jmolinari

Michael, the job of good molds, from what i understand, is to both keep away bad molds, as well as decrese the acidity of the salame as it cured (just slightly). Adegiulio, for books, i recommed the new Charcuterie, and Cooking by Hand. Both great resources. jason

Fortunately i have no had the experience. Everything i've read though said that if bad mold takes over, get rid of it. One trick i found that seems to work, is to take the skin off a good/white mold salame, and put it in a spray bottle with some distilled water and some dextrose. Shake it up, and spray it on the salame before the incubation period (where you keep it for a day or 2 at 85F to develop the lactobacillus). The good mold willcolonize the skin of the salame, and hopefully keep away the nasties. jason

My last bresaola batch, i used 1 rump roast, and 1 eye of round. The rump was better, with richer flavor and seemingly "creamier" texture. It is also a little fattier. That didn't seem to cause a problem i ncuring though. eye of round is easier to use though, it is already shaped, and very lean. jason

Normally in an enclosed container to dry, the meat on its own will exude enough moisture, at least at the start to keep the chamber humid (about 65-75% required). In fact, the problem may be that it is TOO humid. You want to keep it around 55 deg. F. good luck. jason

oh, i my chamber (50 deg. 70-75% RH) my bresaole take about 4 -5 weeks. I would guestimate, that 4 weeks for yours hsould be good, assuming you used an eye of round roast. jason

Mallet, i don't know much about case hardening, as i havn't had that problem. It is best to "over cure" the bresaola than undercure. I had 1 that was undercured, and it tasted metallic, and not very good. I also ovre cured one, and it was excellent, specially when you drizzle it with oil/lemon, since it sucked it right up like a sponge! jason

The temp, 60, is fine, but the low humidity i'm not sure about. YOu want it about 60%, which isn't really that low. I know that for salame, if it is too low you get case hardening, where the outer shell of meat dries too fast, and locks in the moisture from the middle of the salame..making it rot. I don't know if whole chunks of meat have the same problem, but i can only assume so. jason

Trillium, i don't know for sure, but my instinct tells me yes, it should be fine to freeze. Why not cut off a 1" piece, freeze that and see how it turns out? Maybe vacuum pack it too? Mallet, i cure my bresaola at about 50 deg. F, as long as the humidity is OK, i think a lower temp should be ok, but really i'm not sure... jason

http://www.lawrencessmokeshop.com/index.php?cPath=1 Thats one of my favorite places. I don't mail order it, i pick it up when i go visit family. jason

Foodman, i just found your previous post. That is the recipe i followed as well for my prosciutto, and it was rahter salty, and way way peppery. NExt time i might do without the pepper, and probably without the oven for 60hours.. Did you do all the steps or omit any from Len's page? jason

Elie, can you share your method in its entirety? Temps/humidities, times, spices, salt amounts...etc? I have a leg of lamb going on right now in the chamber...should be ready soon, but the prosciutto i made was mediocre at best... thanks jason

Vengroff, your prosciutto looks awesome. Are you able to share the curing formula? jason

Is there any way for someone to tell me the ratios of salt, dextrose and cure #2? I make my own cured meats, but rather than waste a few legs finding the right salt/cure ratio it would be easier if i was just told what the formula was. thanks jason

Just fresh tomato slices, some basil, and maybe some mozzarella..but even without the cheese it is awesome. jason

Susan, would you post the method/recipe for the noodle salad? It looks awesome. jason

Ah yes, i have that book. It is excellent.

coquus, please post the name of hte book that is specific to cured meats...i have yet to find one..The only ones i have have a chapter on it at most. jason

Hey Ryan, i made a GREAT pancetta i'd like to share/swap with your pancetta recipe. I've made a few bresaole, slowly changing the seasonings, as well as some GREAT coppa. What else have you made? jason

thanks guys.

Quick question on the usage of an item. The yellow bean sauce that is used in a few thai dishes....Thompson calls for "rinsed" yellow bean sauce. Does this mean i take the bean sauce, rinse it off, and use the whole beans left behind? Is this to be done to all bean sauces? I have one that is from the dragonfly brand in a bottle, and i've seen some from Yeo's that don't seem to have the same texture as the ones in teh bottle. Do i mash these beans up? That is what i've been doing so far...so that the flavor can go into the sauce, instead of having little salty pellets of salted beans. thanks jason

Foodtutor, where in ATL did you get that premium estate rice? I need to go get some immediately. j

Don't know. I've also only used collagen so far. It is much more convenient.

They look nice Elie. Let us know how they taste! the biggest pain with using collagen for me is making the links, since collagen won't stay twisted you have to use string.

Lovetoeat, where in Atlanta did you find the orange for this? I thought it was supposed to be untreated to be safe/good. jason

Michael, the fridge is too dry for many cured meat products but it is ok for pancetta and guanciale. I did a head to head with fridge and my curing chamber (50 deg. F and 70% RH), and the flavors were very very close..the fridge one was still outstanding. I'm in Atlanta, and there is a huge hispanic population and tons of hispanic markets, but none of them carry pork jowls uncured..whcih is both odd and SUCKY. I have to order them from Nieman Ranch. jason