Author Topic: Dry-Curing & Aging Prosciutto-Style Tenderloins  (Read 25665 times)

iratherfly

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Dry-Curing & Aging Prosciutto-Style Tenderloins
« on: January 04, 2010, 07:09:28 AM »
A few days ago I made two French saucissions (based on an old Jacques Pepin recipe which I have modified over time). Yes, the word 'sauccision' really just means 'sausage', but this is farmer-style; made of whole pork tenderloins  rather than ground meat.  (You can use beef if you cannot eat Pork. In fact, I plan on making the next batch out of Bison, Mutton or Venison).

Once ready, these will be carved in diagonal paper-thin slices and end up with the flavor, texture and look of Prosciutto Cotto, only these are much much leaner in fat and take 1/10th the time to make...

I came across some excellent quality local NY organic pork and figured 'why not?' I always seem to have more demand than supply for this delicacy amongst friends who order it months in advance. Besides, what a great way to use my new wine/cheese cooler!

Here are some photos.
1. In a bag with curing salt and brown sugar
2. Next day, much smaller once the curing salt did its job and extracted most of the water/blood out of the loins. It is now washed off with brandy and spiced
3. Spicing the first Saucission with Pimenton (sweet Spanish Paprika)
4. Spicing the second one with Pepper and Herbs de Provance
5. Tying cheese cloth with twine
6. Hanging in the cheese/wine/meat cooler to dry-cure and age

iratherfly

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Re: Dry-Curing & Aging Prosciutto-Style Tenderloins
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2010, 07:16:56 AM »
OK, I wasn't going to make you wait to see what the finished product look like. Here is a photo from my previous batch so you can get the idea.  (hmmm, I wish I had a proper meat slicer for consistency and to make this even thinner!)

deb415611

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Re: Dry-Curing & Aging Prosciutto-Style Tenderloins
« Reply #2 on: January 04, 2010, 11:45:57 AM »
Hi irathefly,

Look great!  I'll let you use my slicer in exchange or a few slices :D

How long do you age for?  Do you go by time or weight?

Are you able to keep the humidity where you want in your wine cooler?

Thanks,
Deb

iratherfly

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Re: Dry-Curing & Aging Prosciutto-Style Tenderloins
« Reply #3 on: January 04, 2010, 07:25:25 PM »
Thank you for your kind offer ;) I think that as long as I live in Manhattan, if I get a meat slicer it should be paying its own rent... Space is of premium here!

The central heating dries the living daylights out of my apartment, and this affects the wine cooler too. Technically, if salted properly and kept between 50F to 60F it should be ready to eat in 5-6 weeks (so to answer your question; by time). It should feel somewhat firm (but not dried to a crunch).
 
Unfortunately however the rapid drying from my out-of-control central apartment heating puts it in this condition within 2 weeks, so I wrap it with damp cloth or put a water container in the wine cooler. As with cheese, you don't want it to age too quickly because you need the nitrates to produce nitrites and work their way into the meat's cellular structure in the form of nitrate oxide gas and reverse osmosis effect that replaces the blood with the tasty and sterilizing brine. This protects the meat from bacteria and botulism (spelling?) and from bitter flavors while maturing the desired flavors. 

deb415611

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Re: Dry-Curing & Aging Prosciutto-Style Tenderloins
« Reply #4 on: January 05, 2010, 12:59:51 AM »
Thanks for the info.  I may have to try that in the future.  Dry-curing is on the future list.

iratherfly

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Re: Dry-Curing & Aging Prosciutto-Style Tenderloins
« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2010, 01:39:27 AM »
Hit me up anytime for the recipe

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Dry-Curing & Aging Prosciutto-Style Tenderloins
« Reply #6 on: January 05, 2010, 03:19:30 AM »
Those look great! If you like working with tenderloins you should try Lomo Embuchado. I created a reicpe a while back trying to copy a flavor from a resteraunt I visited and it came out really well. Once complete it has a slight resemblance texturally to proschuitto and only take like 3 weeks to make.



http://deejaysworld.net/deejayssmokepit/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1236046961

I have an el cheapo slicer and have to keep the meat almost frozen to get fairly thin slices. and takes an hour to clean. MOre often than not I'll fuss and do it by hand.


iratherfly

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Re: Dry-Curing & Aging Prosciutto-Style Tenderloins
« Reply #7 on: January 05, 2010, 05:27:38 AM »
Wow wow wow Debi!
Looks amazing! Looks like we both used Pimenton as a spice. My process though was far less fussy though... shake and bake in salt and sugar (I don't need the Prague powder because I use a curing salt), wait, wash the salt off, pat dry, spice, tie in cloth and wait. If it's too salty, I would soak iin filtered water at that point and re-dry it.

