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Started some Ribs, Bresaola, and Fenalaar (Lamb Ham) w/ lotsa pics

stike
stike Posts: 15,597
edited August 2012 in EggHead Forum
Started some ribs today. Anyone remember when ribs were cheap trash food and didn't cost as much as lobster?
image

Also started a Bresaola, a heavily herbed, cured, air-dried hunk of very lean beef (eye-round, in this case).
Here it is after I trimmed the fat off it, and any silver skin or hanging tags. Upper left is 25g kosher salt, 30g white sugar, 4g of #2 Cure, then sprigs of thyme, couple sprigs of rosemary, some sage, about 10 juniper berries, and 6 to 8 g cracked pepper

image

grind it all fine

image

then the meat into a ziploc with HALF the cure. reserve the other half.  flip flop turn for a week in the fridge. then pour off the liquid after a week, add the reserved cure, fridge for a further week.  rinse, dry, tie, hang three weeks (plus minus)

here it is in the bag.

image

after drying, you slice it thin as possible, and eat straight.  a buddy of mine made a pizza with some, and has since started making his own.
here's a very bad pic (iPhone 3!) of the last of my bresaola from this winter.
image

also started a Lamb Ham (fenalaar).  this stuff is wonderful.  favorite at easter.  the cure involves lavender, coriander, allspice, herb de provences, cracked pepper, brown sugar, and thyme. 

it can be done with a whole leg of lamb, but i use a small portion, boneless.

image

trim off the membranous fat layer.  you'll feel the difference once you find the little edge/border of it on the fat.

image

then trim the fat layer to about half thickness.  i leave this on.  some remove all fat entirely. i think it gives it a nice border when served, and the flavor is milder and more cured/firm anyway (not 'raw') after curing.  i had a small baggie of left over cure from the last time i made it.  not sure why.  because it was not as fragrant, this time i augmented it with some mint from the garden. the flowers strip right off and went into the cure.  the leaves and stems got roughly chopped, and added to the bag with the cure.  the lavender leaves had mellowed (in the cure) so i'm hoping this will add back some fragrance. ...note the minimal trimmings in back

image

in the bag with the entirety of the cure.  two weeks if bone -in, maybe 8 to 10 days boneless.

when it's done, i'll lightly hot-smoke it with lilac wood (this was from last easter) til about 135 internal
image


here's another pic, served cold as an appetizer, from last easter, with a little heavy cream mixed into dijon mustard
image
it also makes a fantastic sandwich with a lettuce horseradish, crusty bread, dijon, and lettuce or greens

found some other pics in my camera.  here is a pair of pics of the 'horrible' cowboy lump you always hear about.  twenty pound bags have been suspiciously heavy lately. last was 25 pounds, previous two were 22 and 24.  here's one of them

image
i honestly think that because it is so much denser than their previous sources, the guys in the yard are filling the bags visually to the previous standard 'full' level. because they have all been over. (...this is why i tend to laugh at the idea that a rock in a bag is a ripoff).

here's the lump itself.  not too big (i don't like 'huge' chunks), and no worrisome amount of chips either.
image

also found this pic, from a trip in june.  Rare sighting of the species Ebrietas Canadensis (dwarf variant)
image


ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
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Comments

  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    Note to self: next time post this to the " no one gives a sh.. " forum :))
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Mighty_Quinn
    Mighty_Quinn Posts: 1,878
    Everyone here seems to really only give a sh.. about butts, brisket, and ribs. VI is/was the only non BBQ food poster that got a lot of responses. That stuff looks great stike....I would like to see more of these kinds of things posted.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    Thank MQ

    I should have said they were my 'first' and it might have helped.
    Hahaa

    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168
    edited August 2012
    Wow-you lost me after the first pic but I found myself with the last one.  Most Eggscellent.  That lamb sounds great-but I'm probably gonna have to pass-too much skill and I would be the only one to enjoy.  However who knows down the road...Time to use the social media to get this to your fan club:)
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    Too much skill?
    Made the lamb and bresaola in the time it took the egg to come up to temp.

    What i like about curing is primarily the high return for the low effort
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Dude- I think this looks awesome. I have got to get that book. it is the only discipline of cooking (meat) that I have not even dabbled in. I'm ordering it tonight on the iPad

    I'm with MQ- I think this elevates the forum past the normal stuff (guilty as well)

    Is that the Canadian Raccoon pictured above pouring the champagne of beers down his gullet?????




    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • Mighty_Quinn
    Mighty_Quinn Posts: 1,878
    Thank MQ I should have said they were my 'first' and it might have helped. Hahaa

    Ha...funny and true!
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    edited August 2012
    How did you know he was a night forager? And yes. I'm a beer snob. But my hillbily assassin friend (the racoon's handler) turned me on to the concept of 'quantity not quality' then first time we all went out on the lake for a weekend

    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • How did you know he was a night forager? And yes. I'm a beer snob. But my hillbily assassin friend (the racoon's handler) turned me on to the concept of 'quantity not quality' then first time we all went out on the lake for a weekend
    He told me that he was known as "The Little Canadian Raccoon" because he has been caught digging through other people's coolers at 3am on camping trips/egg fests.

    A good Hillbilly Assassin is hard to find. Hold on to that for a rainy day


    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    And we have a lawyer in the mix to get us out of trouble. The raccoon funds the expedition, the assassin supplies intel and survival skills, the lawyer covers us. I'm just there to look good in a tankini.



    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • And we have a lawyer in the mix to get us out of trouble. The raccoon funds the expedition, the assassin supplies intel and survival skills, the lawyer covers us. I'm just there to look good in a tankini.
    This sounds like Fear and Loathing in (insert town here)

    "As your attorney, I must advise you to eat these"......

