Keeping the Italian tradition going! Today I will be sharing with you, our family recipe and method, for making and curing, homemade capicola, from scratch. It is easier than you think and the results are amazing. Nothing scientific here, and no fancy curing agents, just a simple technique that has been used in our family for generations and I am very happy to be sharing this with you today. Hope you give it a try!!
Making Italian Sausage, from Scratch – Complete Step-by-Step Guide and Recipe
https://amzn.to/3Pmrd06 for mesh casing
https://amzn.to/3Jmga38 for pricker
https://amzn.to/43QZHMH fibrous casing
00:00 intro
00:55 cutting the meat
05:39 salting the meat
07:57 16 hours later
08:59 rinsing the salt
10:13 seasoning the meat
12:04 casing the meat
18:15 hanging the meat to rest
19:14 bone intermission
19:50 3 months later
20:40 remove from casing, rinse
23:06 first look inside
23:35 taste test
25:05 outro
Making Home Made Capicola, from Scratch – old fashion, Italian way, Our Family Recipe
Ingredients/accessories:
• Pork Butt or whole pork shoulder (you will only use a portion of this)
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Paprika or chili pepper flakes or cayenne pepper
• Container to hold pork.
• Capicola casing or elastic mesh
• Sting or butcher’s twine
Process
• Remove the boneless portion of meat, off the shoulder blade.
• Cut/shape this into a tubular shaped “roast.”
• Put in a container and cover generously with fine table salt, all around the entire “roast” (use plenty of salt and cover all around and the sides as well)
• Let it sit in your cantina (cold room) (or fridge) for 15 – 16 hours MAX.
• Remove the capicola from the container and remove all salt and then wash off any salt still clinging on to the capicola. (You want to ensure all the salt has been removed)
• Pat the capicola dry with a paper towel, and then season your capicola. For a mild capicola, season with black pepper and paprika. For a hot capicola, season with black pepper and hot chili pepper flakes (or cayenne pepper). You can rub the spices onto the capicola.
• Place your seasoned capicola into an elasticized mesh sleeve, or into a capicola casing (if using the casing, be sure to poke holes in to casing to allow for drying)
• Tie off both ends of the sleeve or casing, and then hang it in your cantina (cold room) for typically 3 months. Note, there must be air flow around the capicola i.e. nothing touching it
• In 3 months, you can squeeze the capicola and it should be firm and thus, cured (it may be ready a week or 2 earlier, or a week or 2 later, depending on your cantina and the size of your capicola.
• At this point, you can eat it, or you can store it for a later date.
o if you want to store it for a later date, simple vacuum seal it in plastic and it will keep like this, right on your countertop – no need to keep it in the fridge (or, alternatively, in the old days, they put the capicola in a container and then completely covered it/submerged it in vegetable oil)
o If you want to eat it now, then with cold tap water, just wash off the spices from the outside (a brush works well) and then dry it with paper towel, slice and enjoy.
Notes:
• Ideal humidity level in your cantina would be 65 – 70%
• If there is a bit of mold on the outside of your capicola, that’s O.K., and typical – just wash it off after it’s dry and cured.
• You can also use a any boneless pork roast, that you can buy at your local store, and follow the same procedure as above.
My Kitchen Gear
Here are a few things I mentioned in the video. Please shop and support your local shops! If you cannot find them there, here are some links to help out.
“My Bread Book” by Jim Lahey
► USA https://amzn.to/2JLwbEe
► Canada https://amzn.to/3baKEF0
Lagostina Tuscan Collection Orange Oval Casserole Dish / Dutch Oven, 5 Quarts
► Canada https://amzn.to/3s0sU5a
► USA (similar) https://amzn.to/2XbpcYo
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. The prices are not higher, this just makes it easier for you to find the product. Hope these links help.
Thank you!
32 Comments
I love the video. I literally had "water" in my mouth when you zoomed in on the sliced peace. OMG!
Thank you so much for sharing your father's recipe. Cheers from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Thank you very much i will do it
What kind of wine did your father used to use?
awesome video
Czn i make one in the fridge
Really enjoyed the video have you ever made dried sausage dry cured from half pork and half pork liver My grandfather used to make it but I'm not quite sure and I'm trying to find out how to do it hopefully you've heard of it
Is it covered or open to the air for the 16 hours?
My Capicole is in the fridge. Thank you for this video. Can I make it the same way with beef fillet?
Hi again – I see many recipes call for 1 to 2 weeks of salt curing; however, you only use 16 hrs. Why the difference? I just trimmed a 7 lb pork butt and generously patted salt. It is in the garage, in Tupperware container with lid loosely setting on top. No critters will be able invade such. Ciao!
Ca-Po-Col-Lo Capocollo CAPOCOLLO! Not capicola, Capicole capiriole.
Cap col
Awesome! What is the temperature range in which to hang it? Would a basement work? Thanks again.
3:40 In this video you saved the picnic shoulder for sausage.. do you have to add more lard for good fat %? I thought you were using the shoulder butt for sausage in another video.
Bring me the gabagool
In Italian it's capocollo. Gabagool is the bad translation of some south Italian dialect in Usa and Capicola doesn't exist.
i love u man, great video
Please pronounce it properly “capicol-ha” i stopped listening because of mispronunciation.
Thank you sincerely for sharing your treasured recipe.
Thanks to your generosity, I now have the opportunity to attempt such a remarkable and refined recipe here in distant Korea.
The more I reflect on it, the more I find myself wondering whether there could be any other method capable of elevating the flavor of pork to such a sublime, almost heavenly level.
At present, pancetta is being prepared in my refrigerator according to the method you introduced in another video.
I greatly look forward to tasting it, and at the same time, I am filled with anticipation and gratitude as I prepare to try yet another of your recipes.
How critical is the 16 hour mark? Will longer time hurt anything?
I really don’t have a “cold room” unlike my parents. I have a room that is about 65 degrees and 35-40% humidity during the winter months. Will that suffice?
thankyou, i never did a capicole from a shoulder!!! An easy way to put the netting on the capcolo is to use a 2 litre plastic pop bottle, put your meat inside bottle and pull the netting over the bottle and then tie the end and slide meat out with the netting, simple !!!
Inspiring. Can you hang it in a fridge or is there not enough air circulation?
I am watching this Jan. 11, 2026…exactly 2 years later
Gabagool? Over here
You can keeped 3 mounts in the fridge to dried?
What do you typically like to do with the remaining pork shoulder?
For the sualt curing process, do we put them in cold room or normall temporature room? After the sualt is cured, for the hanging part, what is the cold temporature should it be?
Thank you for fantastic recipes ! I have found a rally nice piece of dried vacuum sealed 4 years old meat ,do you think its ok to eat `?
Wonderful! What to do if you don't have a cool room? What is the allowable range temperatures for the 3 month aging? Thank you?
Very well done thank you
Is this the same as gabagool?
Sharpen your knife and less talking.