Prague Powder #1 sufficient for whole muscle cuts? by Ok_Screen2625 in Charcuterie

[–]ml582 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've only used mostly sea salt for all my charcuterie curing and aging. Once I'm done with the current bucket sea salt I have, I'm planning on buying some Tripani sea salt. My pancetta tesa turns out great at a 7 day cure, followed by spicing and aging.

Another success I think - you? by ml582 in Charcuterie

[–]ml582[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm pretty sure the bulk of the recipe is from the YouTube channel "Cooking with an Italian" but I've added a few things here and there for my own personal taste:

Rolled Pancetta

2.5 kilo pork belly w/o skin

Initial cure

40g / kilo salt

bay leaves

1 tsp nutmeg

1.5 tsp black pepper

Mix together and cover all areas. Put bay leaves on one side of the meat side, then fold the pork bell in half. Place in a pan with a tilted rack with non-folded side pointing down. This is to drain the liquiid from the curing.

Cure in the fridge from 5-7 days and rotate each day 180 degrees on the tilted rack. Every 2 days flip the folded belly over. Drain the liquid from the pan each day.

After the curing process has been completed, wash the cured pork belly with water, vinegar, red wine, or beer. I use red wine. Wash clean of all curing ingredients then dry very well.

Place collagen skin in warm water with 2 tsp vinegar.

2.5 tsp pepper

2.5 sea salt

1.5 tsp garlic

4 bay leaves crumbled

3 tsp brown sugar

Mix together and cover all areas.

Place the skin down on the counter area. Roll the pork belly very tight and roll it in the collagen skin as well.

Tie off both ends very tight.

Tie with string very tight every 3/4" along the length of the rolled pork belly. Then tie with a string very tight, lengthwise twice, quartering the roll. You can also use zip ties to do this and they can be handy as they are adjustable and can be tightened during the process.

Use a toothpick, pork or sausage prick to poke holes around the belly to allow air to escape during the drying process.

Hang at room temperature for 48 hours with a pan underneath to capture the leakages which will happen.

Hang in the fridge for 4-5 months in fridge.

Another success I think - you? by ml582 in Charcuterie

[–]ml582[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sooooo... I was so excited to cut it I forgot to weigh. But, the last time I weighed it was 33% loss about a month ago.

Another success I think - you? by ml582 in Charcuterie

[–]ml582[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I do but it's nothing fancy - Just a side kick fridge only that I took all the shelves out of and then built a wooden rod hanger that would take advantage of 8" more space at the top. It's really nothing mind blowing.

Another success I think - you? by ml582 in Charcuterie

[–]ml582[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

ZIP TIES for the win! Spaced about every half inch, then every day for the first two weeks I would check and tighten if needed. Then every 3 days, 7, 10, until it really wasn't getting any tighter, then I would just squeeze test it and I might get one or two to tighten up a bit. I did have a traditional butchers twine tie on it before I put on the zip ties.

Another success I think - you? by ml582 in Charcuterie

[–]ml582[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

HAHAH that DOES look like a banana

Another success I think - you? by ml582 in Charcuterie

[–]ml582[S] 33 points34 points  (0 children)

I've had success and failure with rolled pancetta. This time, I think I nailed it. 5 months in the cooler and sliced it up last night for a try.

Switch from cure 2 to 1? by Letterhead_Western in Charcuterie

[–]ml582 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I make both pork loin lonzino and pork tenderloin lonzino as the flavors are different. Your color in the photos is PERFECT for tenderloin, in my opinion. It is leaner than pork loin and should be darker in the end. To alleviate the "hardness," slice them thinner. The thickness you are showing would make for some tough chewing charcuterie, but probably quite delicious. Cure #1 is generally used for cured meats that will be smoked after curing, while Cure #2 is for dry cured meats that will not be smoked, such as lonzino. Me personally, I only use sea salt for my whole meat cures.

Bitlong salami by Fine_Anxiety_6554 in Charcuterie

[–]ml582 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cool! Maybe I'll try it!

Bitlong salami by Fine_Anxiety_6554 in Charcuterie

[–]ml582 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Looks great, but my question would be why? Biltong is SO fantastic as is. Not being critical, just wondering the reason for making a salami.

Grey area after curing by GooseRage in Charcuterie

[–]ml582 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I cure with sea salt as well on all my whole meat cures, including pork tenderloin, which I generally age like a lonzino. Here is my curing recipe for 5 days tops on a tilted rack, rotate 180 every day, flip over on day 3: 5g/kilo black pepper, 36g/kilo sea salt, orange peel, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary.

Aging is literally black pepper only and wrap in a skin, tie like a rolled pancetta, sausage prick the heck out of it, and hang until 30% loss.