# Mortadella: 'Fancy' Italian Bologna



## couger78 (Jan 15, 2012)

Here’s a go at making a five-pound batch of Mortadella. My wife loves this stuff, and so after recently make 10-pound of bologna, she asked me to try my skills at making some traditional mortadella

For those unfamiliar with this Italian delicacy, mortadella is a firm, emulsified pork & beef product with visible bits of high-grade white pork fat. Often it also contains black peppercorns and pistachios. Good mortadella is slightly spicy (not hot) with a distinct ‘good bologna’ aroma, and a pleasantly smooth texture. Unlike it’s distant cousin, bologna, mortadella is usually very thinly sliced & served as is—no frying. It makes a great sandwich or simply eaten by itself.

First we need to start with some good meat. — 2 to 1, pork to beef ratio. I’m using a fairly-lean beef chuck and pork loin, with a bit of pork shoulder I had :








Very important to this recipe is the addition of pork back fat. Belly fat is considered not ideal due its softness and ease of rendering, so I was able to pick up a thick slab of the back fat from a local _carnicería_. I cut a half-pound into ¼” cubes.

Ratio of meat to fat for this mortadella is 80-85% lean/15-20% fat—so in fact the end result will actually be much leaner than the vast majority of store-bought lunchmeats. Traditionally, mortadella is 70/30 lean to fat; so I’ve trimmed the fat down just a bit.







Here are the list of ingredients I’ll be adding to the ground meat. Although this product is not smoked, the cure adds the traditional color & texture to the final results. The whole peppercorns and whole pistachios (locally-grown!) will be added, along with the fat cubes, prior to stuffing.







Grind Number One: 4.5mm medium grind to start. I’ll next add the majority of spices:







MIX: Using my Kirby Bucket mixer; meat in and spices added…







Less than a minute later, the meat is well-mixed and ready for a second grind:







2nd GRIND: Using a 3.0mm plate for a fine grind.







Final mix: Adding the last ‘whole’ ingredients to the meat paste- the whole peppercorns, the pistachios, and the fat. I’ll mix this in and let it rest overnight.







Going to do some stuffing next.

More to come….

Kevin


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## SmokinAl (Jan 15, 2012)

Great start Kevin!


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## africanmeat (Jan 15, 2012)

What a great start i will wait for more photos


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## scarbelly (Jan 15, 2012)

Wow what a great post and man is that going to be tasty !!!


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## DanMcG (Jan 15, 2012)

Dang nice looking start to some fine sausage. looking forward to the finish Q-view.

  I think I'll wait a day or two before posting my feeble attempt at some longanuiza


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## couger78 (Jan 15, 2012)

Nice day outside today so I brought the Kirby cannon outside to make quick work on this single chub.

Meat-cannon loaded & ready to go:







Using the largest feed tube (41mm). This particular Kirby cannon will hold about 12 pounds packed, so its only about half-full.







Minutes later, the chub is done.

The "Mini Mort"... 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	










	

		
			
		

		
	
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Next step is to get water up to 165 degrees and add the mini mort.

I expect this slow-poach will probably take a good 3 hours to reach the desired IT of 155 degrees.







Once it reaches the IT, next is a quick ice-bath. The chub will then rest for a day or so in the fridge before being sliced.

More to come....

Kevin


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## big casino (Jan 15, 2012)

lookin good Kevin, I wussed out on the pistachios, that just didn't sound good to me, having never tried mortadella b4 I didn't wanna make a big batch of meat I wouldn't like, I have nevver even seen mortadella around here, or I would buy a lil bit to try with pistachios....LOL


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## chef jimmyj (Jan 15, 2012)

Looks awesome...Good Mortadella is a treat...Now seek out the remaining ingredients for a Muffaletta...Heaven!...JJ


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## couger78 (Jan 16, 2012)

After resting overnight, the mini mort is ready to be sliced...







Upon slicing it, I was pleasantly surprised to find a good distribution of all the whole ingredients in the chub. The flavor and texture were great. Thinly sliced, it has a nice somewhat mild flavor with a kick of heat from the peppercorn. Nice crunch from the pistachios, too. My wife said it was quite delicious, and since she's the 'mortadella connoisseur' around here, I'll take that as a success! 













Got a portion put in ziploc bags for the fridge, and the rest I'll keep in foodsaver bags that'll keep for quite some time.







Best eaten freshly sliced with some olives, cheese & crusty bread! Good stuff!

-  Kevin


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## big casino (Jan 16, 2012)

Nice Job Kevin


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## bassman (Jan 16, 2012)

That mortadella looks awesome!  I've never seen it with the pistachios, but sounds good.  My wife is Italian and loves the stuff so I guess she won't mind if I make a batch.


