New Lamb Proscuitto and Cured Pork Shoulders in cure-and in curing chamber

Life has been good at SE 20th ave lately, and I haven't had much time for blogging... but that doesn't mean I haven't had time to make some good new charcuterie.

As you all know, I started another lamb proscuitto a month or so back, and now it's in the curing chamber... I'm going to let this one sit in there until Thanksgiving, then some of my friends are going to be VERY happy.

I decided to try something different  and after giving the leg a good hour long soak, I coated the thing in a mix of 2 types of powdered mexican pepper, along with an ethiopian spice called Berbere... has lots of good stuff in it and this is going to be awesome... super spicy, with intense flavor.

Here's a pic of it hanging in the Mancave for a few days ( to give it a chance to shed a bunch of water quickly before putting it in the curing chamber ( temp is about 58-60F, with an RH of about 65-85&.. window is open and it's rained every day in may )

Then i did the same with the 2 pork shoulders in Netting that have been curing for the past month... long soaks, followed by coating with spices and wrapping in twine.

You can see from this pic that the month spent in the cure is going to really make this one good.

Heree's what they look like.  I used a "ham bag" to put them in after coating in spice, then tied them up with butchers twine to let them hang.   Each one is about 3lbs and will end up at about 2lbs by the time they're done curing ( around mid july  or so ).

And finally.. this blog is supposed to be about more than just meat... I wanted to let you all know that my garden is doing great and I'm looking forward to pickling LOTS of stuff this year.   I was going to use a commercial kitchen to do my stuff and be able to legally sell them, but I think I may go "underground" again this year.   Stay tuned.. there will be lots of good stuff available at the end of the summer.

I'm ready to pickle some beets.. stay tuned for that one.

I'm also going to start talking a bit about wine.. I LOVE Oregon Pinot Noir, especially from small artisanal producers and I'm going to start sharing some of my finds.  I may need guest bloggers to help with this, as my palate descriptors are "good" and "yuck".

Here's a pic of me and the Ball and Chain the weekend before Memorial Day at a pickup party at Solena Cellars .  Great wine, and a very cool winery.  I highly recommend you visit.

Lamb Proscuitto - update from the "curing chamber" - Week 3( plus lonzino, bacon, and tshirts )

So we're ending week three of our 4-6 week first attempt to create Lamb Proscuitto.

I originally hung my two LP's ( Lamb Proscuittos ) in my "curing chamber" which is a dorm size fridge with temp controlled by a petsmart reptile cage temp control, and humidity kept close to 70% RH with a supersaturated salt solution in a tupperwear pan at the bottom.

As we discussed in my previous post, the first leg began showing spots of white fuzzy (not quite furry ) mold and the surface became sort of "tacky" .. not sticky, but a little bit "gooey". 

Jason at the Cured Meats Blog thought that it was just proteins coming to the surface of the meat, as a normal component of the meat shedding water, but I didn't have a good feeling about it and didn't want to throw $50 bucks out the window on my first LP, so I gave it a mild vinegar rubdown per Jason's instructions and then hung all my meat ( insert drum beat ) in the man cave.. which averages 62 degrees or so, with about 60-80% RH, depending on the weather outside ( and it's pouring.. )

Both legs are firming up great, as is my new Lonzino Da Diavalo.   I estimate my leg will be ready in 2-3 weeks, with Paul H's leg ready 2 weeks or 3 behind mine.

The lonzino is looking great, although it developed white and green mold spots while in the fridge, er curing chamber.  Since I washed it and hung it next to the LP's, it hasn't seen any more furry mold of any color, and has started developing that magical white mold that all great Salume develop.

Stay tuned.. we're getting closer to tasting.

Tomorrow, I'm going to meet Morgan Brownlow of Tails and Trotters at the Portland Farmers Market for a hazelnut finished coppa.  I'll be making (hopefully) a freaking awesome Capicolla from it.    If that coppa tastes anything like the pork hangar steak (who even knew pigs have a hangar steak .. see pic below) he sold me last week, I'll be in pig heaven.

I make bacon pretty often, and it's ridiculously good ( not my words.. check out the best wine blog ever Sip With Me ).  Special thanks to John Pence for teaching me the basic recipe over a year ago.. and special kudos to JDub, for "loaning" me his smoker for the last year :)

I'm finally going to get off my butt and order some tshirts this weekend.  Since I just want to test the concept, I'm going to order them from cafepress.com, and they're a bit expensive at $25 each, so I won't be handing them out like pickles.  I will however, give a few to those people who have inspired me and supported my efforts to improve the world ( and SE 20th ave ) through a little charcuterie.

If the tshirts prove popular, I'll find a local producer or some kind of pass through storefront to sell them on here.. when and if that happens, feel free to buy them, knowing your purchase will support me and my love of pork products and alcohol. ( oh, and my little girl )

Cheers... have a great weekend!!

Lamb Proscuitto

Something I've always loved, but don't often see in stores, is Lamb Proscuitto.

What's not to love? Lamb and Proscuitto, all in one.

So about a month ago, I decided to give it a go.

I'm going to give you the specifics and then attach a few pics.

I'm doing 2 legs now, One for me, and one for a fan of PCP, who we'll give the secret name Paul H.

On Jan 28, 2010, I started with an Anderson Farms whole lamb leg. ( 6.5lbs )... it's a beauty and almost went into JDubs Traeger.

Cure Mix:
9 TBSP Kosher Salt
6 TBSP Sugar
1 TSP Cure #2
1 TSP Black Pepper
1 TSP Cayenne Pepper

2 TBSP chopped fresh Rosemary

I split the cure into 2 halves, and then applied one half to the leg, placed it in a tupperware container and

then put in my "man fridge" to cure

On Feb 15, 2010 I drained the liquid in the container,  took the remaining half and applied it to the leg.

On March 2nd, 2010 I pulled the leg out, rinsed it well, then hung it in my curing chamber ( approx 55degrees F, 70% Humidity ) for 30-45 days to finish.  I'll expect it to lose about 30% of it's weight before it's fnished. 

Stay tuned for our next post, when I'll provide an update, and hopefully a taste test with some great Oregon Pinot Noir.