Salo

Ukrainian Salo (Cured Pork Fatback)

A classic Ukrainian cure of pork fatback with salt, garlic and pepper, rested until firm and sliceable. Serve thin on dark rye bread with raw garlic, onion and pickles.

Prep

30 min

Total

30 min

Serves

Makes about 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) cured salo, serving 8–10

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •1000 g (2 lb 4 oz) pork fatback, skinless, one solid piece, rind removed; ask your butcher for back fat, not belly
• •40 g (1½ oz) coarse sea salt, kosher salt works; use weight, not volume
• •6 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced or pressed
• •2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• •4 leaves bay leaf, crushed
• •1 tsp sweet paprika, optional, for colour
• •1 small dark rye bread, for serving
• •2 medium pickles, Ukrainian-style dill pickles, for serving
• •1 small raw onion or garlic clove, for serving

Steps

1. 1 Rinse the fatback under cold water and pat completely dry with paper towels. Trim off any remaining rind or discoloured bits.
2. 2 Mix the coarse salt, minced black pepper, crushed bay leaf and paprika (if using) in a small bowl.
3. 3 Rub the salt mixture all over the fatback, pressing it into the surface. Distribute the minced garlic evenly over one broad side and press it in.
4. 4 Place the fatback on a plate or in a shallow dish, cover tightly with cling film, and refrigerate at 0–4 °C (32–39 °F) for 5 days. Each day, turn the piece over and pour off any liquid that has been drawn out; re-rub with any salt mixture that has loosened.
5. 5 After 5 days, the fatback should be firm, slightly translucent at the edges and smell clean and garlicky, not sour. Rinse briefly under cold water, pat dry, and brush off any loose garlic or bay leaf.
6. 6 Wrap the cured salo in a fresh sheet of cling film, then in aluminium foil, and return to the refrigerator for at least 3 days (up to 2 weeks) to let the salt equalise and the texture turn creamy white throughout.
7. 7 To serve, unwrap and cut paper-thin slices with a sharp knife or a vegetable peeler while the salo is cold.
8. 8 Serve on slices of dark rye bread, rubbed with a cut raw garlic clove, topped with a thin slice of salo and a few rings of raw onion, with pickles on the side.
9. 9 Storage: keep wrapped in the refrigerator and use within 3 weeks, or freeze the whole piece for up to 3 months. Always keep salo refrigerated; it is a cured, not cooked, product.