Meats and Sausages
Lomo Embuchado de Huelva (Cańa de Lomo)
Cańa de Lomo (Lomo Embuchado de Huelva) originates in Huelva, an old port city, in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous region of Andalusia. To the north of the city there is a number of mountain ranges and national parks with many oak forests (“dehesa”) where Iberian pigs roam free on and feed between December and April on oak acorns (“bellota”). During that time an average Iberian pig (pata negra) consumes 10-11 kg (22 lbs) of acorns each day. This diet influences the flavor and the texture of its meat and fat.
| Meats | Metric | US |
|---|---|---|
| Whole Iberian pig pork loin | 2-3 kg | 4.4-6.6 lb |
Ingredients per 1000g (1 kg) of meat
| Salt for salting loin, | as needed | as needed |
| Cure #2 | 5.0 g | 1 tsp |
| Pimentón, sweet | 30 g | 5 Tbsp |
| Pimentón, hot | 2.0 g | 1 tsp |
| Garlic, diced | 7.0 g | 2 cloves |
| Olive oil | 60 ml | 2 oz fl |
| White wine | 30 ml | 2 Tbsp |
Instructions
- Trim off the skin and connective tissue from the loin. Using force rub in a generous amount of coarse salt (as needed) all over loin. The loin should rest in a suitable container on a layer of salt and be well covered with salt all around leaving no exposed areas. Hold in refrigerator for 24 hours.
- Brush off the salt, wash briefly in running water and pat dry with paper towels. Mix all ingredients with wine and oil together to form the marinade paste. Remainder: multiply the above ingredients per weight of loin.
- Apply the paste all around the loin. Hold in refrigerator for 48 hours.
- Stuff the loin into pork bungs that will tightly accommodate the loin.
- Dry at 14-15° C (58-59° F), 75% humidity for 2-3 months depending on diameter. If needed, the temperature was regulated by burning wood in the drying chamber, so the loin was also cold smoked. The loin should lose about 33% of its original weight. Store at 10-12° C (°F), <75% humidity.
Notes
Consume raw.
The size of the casing is chosen to fit the loin snugly. A little oil is occasionally applied to the surface of the loin to make the operation easier. One end of the loin is tied with butcher twine and the loin is pulled through the casing. Then, both ends are tied and a hanging loop is created. Pork bung is a traditionally used casing for drying loins and its structure (surface holes) is perfect for extended drying. Artificial casings can also be used as long as they are permeable (allow moisture and smoke to go through), however, in most cases for artificial cases the drying cycle is shorter, so weigh the loin to verify that it lost 33% of its original weight.
The size of the casing is chosen to fit the loin snugly. A little oil is occasionally applied to the surface of the loin to make the operation easier. One end of the loin is tied with butcher twine and the loin is pulled through the casing. Then, both ends are tied and a hanging loop is created. Pork bung is a traditionally used casing for drying loins and its structure (surface holes) is perfect for extended drying. Artificial casings can also be used as long as they are permeable (allow moisture and smoke to go through), however, in most cases for artificial cases the drying cycle is shorter, so weigh the loin to verify that it lost 33% of its original weight.