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## slownlow (Jan 16, 2012)

awesome job!   It looks great!


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## DanMcG (Jan 16, 2012)

Wow Kevin, those sliced views are out of the park. awesome

What casings are you using? protein lined? When I probe them the water ends up under the casing and separates it from the meat, yours look perfect


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## big twig (Jan 16, 2012)

That looks darn tasty, GREAT JOB!


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## mds51 (Jan 16, 2012)

The last three posts for Sausage making were really great. Is there a place in this great form where these recipes are posted for everyone to enjoy and try? The pictures on this Mortadella are great,but I would like exact measurements like the previous recipe provided . The more I view this frum the more i like it!!!! This is a great learning tool. Thank you!! mds51


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## mballi3011 (Jan 16, 2012)

Yes your mortadella looks awesome if I liked it I would want a sammie.


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## couger78 (Jan 18, 2012)

Here's the recipe I used on this Mort. Makes approx. five pounds.

*Mortadella*

INGREDIENT               METRIC      U.S.

Pork Butt/Shoulder        1150g       2.5 lbs

Beef                              525g     1.25 lbs

Pork Fat                         225g       0.5 lbs 

Non-Fat Dry Milk               60g       2 Tbls

Corn Syrup solids              47g       2 Tbls

Coriander; _ground_              5.0g      2.0 tsp

Mace; _ground_                   1.5g       0.5 tsp

White Pepper; _ground_        4.5g      1.5 tsp

Garlic powder                    5.0g     2.0 tsp

Paprika                             2.0g    1.0 tsp

Kosher Salt                        35g

Allspice                            1.0g 

Cure#1***                         1.8g     .25 tsp

Black pepper; whole            4.0g    1.0 tsp

Pistachio Nuts                     60g   1/2 cup

*NOTE*: ***Cure amount is on the low side in this recipe. Cure is added for texture and color _ONLY_.

This sausage is meant to be cooked thoroughly at a higher temp (165°), NOT smoked.

If one wishes to smoke it, the cure amount needs to be adjusted per meat weight in the proper proportion (1 level teaspoon of cure should be used for every 5 lbs. of meat)

• Divide pork fat into two groups. Cut one group into 1/4” dice.

  Chill & set aside for later.

• Grind chilled meat & 1/2 of fat through medium plate.

• Add salt & cure, mix well then refrigerate for several hours to allow meat to cure.

• Add remainder of spices (except whole peppercorns) to meat & blend thoroughly.

• Regrind through smaller plate (3.0mm); adding 1/2 cup of ice water if necessary

• Add in cubed fat, peppercorns and pistachios; mixing well to disperse ingredients 

  in the meat paste.

• Stuff into fibrous casing.

• Poach  in 165° water until IT of 155° is reached.

• Ice-bath to cool down.

Chill very well before slicing thin. serve.

- Kevin


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## mds51 (Jan 18, 2012)

Thank you for posting the exact ingredients This recipe looks great and the pistachios make the sausage just like the real deal. Your pictures really add to the entire post being a great learning tool for those of us that wnat to give this recipe a try.


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## backyard bbq (Jan 18, 2012)

Awesome! Thanks for sharing.


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## africanmeat (Jan 18, 2012)

Great job Kevin thanks for sharing


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## thoseguys26 (Jan 18, 2012)

WOW - professional looking stuff there Kevin. Bookmarked this one!


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## smokinhusker (Jan 18, 2012)

Great tutorial, great looking mortadella and so professional looking! I'm in awe of your skills. Thank you for sharing


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## alelover (Jan 18, 2012)

That looks perfect. Excellent job. It's got to have pistachios. Isn't that a law in Italy?


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## sprky (Jan 18, 2012)

That looks exactly like I remember having in Italy.


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## couger78 (Jan 18, 2012)

DanMcG said:


> Wow Kevin, those sliced views are out of the park. awesome
> 
> What casings are you using? protein lined? When I probe them the water ends up under the casing and separates it from the meat, yours look perfect


Thanks, Dan.

I used *Inedible Collagen casings* (120mmx27) I ordered from Butcher & Packer. Nothing fancy.

Per B&P:_ "__Inedible collagen middles and rounds can be used to make ring bologna, ring liver sausage, kishka, summer sausage, bologna and dry sausage. Inedible collagen middles and rounds are uniform in size, allow for excellent smoke penetration, provide superior adhesion and deliver a unique final appearance. They range in size from 43mm to 120mm and length from 16" to 27"_

I didnt have much water intrusion at all where I inserted the probe - only a slight 'water pocket' formed at the insertion point. Overall, the casing remained intact over the rest of the chub. The casing DID give way, however, when I attempted to pull the chub out by the hanging string. Note to self: after 3+ hours in warm water, don't try to lift chubs by the string.

