Preserving Cured Sausage (Embutido)

Ingredients

• cured sausage
• brine
• pork lard

Instructions

1. Once the sausage is made, smoke it in a wood-fired kitchen if it is to keep all year, then leave it to cool for a few days and clean it well. Pack the chorizos into vessels with great care so they sit snug against one another and do not spoil, then pour the brine over them so they are completely covered. The book gives a second method, much more costly but in its author's judgement better, since it keeps the chorizo juicy and fresh: pork lard is cut into little pieces and melted over the fire, and once liquid it is poured over the sausage until it is completely covered. Cover the vessel and leave it until the lard has set.