Skip to main content
Support

Browse by category

All categories
Fermentation Atlas

Meat from France

Saucisson secsaucisson sec

Pork lean and hard fat are minced, salted and stuffed into natural casing, rested cold, then warmed in a first drying (étuvage) of 3–8 days that starts the lactic fermentation and the white surface bloom. A cooler second drying follows, for 18 to 42 days or more by size. Made in 5 steps over 22 days – 31 days. The longest step, second drying (maturation), takes at least 18 days (Cahier des charges du label rouge n° LA 02/08…). Salt is up to 3 % (Cahier des charges du label rouge n° LA 02/08…). Lactic acid bacteria and Staphylococcus/Kocuria does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 18 daysSet[lr0208]Second drying (maturation)
Saltup to 3 %Set[lr0208]Mix with salt, sugar and spices
Fully documentedMeat22 days – 31 daysMore meatMore from France

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceMaximum doses in the Label Rouge specification LA 02/08 for dry saucisson and saucisse; ordinary saucisson follows the French charcuterie code of practice.
Pork lean and hard fat · Label Rouge requires mainly label rouge porc charcutier, with at most 30 % sow meat[lr0208]
Up to 30 g per kg of mixSalt[lr0208]
Up to 18 g per kg of mixSugars[lr0208]
Up to 5 g per kg of mix eachSpices, aromatics, wine, liqueur or spirits[lr0208]
Starterspontaneous or defined culture; selected surface bloom may be applied

Total time across the recorded steps: 22 days – 31 days

Start
Drag the bar or press Play

What changes: Pork lean and hard fat are minced

Step 1 of 5
Mince lean and fat
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria
Kocuria grew

Output: minced pork.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Saucisson sec is the general French dry sausage; protected versions (Ardèche, Lacaune, Auvergne, Île de Beauté) add origin and size rules. Its two-stage drying, a warm étuvage then a cooler maturation, is set out in the Label Rouge specification.

Related ferments

Variants

  • RosetteSpindle-shaped casing (fuseau), at least 60 mm across; at least 28 or 42 days by weight.
  • JésusBag-shaped casing or caecum; at least 28 or 42 days by weight.
  • Saucisse sècheThin casing (menu), horseshoe, pole or straight; at least 18 days.

Safety

Dryness is checked as moisture of the fat-free product (HPD), at most 52 % for pieces up to 70 mm across. In a study of nine traditional French units, sausages from two exceeded tolerable limits for S. aureus or L. monocytogenes, which points to hygiene in small workshops.

Hazards the sources name: Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes (above tolerable limits in sausages from two of nine units).

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

The Label Rouge specification compares its product with ordinary saucisson sec defined in sheet 2.1.5.3 of the French charcuterie code of practice.

  1. [lr0208] Cahier des charges du label rouge n° LA 02/08 'Saucisses et saucissons secs, recette à base principalement de porc charcutier', homologated by arrêté of 11 August 2017, Bulletin officiel du Ministère de l'agriculture n° 2017-36spec
  2. [lebert2007] Lebert I. et al. 2007, Diversity of microorganisms in the environment and dry fermented sausages of small traditional French processing units, Meat Science 76(1):112–122 (abstract)paper
  3. [talleu2009] Talleu C. et al. 2009, Allergic asthma due to sausage mould, Revue des maladies respiratoires 26(5):557–559 (abstract)paper
  4. [s1] Wikipedia, Saucisson (outline only)wiki