Aged 120 to 180 days

We start with the same preparation as our saucisson: a blend of carefully selected cuts of meat, firm back fat and seasonings.

The Trique is then stuffed into a sow casing of around 70 cm, with a much larger diameter than that of dry-cured sausage.

This large diameter slows the drying process.

This allows us to age it for 120 to 180 days, compared to around 60 days for our saucisson.

Over the months, the texture evolves, the flavour intensifies, and the distinctive, subtly cheesy notes unique to La Trique emerge.

From the same meat preparation, we craft three cured meats whose differing sizes determine their ageing time:

Trique: large diameter, aged 120 to 180 days
Saucisson: medium diameter, aged 60 days
Saucisse: small diameter, aged 20 days

Same recipe. Three diameters. Three ageing times.

And three distinct evolutions.

The first slice begins the day before

With a whole Trique, the tasting experience begins 24 to 48 hours before serving.

Remove it from the vacuum pack and hang it in a cool, well-ventilated area.

When ready to serve, slice a few thin pieces.

And if you also have our Gascon Pork dry-cured sausage, serve them side by side.

The mixture is the same.

One has spent around 60 days maturing.

The other, 120 to 180.

This is perhaps the best way to understand how diameter and time truly transform cured meats.

Why Gascon Pork?

The Gascon Pork is an ancient, slow-growing breed closely related to the Iberian pig.

For our cured pork charcuterie, we work exclusively with Gascon pork.

The breed is officially recognised by the IFIP (French Pork and Pig Institute), and its lineage is documented by the LIGERAL (Herd Book for Local Pig Breeds).

I discovered this breed in the late 1980s, at a time when it was on the verge of extinction. Its exceptional taste immediately convinced me, and I began raising Gascon pigs at the Domaine to craft saucissons and hams.

We raised Gascon pigs at the Domaine for fifteen years.

In 1996, we took part in founding the National Association for the Preservation of Gascon Pork.

We continue to champion this breed today.

Highly advanced rearing methods

For millennia, pigs were raised outdoors.
Industrial farming confined them to indoor units to accelerate production, selecting breeds capable of coping with these shortened cycles.
The Gascon pig, a hardy, slow-growing breed, stands in direct opposition to this model.

Today, our Gascon pigs are raised for 18 to 24 months outdoors by partner farmers adhering strictly to our specifications, roaming across wooded pastures and agroforestry land throughout South West France.

The pigs live a natural life, foraging in the soil for grass, leaves, roots, mushrooms, berries, earthworms, field mice, as well as chestnuts and acorns in season.
This outdoor life, slow growth and diverse natural diet are central to the standards we set with our farmers for all Gascon pork used in our cured meats.

The transformation process

In 1995, we developed the first certified organic sausage made without saltpetre or nitrite curing salt, in partnership with CRITT agroalimentaire and ANVAR.

Since then, we have crafted our cured meats through natural fermentation, allowing them to age slowly over time.

A fermented product

During the ageing process, indigenous yeasts naturally present in the air of our cellars help shape the character of our cured meats.

We have a stone maturing cellar and two drying rooms, each with its own distinct atmosphere.

The cured meats move from one ageing room to another, where temperature and humidity vary naturally.

For the Trique, the larger diameter allows us to extend this ageing period to 120 to 180 days.

The texture becomes firmer.

The aromas evolve.

Then its distinctive, delicate cheese-like notes begin to emerge.

Without saltpeter, without nitrites

All our cured meats are crafted without nitrite salt, saltpetre or any other additives.

Pourquoi nous fabriquons nos salaisons sans nitrite ni salpêtre

Goût unique et authentique de la trique qui suggère le travail réalisé en amont et le temps pris pour la produire. C’est une vraie dégustation à chaque fois !

Fabrice C.

Questions & Answers:

• Why is it called “Trique”?
  Its name comes from its shape: the whole piece measures about 70 cm and is cased in a sow rosette, a large natural casing.

• What is the difference between La Trique de Saint-Géry and the Gascon pork saucisson?
  The mixture is the same. While the saucisson is matured for around 60 days, the large calibre of La Trique allows its ageing to extend to 120 to 180 days, giving it a distinctly different texture and flavour profile.

• How to enjoy a whole Trique
  Open the vacuum pack 24 to 48 hours before serving and hang the Trique in a cool, well-ventilated area.
  When ready to serve, slice it thinly.
  If you also have our Gascon Pork dry-cured sausage, taste them side by side. They stem from the very same preparation: the difference on the palate comes from their size and the time spent maturing.