How to Make Cotechino – Homemade Sausage Recipe
- Type
- Cooked sausage
- Level
- Medium
- Rating
- Rate this recipe
In this post, I’ll show you how to make cotechino. This Italian cooked sausage gets its distinctive, rich flavor from the pork skin in the mixture.
In Italy, cotechino is traditionally served with lentils at Christmas, on New Year’s Eve and on New Year’s Day. The sausage ferments for 48 hours before poaching, which gives it particular depth of flavor. For more sausage recipes, explore my recipe collection.
I recommend eating cotechino warm. To me, the skin makes its cold texture unappealing. Warm, however, it is wonderfully rich and fatty in a good way. It goes very well with mashed potatoes, lentils, polenta or beans.
You’ll find the complete cotechino recipe below.
Have fun and good luck making it!
Cotechino – What do you need to make it?
Ingredients per 1 kg
| Ingredient | Grams | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| lean pork | 500 g | 50 % |
| pork back fat | 300 g | 30 % |
| pork skin | 200 g | 20 % |
Spices per 1 kg
| Ingredient | Grams |
|---|---|
| red wine | 40 ml |
| salt | 15.5 g |
| black pepper | 6 g |
| fresh garlic | 3.5 g |
| Cure #1 | 2.5 g |
| nutmeg | 1 g |
| lemon zest | 0.5 g |
The equipment to make cotechino
A meat grinder cuts the meat into small pieces so it can be mixed with the seasoning. Cut the meat into pieces that fit the feed tube before grinding.
Sausage stuffer, grinder attachment or funnel
Use a sausage stuffer to fill the mixture into its casing. A stuffing attachment for your meat grinder or a hand funnel also works when you are starting out.
Spice grinder or mortar
Freshly ground spices taste best. Use a spice grinder or a mortar, and grind the spices completely. Ready-ground spices also work.
Smoke-permeable artificial casings
Because the sausage matures before poaching, you’ll need suitable artificial casings. I recommend fibrous casings in caliber 55/25.
EU readers: view the casings in the German shop.
For my other recommendations, see my complete sausage-making equipment guide.
Make cotechino – Step-By-Step Instructions
Prepare the meat and skin
Cut the pork, pork skin and back fat into pieces that fit your grinder. You’ll need a very sharp knife for the skin. Keep the pieces small enough for your grinder to handle easily.
Partially freeze the meat
Put the meat, fat and skin in the freezer for about 1 hour to firm up. This makes grinding much easier, especially when working with the tough skin.
Make the garlic paste
Work the fresh garlic into a fine paste with a little salt. This distributes the garlic evenly through the sausage mixture without leaving coarse pieces in the finished sausage.
Grind the meat, fat and skin
Grind the meat, skin and fat once through the coarsest plate (8 mm). You’ll need a sturdy meat grinder for the raw skin. Important: In my experience, a basic food mixer attachment won’t do the job.
Work in the seasonings and red wine
Add the seasonings and garlic paste to the ground meat. Mix thoroughly, adding the red wine gradually. Make sure each addition is fully worked in before adding more.
Knead until the mixture binds
Knead for a few minutes until the mixture binds well. It should hold together and feel slightly sticky. You can also use a hand mixer with dough hooks.
Fill the casings
Fill the fibrous casings with the sausage mixture. For this quantity, a manual funnel works too; you don’t necessarily need a sausage stuffer. Pack the mixture very firmly from the top.
Tie the sausage
Tie the open end of the sausage tightly.
Remove air pockets
Prick the sausage several times with a needle or sausage pricker to release trapped air. This prevents unsightly air pockets in the finished cotechino.
Let the cotechino ferment
Hang the cotechino for 48 hours at room temperature (about 20 °C (68 °F)), ideally at higher humidity. During this time, it develops its cured color and ferments, giving it its characteristic flavor.
Poach the cotechino
Poach the cotechino at 75 °C (167 °F) for at least 3 hours. Important: Keep the temperature constant and don’t shorten the cooking time. The skin needs this time to soften. You’ll find more on this in my guide to poaching sausage.
Serve warm and enjoy
Your cotechino is ready 😄. Be sure to serve it warm, traditionally on lentils or with mashed potatoes. Enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
What is cotechino?
What is cotechino?
Cotechino is a traditional Italian cooked sausage made from pork, back fat and pork skin. What makes it special is the 48-hour fermentation at room temperature before poaching. This gives it a rich, distinctive flavor unlike other cooked sausages.
How long does cotechino need to cook?
How long does cotechino need to cook?
Cotechino is poached at 75 °C (167 °F) for at least 3 hours. This long cooking time is needed to soften the pork skin in the mixture. If you shorten it, the skin stays tough and the sausage won’t taste good.
Can I eat cotechino cold?
Can I eat cotechino cold?
Technically yes, but I don’t recommend it. The fat and skin firm up when cold, making the texture unpleasant. Warm cotechino, on the other hand, is rich and delicious. Always serve it straight from the pot.
What goes well with cotechino?
What goes well with cotechino?
In Italy, cotechino is traditionally served with lentils, especially on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Mashed potatoes, polenta and white beans also work beautifully. This rich, fatty sausage needs a fairly simple side to balance it.
What is the shelf life of cotechino?
What is the shelf life of cotechino?
Cotechino keeps in the fridge for about 10 days. You can also freeze it for several months. To reheat, put the sausage in warm water (about 75 °C (167 °F)) until hot throughout.
