Pitina↩ back

If you've ever wanted to try making cured meat at home, Pitina is the perfect place to start. This traditional recipe from northern Italy was born out of necessity, a clever way to preserve game when resources were scarce. All it takes is minced meat, a bit of pork fat, some alcohol and a few simple ingredients. No casings, no fancy gear. Just shape the mixture into small balls, roll them in cornmeal, and let time work its magic. In many ways, it's a poor man's charcuterie, and a delicious one at that!

Ingredients

• Ground meat
• Cognac¹
• Corn meal²
• Salt
• Pepper
• Aromatic herbs & spices

No specific quantities are listed here; we'll calculate everything based on the weight of the meat, as you'll see later. Note that having a precision scale for this recipe is recommended but not mandatory. Having access to a vacuum sealer can also benefit the final steps of this recipe, but it works without it.

Recipe

Traditionally, Pitina was made from game meat mixed with pork fat. Game has a strong, distinctive flavor and can be hard to find, so in this recipe we'll take a small shortcut and make a modern version using beef instead. To replace the richness of the original, we'll use regular pork in equal proportion. A good ratio is 50% beef and 50% pork, which gives the mix plenty of fat and a balanced flavor. You can use pre-ground meat or grind it yourself if you prefer.

Now for the other essential ingredients: salt, pepper, and a splash of cognac¹.

• Salt is key to curing the meat properly and preventing the growth of harmful bacteria. You'll need about 2.5% to 3% salt by weight, no more, but definitely no less.
• Pepper not only adds flavor but also has mild antiseptic properties that help enhance the cure. Any type of pepper works. Around 0.5% is enough, but you can increase it if you like a bolder taste.
• Cognac (about 10% of the total weight) helps with long-term preservation. Don't worry about the alcohol content, it will evaporate during curing.
• Finally, you can also add herbs or spices to taste. I like to use parsley and garlic powder, about 2% combined.

Here's what I used for this batch:

• 1kg meat (500g ground beef + 500g ground pork)
• 28g salt
• 5g ground black pepper
• 100ml cognac
• 10g parsley
• 10g garlic powder

Mix everything together in a large bowl until well combined.

Now the fun part begins. Start by shaping the meat into balls, either by hand or you can use a small burger press like I do. Using a press speeds things up and gives a more uniform result, which has benefits you'll notice later. Keep the size manageable, about the size of your palm. The key is to press them firmly so no large air bubbles are trapped in the center.

Once your meatballs are ready, roll each one in a bowl of cornmeal, making sure they're completely coated.

Place your Pitinas on a cooling rack and move them to the lower section of your fridge.

And now comes the easiest part of all: waiting.

From this point on, your main job is simple. Set a daily reminder to turn the Pitinas so they cure evenly on all sides, and weigh them every few days to track their progress. Ideally, you're aiming for a 35% reduction in weight, which can take anywhere from 10 days to a few weeks depending on your fridge. This is also why keeping all the pitinas roughly the same size is so helpful: you only need to weigh one as a reference instead of every single one.

Once they've reached the target weight, the dry-curing process is complete!

You can eat them right away, but keep in mind that, much like our dry-cured pork tenderloin, the drying might not be perfectly uniform. The outside may feel drier while the inside is still slightly moist. This is called a crust. It happens because your fridge is colder and drier than a traditional curing chamber, causing the outer layer to dry faster and trapping moisture inside.

This won't affect the flavor, only the texture. If you want a perfectly even cure, there's an easy fix: vacuum-seal the Pitinas and leave them in the fridge for another two weeks! The vacuum halts further drying and allows the moisture to redistribute evenly throughout the meat. It’s also a great way to store them long-term. Properly sealed, they can last for months.

And that's it, your pitinas are ready!

Nutrition facts

The exact value will vary depending on the cut of meat but it typically ranges from about 250 to 350kcal per 100g. It's a lot richer than a dry-cured pork tenderloin since it contains quite a bit more fat.