First attempt at charcuterie

[Clarence]

Made my first attempt at dry curing and aging. Not as pretty as a finished product, but holy crap did it come out good! What a whole new world to mess around with some of those clean and clean cuts. First attempt was with elk backstrap. Thinking I will try using a whitetail hindquarter seamed out next. Probably butchering this but I believe it was a bresola recipe.

 

[Clarence]

Finished product

 

[ahhyut]

That’s my favorite way to get skeptical coworkers to try game meat. Good crackers, good cheese, and good summer sausage.


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[Clarence]

Absolutely. Pretty sure this stuff could make sway peoples opinions of game meat.

 

[Tod osier]

Made my first attempt at dry curing and aging. Not as pretty as a finished product, but holy crap did it come out good! What a whole new world to mess around with some of those clean and clean cuts. First attempt was with elk backstrap. Thinking I will try using a whitetail hindquarter seamed out next. Probably butchering this but I believe it was a bresola recipe.

that looks great!! how long did it dry? It looks like you did about perfect with the humidity if it hung for very long.

 

[Clarence]

that looks great!! how long did it dry? It looks like you did about perfect with the humidity if it hung for very long.

Cured for 2 weeks, dryed for 3. Used the drying membrane bags in the fridge. Just weighed it at start, and let it loose about 1/3 of its weight. Just stored it on a rack in the back of the fridge.

 

[Tod osier]

Sweet, real quality. I’ve only made it a couple times, always in a chamber. The first time was great, very nice texture and i got it to dry nicely. The second time I had humidity that was too low and the surface case hardened (got a rind with poor drying after). I haven’t tried drying membrane bags, but the quality of your stuff looks outstanding, so I would in the future. I haven’t read anything about them.

 

[dbourdo]

Do you have a link for the recipe? I’d like to give it a try


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[jfs82]

Yeah, I've done a fair bit of curing and this is the way to start. Whole muscle cures. Much safer. Duck and goose breasts make the best prosciutto in the world as far as Im concerned. Watch a video or two when you do the whole hind quarter, the air pockets from boning it out will be your trouble spot, lots of traditional cures will slather it with fat to keep it sealed off from the outside world.

 

[sga475]

I have had lots of luck with this book. Made everything from dry cured chorizo to bacon.

Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing
Book by Brian Polcyn and Michael Ruhlman

 

[jfs82]

I have had lots of luck with this book. Made everything from dry cured chorizo to bacon.

Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing
Book by Brian Polcyn and Michael Ruhlman

This is the book that got me started as well.

 

[Clarence]

I got the Umai kit. Comes with the curing salt and Juniper berries. Google some bresola recipes and combined some variations. Those Umai bags in conjunction with a vacuum sealer make the process slick. The kit comes with a bunch of recipes and some good instructions. Key to remember is you want 1/3 weight loss on your finished product.

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

I think I'm going to try this with some venison and sheep heart that I still have in the freezer. I bet it would be delicious!

 

[JJB]

This is the book that got me started as well.

X3 this book is an awesome resource

 

[Clarence]

Found the recipe I used.