- Kevin


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## big casino (Jan 18, 2012)

alelover said:


> That looks perfect. Excellent job. It's got to have pistachios. Isn't that a law in Italy?




Actually I looked up mortadella on wikki b4 I made mine,

there are several versions the pistachio version is more of a middle eastern trend

in poland they dip it in batter and deep fry it as a cheaper version of pork chops...

@Kevin I always thought collagen casing would come apart in water?  or is it because those one are inedible? oh and how long did it take to poach it? cause mine took 15hrs to smoke it, and I definately wanna  smoke mine for a while next time and finish it by poaching


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## couger78 (Jan 18, 2012)

Big Casino said:


> Kevin I always thought collagen casing would come apart in water?  or is it because those one are inedible? oh and how long did it take to poach it? cause mine took 15hrs to smoke it, and I definately wanna  smoke mine for a while next time and finish it by poaching


BC, this particular casing held up quite well considering what I put it through. It's integrity began to wane at the end of the cook so I was fortunate. It was soaked twice (once a week ago when I made bologna, but didnt use both casings); air-dried, then this week soaked again in warm water for 30 minutes before stuffing, and THEN into the poacher. The poach took a little over 3.5 hours to finally reach the desired IT of 155. A whole lot faster than if I'd used the smoker to cook it, that's for sure.

For this mortadella recipe, anyhow, I think smoking might overwhelm some of the subtle flavoring in it. Its not as robustly spiced or strong as the bologna I made—which was smoked for a few hours before being poached. I have seen other recipes where the spices differ and call for smoking.

Kevin


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## oregon smoker (Jan 18, 2012)

Great Job Kevin!! will have to put this on the list of to do. saved the recipe...
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Tom


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## big casino (Jan 18, 2012)

Yeah my recipe called for light smoke so I only applied smoke for an hour, then just finished cooking it in the smoker, but it had me "ramp" up the temp from 120 to 160  in 8hrs, then to just leave it hang there until I reached the IT, next time definately going to poach it to the IT

I Don't have a lot of experience with collagen and fibrous casings I usually use all naturals, but from looking at your picture and remembering what mine looked like, I am wondering if a fibrous casing and the inedible collagen are one in the same?  if anyone knows for sure lemme know...LOL

Also I was reading on Wikki about this sausage, and it said something about  the smoked version resembles more of a Cotto (cooked) salami, and I think that mine tastes a lil more like that, maybe due to the smoking?

no matter what version I made I am glad I made it cause the more I eat it the more I like it!


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## ronrude (Jan 18, 2012)

That sausage is a work of art.  Thanks for sharing!


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## venture (Jan 18, 2012)

Great job as always, Kevin!

I see that double grind is working well.  Looks great to my eye!

Like you, I use plastic wrap and zip bags on some of my stuff.  I save those more expensive bags for others.

We do have a cheaper source for the vac bags here:

http://www.vacuumsealersunlimited.com/

Still, I do use the wrap and zip bags a lot.

Good luck and good smoking.


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## couger78 (Jan 18, 2012)

Thanks for the link to the vac-seal bags, Merv!

That'll save a few $$ on the storage so I can spend it on other sausage-making toys....
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





The double-grind seems to do the job....smooth & even without any mushiness. I do make sure that whatever I put through the grinder is WELL chilled.

We'll see how it fares on my next attempt at a fine textured sausage (* 'Braunschweiger'* maybe?)

Thanks for all the kind words!

- Kevin


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## skully (Jan 18, 2012)

thats some great lookin mort......xcellent job


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## gersus (Jan 18, 2012)

Wow! Excellent looking bologna! Sure haven't seen anything like that around here but then again, the "bologna" we get around here can barely be called bologna!

Thanks for the photos and play by play!


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## moikel (Jan 18, 2012)

Great job,pretty neat set up . From here your mort looks every bit like deli bought. Down my way there s a choice of plain,green olive or pistachio & Im smack bang in the middle of a little Italy.


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## pops6927 (Jan 19, 2012)

Looks exactly like the mortadella we sold in the deli's!  Excellent job and excellent post!


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## frosty (Jan 19, 2012)

What a beautiful Mortadella, excellent color, texture, and spice mixture.  Looks like a complete sucess, and the wife liked it as well.


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## venture (Jan 19, 2012)

Kevin, I can't wait to see your posts on the liver sausages.

I have been working up my courage on those!

Good luck and good smoking.


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## sausageboy (Jan 19, 2012)

Looks excellent!

:sausage:


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## ak1 (Jan 19, 2012)

Wow!  Nice job. That Mortadella looks fantastic.


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## couger78 (Jan 19, 2012)

Thanks for all the nice comments, everyone.

