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mdbasile

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Everything posted by mdbasile

  1. Yea I smoked it at 200. Should I have done it at a lower temp? I smoked it about 4 hours and internal temp never went above 135...
  2. Thanks Ron... I am liking the Jowl Bacon -- nice a sweet with a big smokey flavor. I will be interested to see how the cold smoked one that is hanging turns out. I have one problem though. I will be leaving on a 2 week trip in about 2.5 weeks. Do I keep it hanging for the 5 weeks or pull it down after 2.5 weeks?
  3. So I decided to smoke one Guanciale and cold smoke(for about 1hour) and hang the second. Here is the smoked one.... totally fell apart when I took it out... but man is it tasty... Looks like a turkey doesn't it... Here it is after and then a close-up of a small piece:
  4. Here is my last Guiancale - 1 week cure and 3 weeks hanging: As I said above trying to decide what to do with the next 2 - smoke one for sure... ..and cooking some up... man is it good stuff... and really rich...
  5. Hey All, Been somewhat remiss in my charcuterie lately, but getting back on track... You all have been doing some nice work - it would be interesting to compare what we have all been making now vs a few months ago... just seems that the quality has really increased.... I just made the cold smoked Chirizo - it says only 3-5 days for hanging - I assume this means the sausage should still be cooked and not completely dry? Also - I have a Guiancale question. I have 2 one I will hang, but the second one I want to smoke.. recomendations please... Cold or hot and for how long ---- and then do I hang it? Thanks
  6. It seems to me knowing what I know now - we can cure just about anything. We had a dinner party then other night and served Chilean sea bass - i had one extra small piece left over - uncooked..... .... well I saw it there in the fridge - in its food saver bag, all alone.... and thought hmm.... ....dug out the Kosher, sugar and some Baccardi limone, lemon zest and -- poof - 2 days later I have some very nice cured sea bass!!! BTW - I pulled down my Guiancale - will post photos - but man that stuff is awsome!!!! Hey Shannon welcome!! You will get all kinds of interesting comments - so far my favorite is -- after serving a nice platter of: Maple Bacon Pancetta Guiancale Merguez Duck garlic sauage Brats Italian sausage Chirizo Tuscan Salami Venison Salami Lamb Procuitto Scotch Salmon Baccardi Sea Bass I got a phone call from one of my friends - she said - "damn Mark all I can think of today is how much I liked your meat!!"
  7. Yes well when I first started posting here - after I had made some Tuscan Salami -- I actaully said out loud... "You know, I should really take a picture of my salami and post it"(I am told I added "on the internet"). ....my wife is still laughing,,,,
  8. I went downstairs and saw the curing chamber and regretted my post above. I think that we need a separate topic for food safety issues with cured or smoked meats, eh? ← Hey All, I'm a new member and this my first post. I've been reading this forum for about month and have tried a couple projects from Michael Ruhlman's book. As it relates to the above, I need some help. I'm in the process of making pancetta. I had it in my fridge for 9 days (since it was still soft, I left it an extra couple of days) and I rolled and tied it and have had it hanging in my garage (read: ground floor) in dark place for 5 days now. I live in San Francisco so I don't think its the temp. Everything seems to be fine with it EXCEPT at the very top there is a small batch of white colored mold. Does this mean I need to trash it and start over? If yes, did I not roll it tight enough?Any help would appreciated. ← White mold = good Green mold = bad white is fine.... ...keep it hangin
  9. Thank you for the Love Abra. For me it is a matter of "what are the chances?" I too want to enjoy the fruits of my labor, and am enjoying life, in general. I think common sense and experience come into play for sure. It is a balance. I have always believed a little dirt is good for the immune system(my kids never washed thier hands as much as many of thier more concerned peers, and they also have not been as sick nearly as often), and as long as we are careful and not foolish, I believe we will likely not have any problems.
  10. Funny - I don't think I have done a cost analysis - but No you will not be saving money vs buying from the grocery store.... For most of us - that is really not why we started doing all this. Speaking of Bacon... I made a maple and a Hosin brown sugar cured maple smoked bacon. Nieman stomachs.... man are these fatty -- also I think I may have used too much cure -- the flavor is very sweet and salty strong. Does this subside when they sit for awhile? I follow the quantities pretty much as directed in the book.
