Trying to make lamb bacon

[technogypsy]

I started curing some lamb belly but its awful thin. Can I roll it or something? I wanted to try lamb bacon but it seems too thin to slice. (Since I got it from the local Islamic market, it came skinless.) Anyone have an idea?

Thanks

Kevin

[waterdogs]

I have not tried it, but Wylie Dufresne (among others) has used "meat glue" (transglutaminase) to bond his lamb breasts together before making lamb bacon. The stuff just seems too strange (and scary and expensive) to me. I raise sheep: our bellies/breasts are always pretty thin. I still smoke them and just use more like pancetta.

MEJ

[rlibkind]

Don't worry about it; you'll be happy with the results.

[Chris Amirault]

If you just reduce the curing time, you'll be ok, won't you?

[technogypsy]

Thanks all.

Chris - I am curing until firm to touch, which is what worked for gammon steaks and regular bacon, so it should be. I can alway blanch it if its too salty.

MEJ - I considered using the lamb equivalent of the brisket instead?

Kevin

[rooftop1000]

I just got this in my email and seemed timely to add it

http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/features/multimedia/?cat_id=16539&ew_0_a_id=352369

looks like fun

tracey

[rlibkind]

I just got this in my email and seemed timely to add it

http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/features/multimedia/?cat_id=16539&ew_0_a_id=352369

looks like fun

tracey

The rúllupylsa from Iceland is pretty much the same as Danish rolepølse. All the recipes I've seen require the brining step (though the one you linked to said that was optional).

What the recipe did not specify is that it's best to sew it shut before brining and simmering; that way the herbs/spices stay put.

Lamb is traditional, but it is also made with pork or beef flanks, or veal, sometimes a combination of meats. The Danish style of seasoning, however, is considerably less exotic than that shown in the Iceland recipe: simply salt, pepper, allspice, and onion. And saltpeter or other curing salt in both the brine and mixed in with the spices.

I've yet to undertake making rolepølse, since I indulge in it when I visit Racine, Wisconsin (at one point in time, Racine had more Danes than any other city in the world save Copenhagen), or Brooklyn. In Racine I buy it at O&H/Danish Uncle, and in Brooklyn at Nordic Delicacies in Bay Ridge.

Make sure to slice it very thinly.