What's the purpose of the Ethorbate and Dextrose?

deb415611

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Re: Dry-Curing & Aging Prosciutto-Style Tenderloins
« Reply #8 on: January 05, 2010, 11:42:13 AM »
Wow Debi,  that looks awesome too.   The dry curing might start earlier than I had planned ;)  I'll have to order some cure #2 & ethorbate, I need to order some sausage stuff anyways.

iratherfly - I'm curious - what do you use for a curing salt if not cure #2?  Actually, I'd love your recipe too if you are willing to post.  Thanks

Offline Gürkan Yeniçeri

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Re: Dry-Curing & Aging Prosciutto-Style Tenderloins
« Reply #9 on: January 05, 2010, 11:27:20 PM »
It is not my area but I would like to share with you this traditional Turkish Bastirma/Bastourami recipe. Bastirma means "pressed" and old Turkish soldiers were carrying this under the saddle during the long rides to the battlefield and consume it when they need to. So it is pressed there and the name comes from this.

1Kg piece of lean calf meat is salted/covered with rock salt and pressed for 3 days to get the water out.
At the end of 3 days, meat is cleaned/washed salt free, dried a little, a string is attached for hanging and covered with this special curing paste. Curing paste called "chemen" prepared with grounded fenugreek seeds, salt, garlic and hot or mild paprika and applied to meat about 1/2 cm thick. After this the meat hanged to a place to dry more.

In Turkey, it is done at the end of autumn and mild sun of autumn is used to dry the meat further for about 3 weeks and stored in a dark, dry cabinet.

As I said, I have never done this but looking at DeejayDebi's pictures, I gues it is similar to her's. Good Job Debi.

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Dry-Curing & Aging Prosciutto-Style Tenderloins
« Reply #10 on: January 05, 2010, 11:48:03 PM »
Detrose is basically a fine corn sugar. Sometimes called glucose. It not as sweet as cane sugar and desloves very easily. We use in in making beer a lot too to make CO2. It almost looks like confectionary sugar but only about 1/3 as sweet.

Sodium erythorbate is also made from cane, corn or beet sugars but is used as a flavor stabilize, and it reduces the rate at which nitrates reduced to nitric oxide,and helps to give meat that pink without dyes.

That does sound close Gurkan. I have just in the past few years started using fenugreek in my sausage arsenal. I love to experiment with spices!

Curing salt is prague powder. Although I have seen some things advertized as curing salt that was basically just kosher salt. Gotta watch the labels!

I hear you about space Deb my house is only 28 x 30 and I have way to many hobbies! I do have a partcial attic and basement (albeit wet) though.


iratherfly

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Re: Dry-Curing & Aging Prosciutto-Style Tenderloins
« Reply #11 on: January 06, 2010, 04:59:38 AM »
GurkanYeniceri - sounds great. I love balkan style cured meats. Do you think this is something I could get by name at a Turkish specialty store? There are several of them here.

Debi - thanks! I thought curing salt is a mix of Prague powder with lots of Kosher salt.
As for the Dextrose and Sodium Erythorbate; Can't I just use good old trusty brown sugar? It seems to stabilize the nitrus oxide release. Also the nitrates from the curing salt already pinks out the meat quite well. (...won't happen with just any Kosher salt). I am trying to keep my home made stuff as whole-food as possible and avoid processed corn/soy bi-products whenever possible.

Offline Gürkan Yeniçeri

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Re: Dry-Curing & Aging Prosciutto-Style Tenderloins
« Reply #12 on: January 06, 2010, 05:56:24 AM »
Iratherfly, yes, definetly. Try also our "Sucuk" on pizza. Bastirma written like "Pastırma" in Turkish. If you can't pronounce, write it down and hand it to them.  ;D

iratherfly

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Re: Dry-Curing & Aging Prosciutto-Style Tenderloins
« Reply #13 on: January 06, 2010, 08:06:35 AM »
Yea, I can handle pronunciation; grew up 700 miles down the coast from Turkey, in what used to be the Ottoman empire a few decades ago... Do you live in Turkey or in Australia?

Offline Gürkan Yeniçeri

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Re: Dry-Curing & Aging Prosciutto-Style Tenderloins
« Reply #14 on: January 06, 2010, 11:01:47 PM »
I live in Australia since 2002. It is hard to find sucuk and pastırma here in the capital. We have to travel to Sydney for those.