Homemade Lonza
This lonza is a dry-cured loin seasoned with Meyer lemon, garlic, rosemary, and toasted fennel, then hung until firm and sliceable. It is a clean, simple cured wild boar loin for serving thinly sliced as part of a charcuterie board or appetizer.
Ingredients
- 1 boneless wild boar or farm raised pork loin silver skin removed. (see notes for safety)
- kosher salt as needed
- 3 tbsp fennel seeds, toasted and crushed or cracked (for the cure)
- 1 Meyer lemon sliced thin
- juice of 1 Meyer lemon
- 5 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 sprigs of rosemary finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Fennel seeds toasted and finely ground (for the rub after after the salting is rinsed)
Instructions
- Weigh the pork loin and write down the starting weight. (Don't skip this step--it's critical for tracking weight loss during curing).
- Place the loin on a large sheet pan and coat it evenly with kosher salt, making sure every surface is well covered.
- Transfer the loin to a large food-safe plastic bag. Add the rosemary, garlic, Meyer lemon juice, and lemon slices, distributing the seasonings evenly around the meat.
- Roll the bag tightly so the salt and aromatics stay pressed against the loin.
- Set the bagged loin on a clean baking sheet. Place another pan of similar size on top, then add a weight (2-3 pounds) to press the loin evenly.
- Refrigerate for 1 day per 2 pounds of meat.
- Halfway through curing, flip the loin over. Rub the cure and seasonings back into the meat, roll it tight again, and return it to the press.
- When the curing time is complete, remove the loin from the bag. Rinse thoroughly under cold running water and pat completely dry.
- Rub the entire loin with ground fennel for a uniform, light coating.
- Tie the loin with butcher's twine (as you would for a roast) so it can hang securely in your curing space.
- Hang the loin until it has lost 30% of its original raw weight that you recorded in step 1.
NOTES
- Write down the starting weight. This matters because the lonza is finished when it has lost 30 percent of its original raw weight.
- Salt every surface well. Coat the loin completely, then bag it with the Meyer lemon, garlic, rosemary, and juice so the cure stays pressed against the meat.
- Press it while curing. Set a second pan and 2 to 3 pounds of weight on top, then flip the loin halfway through and rub the cure back over the meat so it cures more evenly.
- Rinse and dry completely. After curing, rinse the loin well and pat it fully dry before rubbing it with the ground fennel and tying it to hang.
- Hang with good airflow. The post notes this can be done in a standard refrigerator if you have enough space and airflow, and cheesecloth is optional if you want a rounder shape.
- Use oranges if needed. The post specifically says oranges are a good substitute if you cannot get Meyer lemons Trichinosis: To make this pork as safe as possible to eat, the CDC highly recommends that the meat be frozen at or below 5 degrees F for a minimum of 20 days to render most of the larvae inert. And that means the center of the pork must be at or below 5 degrees F for at least 20 days.
- Here is a link to the CDC webpage regarding trichinosis.
- Curing (salting), drying, smoking, or microwaving meat alone does not consistently kill infective worms.
- Freezing wild game meats, unlike freezing pork products, may not effectively kill all worms because some worm species that infect wild game animals are freeze-resistant.
Nutrition
Calories: 3035kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 497g | Fat: 93g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 37g | Cholesterol: 1383mg | Sodium: 1101mg | Potassium: 8827mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 64IU | Vitamin C: 67mg | Calcium: 455mg | Iron: 17mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutrition is per serving.
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