Sausage MakerCulture identity
Bactoferm - Flavor of ItalyProduct alias Flora Italia LC and link to its manufacturer product sheet.
Chr. HansenCulture identity
SafePro Flora Italia LC US Product InformationManufacturer sheet lists Lactobacillus sakei, Pediococcus acidilactici and Staphylococcus carnosus; does not validate this recipe.
Chr. HansenCulture identity · Method · Safety
MOLD-600 Product InformationPenicillium nalgiovense; surface inoculation after stuffing by dipping/spraying; prepared suspension used on preparation day because of yeast contamination risk. Recipe and manufacturer hydration quantities differ and are kept separate.
Les Charcuteries / FICTHistory · Context
Dry-cured sausagesFrench dry sausage textures, permeable casings, drying and natural or inoculated bloom. Broad ancient-origin claims not used to assign a period.
