jmolinari

I'm rolling my boneless leg of lamb this weekend for my lamb prosciutto. Pics to follow. Foodman, the white mold is fine, it might not even be mold, it may be salt cristals..just wipe/cut it off...no harm. jason

James, i tend to believe that for pieces like coppa and breasaola the fridge is too dry...i'm not sure how Foodman got it to work. For pancetta, the flat one, not rolled, the fridge works very well.

I've used only artificial casings on mine so far, made lots and lots of them... I'd like to use natural to compare flavor, but i don't want to buy a huge ass pack of beef middles (they don't seem to sell middles in small home packs). How casings are a bit small for my liking (they are like 25mm, my smallest salame uses 43mm rounds). jason

i hope the initials aren't JR, b/c we're thinking of going to JR this month in vegas.

I'm not sure, i've never had case hardening:) I'd say as long as it doesn't feel wet, smell funky, and feels like a commercial salame, you should be fine. You could leave it for another week, if you don't feel sure. jason

Looks like there is some case hardening, but if the center isn't too soft and squishy probably ins't an issue. 40% weight loss is a good amount, i would probably eat it.

lgrass, how do you maintain temp and humidity in your, what looks like, fridge?

Okie dokie. HEre are the best directions i can describe on getting the coppa from a whole shoulder. Locate the shoulder blade in the butt; orient the butt so that the blade is on you left. The coppa will be on the right side. Now, If you slice the butt in half (blade piece on the left), the piece on the right will show that you cut through a large muscle with out any fat. The coppa is to the right of this muscle, so you can begin trimming the piece into a round shape. Trim off any surface fat, but leave the interior fat...you should end up with a nice coppa!! I'll take pictures next time i butcher a shoulder. jason

I will post details about getting a coppa tonight. I'll detail as best as i can. It is a particular cut, it is somewhat cylindrical, and at the "top" of the pork butt. I'll describe it in writing tonight, and take pictures next time i butcher one to get it out. jason

Ronni, it cured just about 4 weeks, 50% weight loss.

Not a recipe from Charcuterie but cured meat nonetheless. Salame sardo, basically a simple salame with salt, pepper, and fennel seeds, in 43mm artificial ring casings.

i have no idea where Rulhman or Brian got the idea that coppa is made with chunks. It NEVER is. It is made from a piece of the pork shoulder, a very specific piece, which is basically behing the head of the pig. It is hard to explain without pictures where the coppa is located. In italy this is a butchered cut that is sold in supermarkets as a roast. Here you have to buy the whole shoulder (from costco or sam's or whereever) and "carve" it out yourself. Some shoulders come so mangled from the packers that it is almost unretrievable. jason

Looks good Chris. What else can it be used for?

Azereus, glad it worked out! You'll have to try a few batches until you find the right ratio of water/flour/gluten, but it looks pretty darn nice to me! On my initial tries, the bread had so many big holes it called it "airbread" and it was too light. I needed a little more density to make good sandwiches. jason

Thanks Ronnie. I've also found that after drying the pancetta has a mummified layer around it. Like you, i wrap it in a damp paper towel and put it in a zip bag for a few days. That solves the problem. jason

Here is a picture of a pancetta i made most recently. It is so thick because the belly is from Ossabaw Island pigs, which are a rare breed found only on Ossabaw Island off Georgia's coast. It was cured for 20 days and then dried for about 45 days. My other piece is still drying/maturing, it is now at 75 days. Yum For my next batch i'll try the formula in Charcuterie. thanks jason

I cook almost exclusively szechuan at home, from Land of Plenty...

Bursell, i always make mine as a slab. I've always been worried about rolling it for the exact reason you point out. If you don't roll it just right to get all the air pockets out, you may have problems.

Ben, what about in Kung Pao?

Sweet Werdna, thanks for the tip/method. I'll definitely try it next time i use them

This weekend i put into cure some lardo d'Arnaud, and a boneless leg of lamb, which i'll let cure for about 20 days, then hang, making lamb prosciutto. The lardo will sit in its brine with herbs for 3-5 months. jason

Hathor, take a look at the formula i posted above. In a mixer is slaps around, it is about a 95% hydration dough...way to wet to knead. It turns out an awesome ciabatta. jason

Ciabatta Here is a ciabatta recipe i've been working on for a while. It is a modification of one i read online from a british fellow. His had an even higher hydration, making the bread super light. For me it was too light, as it had almost no substance. You can also use all bread flour if you don't have semolina flour. The semolina give it a little more flavor and a yellowish tinge. 350 g Bread Flour 150 g Semlona Flour 475 g Water 2 tsp Instant Yeast 15 g salt 1. Mix til roughly combined, with the paddle, and rest for 10 min or so. Still with the paddle, beat seven bells out of the glop on medium-high (4 on a Kitchenaid) until the dough is slapping around the bowl and clearing the bottom completely. This will take about 10-15 min. 2. Tip the dough (glop) into an oiled bowl or similar, I use a cylindrical, transparent, polyethylene food container with a tight sealing lid which makes it very easy to see the progress of the rise, and leave, tightly covered, to triple. It MUST triple or this recipe will not work!. 3. Pour onto a well floured surface, shake more flour over, divide into 3 or 4 rough squares and plump,them up by sliding an angled bench knife under the dough. Shake flour, generously over the loaves and their surroundings and leave until extremely puffy and wobbly. about 45 minutes - just about right for heating the oven to flat out max. Take no prisoners. 4. Using a floured bench knife free each loaf from the counter and, gently, flip it over, pick it up,using floured hands and, gently, stretch it to about 10" long and onto a peel, Superpeel (thank you Gary) or parchment. The dough very nearly stretches under it's own weight. You must move quickly. It will look as if you've totally and permanently deflated the bread. Straight into the raging oven, down to 220 after 10 min, bake to internal temp at least 96C and you can go as high as 98C if the crust doesn't brown too quickly. You will not believe the oven spring. I baked the bread in 2 batches. The bread will pass the "thump the botttom" test long before the bread is cooked - You Have Been Warned! Keywords: Bread, Italian, Intermediate, Stand Mixer ( RG1619 )

Albiston, i'll add that if i can figure out how today..

I recommend PAul Bertolli's "Cooking by hand". It has a chapter on cured meats, and is one of the best resources.