If you've written down the recipe,please pay attention to the comment below with regards to cure & food-safety.

I've since added this note to to the posted recipe.

thanks

Kevin

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*NOTE*: ***Cure amount is on the low side in this recipe. Cure is added for texture and color _ONLY_.

This sausage is meant to be cooked thoroughly at a higher temp (165°),*  NOT*  smoked.

If one wishes to smoke it, the cure amount needs to be adjusted per meat weight in the proper proportion (1 level teaspoon of cure should be used for every 5 lbs. of meat)


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## DanMcG (Jan 20, 2012)

Great Info Kevin,


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## jak757 (Jan 20, 2012)

Bravo!  This is really outstanding!


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## couger78 (Jan 20, 2012)

I found a recipe using mortadella that I'll try this weekend! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I've an 8lb pork loin in the fridge & plenty of mort on hand.

*"Mortadella-Stuffed Pork Loin with Rosemary-Roasted Potatoes"*

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/f...rk-Loin-with-Rosemary-Roasted-Potatoes-107808

We'll see how close my results come to this photo...
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





-Kevin

"


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## forkin pork (Feb 1, 2012)

Now when you say divid the fat into two groups..... the fat you are talking about is the 0.5lbs correct?

Also, would love to see a picture of that Kirby Bucket Mixer and maybe instructions on how to make that Kirby Cannon.


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## couger78 (Feb 1, 2012)

Forkin Pork said:


> Now when you say divid the fat into two groups..... the fat you are talking about is the 0.5lbs correct?
> 
> Also, would love to see a picture of that Kirby Bucket Mixer and maybe instructions on how to make that Kirby Cannon.


Half the fat got cubed; the rest was ground into the meat paste. Sorry for not being clear on that. Of course, one could just cube it all and just have 'more' visible fat cubes in each slice. Shouldnt alter the flavor a bit.

Kirby Bucket mixer:







Mixing Blade in place:







Loaded up:







About ten pounds of pre-kielbasa goodness inside...







Top on & Power applied:







All mixed & ready to go in about 30-35 seconds...







Clean-up is real quick and easy too. It all disassembles readily, and there are no tiny nor hard-to-reach parts to clean.

Check out Nepas' thread "My Meat mixer" as he really breaks down all the parts & how it all works together.

- Kevin


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## oregon smoker (Feb 3, 2012)

once again great job, Kevin thanks for the link to the bag seal web site.

tom


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## navigator (Mar 29, 2012)

Great post and great looking Mortadella.  I remember eating it as a kid and now the whenever I see it in the stores its missing the pistachios, which to me is one of the things that make it so good.


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## couger78 (Aug 7, 2015)

My family has been hitting me up for MORE mortadella!

I should probably start scouting out the ingredients and do the mandatory prep work to whip out another big batch!


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## daveomak (Aug 7, 2015)

HEY !!!!!!    Where you been ????    Anyway, glad you found your way back...


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## hoity toit (Nov 7, 2015)

great job on that,,,nice work


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## bassman (Nov 16, 2015)

Couger78 said:


> My family has been hitting me up for MORE mortadella!
> 
> I should probably start scouting out the ingredients and do the mandatory prep work to whip out another big batch!


I finally got all the ingredients together and will be making a 10 pound batch very soon.  I'm going to stuff it into a 4 7/8" red bologna casing that I got from The Sausage Maker.  Hope mine come out looking as good as yours.


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## hoity toit (Nov 17, 2015)

Bassman said:


> I finally got all the ingredients together and will be making a 10 pound batch very soon.  I'm going to stuff it into a 4 7/8" red bologna casing that I got from The Sausage Maker.  Hope mine come out looking as good as yours.


I got me some of the casings too, Im gonna try as well.


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## vargard (May 12, 2018)

I have made this 3 times for the past year. And it´s just getting better. Thanks for a great recipe!
It was easier for me to make a springform than to buy the casing. The size is Ø4" and 10" long.


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## da-stinger (Jul 21, 2020)

Followed the ratios given but used shoulder and belly.  Omitted the beef and had good result, likely also had a higher fat content than what the OP had.  I had seen on other recipes I reviewed that some people had problems with a grey color so decided to let the cure work over night.  Ended up with a very pleasing result.  Could have paid more attention to getting the air bubbles out - one of the holes is from the temp probe, but really happy with the taste and texture.  Used 146mm fibrous casing - but would rec: put a netting around it to help with extraction from the water bath.  I double bagged it with 2 casings to prevent water intrusion from the probe, but one failed removing it from the water.  Thanks for the inspiration and confidence to jump in and try this.  I need projects in these unusual times...


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## mike333h (Jul 28, 2020)

Thank you so much for the detailed recipe.  The process/pics and the recipe is top notch!


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