  11. I was thinking Chris -- you could always send me a link - I'd try it for you....
  12. Chirs, I agree with Dave -- if they peel ok - and smell ok - then I would think you are ok. Dave -- get the stuffer - It will change your life - believe me - and your sausages and salami will be better too.
  13. I guess I was just expecting more of a gamy flavor, so was a bit disappointed by the lack of it. Next time I think I'll use more venison. The recipe I used (I think) had pork, venison and fat back. I did a lamb prosciutto, yes, using Jason's recipe. I hung a bone in leg though and it took quite a while to cure. After that experience and the pictures of Jason's and Abra's I'll go boneless next time. I'm still working on a lomo...the tenderloin was a failure. I need to try with a loin this time. ← I just tried abit more and I think you are on to something -- the venison could just as easily be some other meat ... sort of -- mine still has a unique, almost sweet flavor (not surgary but "meat sweet" - if that makes sense.
  14. However 35-40% weight loss from original weight is what I am looking for - right? I certainly could re-hang it, but given the feel, the salty dry top side and just the look of it made me think it was done. I even put a metal rod through - thought it smelled kind of cured, but could not be sure... It looks great and tastes wonderful - but I would not want to be early if I am. I know Abra said she had about 50% loss in about 2 weeks with hers. How can I be more sure it is ready? All input is appreciated. Thanks. Edited to add that I just re-hung it for a couple more days just to see any difference - I must add the thing is quite solid.
  15. Thanks Dave. It is very nice -- as you can see there is a fair amount of backfat, so there is no gaminess. IIRC - I used toasted juniper, pink peppercorns, garlic and and an herb or two. Nice mild slightly wild taste. Hey Dave did you hang a lamb procuitto?
  16. Huh, that's funny since my humidity was right in the zone for the whole time. Oh well, still tastes great! I think for my next project I'm going to use some lard on the exterior to slow the surface drying like they do for whole legs of prosciutto. ...Which brings me to the next thing. Feeling hungry and inspired by Mark, I bought a nice bone-in half leg of lamb this weekend. It's the shank end. I thought it might work well because I don't have to worry about rolling the bone-in leg, and it looks like a miniature pork leg. So the plan is to give it a nice covering of lard in the lean spots once it's done curing, wrap it in some cheesecloth, and hang it up. Should be done about the time I get back from the honeymoon. But first things first - Mark, would you mind posting your recipe for the lamb prosciutto? It just looks amazingly delicious! -Rob ← Thanks Rob. It is here http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...dpost&p=1167664 It is Jason's recipie If you do a search there has been alot of discussion. Interestingly I got almost exactly 37.5% weight loss after only about 2 weeks hanging. I was really quite surprised it was so quick. I was surprised actually. 8lb leg now 5 lbs. Hey Jason -- you were at about the same no?
  17. Meant to post this before -- my Venison Salami -- actually a little moist still so I will hang for a few more days. It is so F..ing humid here right now my cellar is close to 80%...
  18. The Norwegians make a dry cured leg of lamb. It's called fenelar. They--yes all of them--are adamant that it must be sliced perpendicular to the way you and I would be inclined to do it. I've had it both ways and can say that they do have a point although it looks a little inelegant, whacking right into the leg that way. They eat it on flatbread with finely chopped red onion and creme fraiche. It's absolutely delicious. ← Really - interesting they would cut it that way. I have had cured reindeer in Finland and I believe they cut it accross the grain - sort of perendicular to it -- like I did the lamb, but at an angle - I am going to try it...
  19. Hey Abra -- I must add that your Bourdin Noir tale is one of legends.... your devotion to this art is impressive. ...and keep the single malt handy!!!
  20. Thanks - Ron - good idea. Here are some photos before and after cutting. Also here is a photo of my Venison Salami:
  21. I have a sad tale... I had 1/2 a Nieman pork butt and 1/2 a back fat... left them in the fridge after opening them last week... sort of didn't worry about it... well pulled them out today.... and UGH Rot on the Butt and mold on the back-fat - had to pitch it........ Should have frozen them....
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