    All you are missing is a doctor for fake scrips and emergency care in the field


    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • travisstrick
    travisstrick Posts: 5,002
    Good god man! This is no place to stop.
    Be careful, man! I've got a beverage here.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    edited August 2012
    The assassin has excellent field dressing skills. And the canadian has fantastic narcotics. I supply fetid beef (100 days or so) and transmogrified pork products

    The skinney italian attorney spins cuisine from the raws

    Works well. So far we have only run aground twice, caught four fish, picked up and lost a hill person, and been in jail one night. Everything else has gone smoothly, except for the perpetual flatulayer, and nocturnal rummaging of the racoon thru provisions. It's like lewis and clark and penn and teller.

    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • travisstrick
    travisstrick Posts: 5,002
    stike said:

    The assassin has excellent field dressing skills. And the canadian has fantastic narcotics. I supply fetid beef (100 days or so) and transmogrified pork products

    The skinney italian attorney spins cuisine from the raws

    Works well. So far we have only run aground twice, caught four fish, picked up and lost a hill person, and been in jail one night. Everything else has gone smoothly, except for the perpetual flatulayer, and nocturnal rummaging of the racoon thru provisions. It's like lewis and clark and penn and teller.

    Transmogrified? Is that Calvin and Hobbs reference?
    Be careful, man! I've got a beverage here.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    That's the take away you gleaned from that?

    And yes. Watterson is a Boss
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Love this post! Can't wait to try curing soon. Thanks for the inspiration and great pics.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    Beecave. It's 10x easier than it looks, and it looks easy.
    Ruhlman and polcyn basically open a door. All you have to do is step through.

    Start with pancetta. Or duck prosciutto. Fantastic.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    I love this stuff, nice pictures Stike.  That Bresaola may be my next cure project.  I have to make some room in the fridge - I have a pancetta and two corned beef brines (for pastrami, ultimately) that come off tomorrow, just today started dry curing a salmon and brining two 5 pound loin chunks (one an Acadian Canadian bacon, the other with Ruhlman's spices plus a little naga jolokia heat).

    Just started today an attempt at making a cold smoker (been thinking about how to cold smoke when it's 95F outside) we'll see how it turns out.  Goal is mostly fish, jerky, bacon, pastrami, etc.  Shooting for 50-60F environment. 

    I'll post some pics if anyone is interested.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • That's the take away you gleaned from that? And yes. Watterson is a Boss
    Ha! I didn't even see that word until Travis mentioned it.

    I have actually had a shotgun pellet pulled out of my Bicep in the field by my own version of the Hillbilly Assassin. It is lore amongst our crew and was hilarious. It was old school: Drink tito's, sanitize horrific looking Leatherman pliers that have cleaned over 100 deer with same Titos, bite down on rag and have Hillbilly Assassin dig out bullet fragment. it was like tombstone without all the cool people. Shocking I know, but these were the same people that I was throwing watermelons on rafts for rum shots with. the Hillbilly was so excited to perform surgery in the field that I felt it was actually more about him than the guy with the bullet in his arm (me). 

    How did the bullet get there you ask? We;ll leave that for another time. I'm sure lakewade will be along to clean this up at some point
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • Outcast
    Outcast Posts: 112
    That all looks mighty tasty.  I'd like to try the Bresaola but Im curious about the "hanging" for three weeks.  Where does one hang it?  Normally I'd assume a garage or similar.  But with our temps reaching close to 100 daily the garage is like an oven. 

    And yes, I remember when ribs were cheap trash cuts.  I also remember I hated ribs as my mother would boil them to death, then Dad would cover them with bottled sauce and "grill" them until they were a crusty blackened abomination.  I wish my Dad was still around today so I could fix some good ribs for him. 

    I'll spare you all the stories of my bullets and field surgeries. 
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    outcast: hang them wherever you live.  if you can handle it, they will.  some hang them in the kitchen, a closet, etc.

    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • XLBalco
    XLBalco Posts: 607

    i enjoy your threads stike..   you are on a different level though of what i originally thought i came to this forum for.

    those are some good looking cuts

  • Outcast
    Outcast Posts: 112
    Thanks for the info Stike.  I hadnt considered a closet, that may work.  Cant do it in the general quarters area, we have cats.  Although that may be entertaining......
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    cats won't go for it.  people had rats too.


    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Book has been ordered. Not available on iBooks so I went old school and ordered it from Amazon :)

    Can't wait to dive in.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • jlsm
    jlsm Posts: 1,011
    Frantastic timing! I ordered the book Thursday along with pink salt #1 (should I have ordered #2, too?). I love bresola. Some of the sausages will need to wait until winter for an area of the house 60 degrees, so I thought I'd start of the bacon, canadian bacon and ham to use the egg. Keep those pics coming.
    *******
    Owner of a large and a beloved mini in Philadelphia
  • AleBrewer
    AleBrewer Posts: 555
    Stike....looks Awesome! I agree though....shoulda said it was your first! I will have to try the Lilac smoke.....what a great idea.

    CT.....the book is great! I  recently pre-ordered their next book "Salumi"....hoping it's equally as good.

    I have not been able to do much curing as of late. I did pick up a yard bird yesterday, and plan on doing the whiskey glazed chicken from the book.

    Last time I used Cowboy lump, I found a big piece of what appeared to be a fence PT fence picket. Haven't tried any since getting the Egg.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    jlsm... temps and humidty are 'ideal' but not required. you don't need a 60 degree spot in your house to do it.

    it is not a safety issue. it's a quality issue.  lower temps extend aging (slow it).  higher humidity slows drying. depends what quality you are going for

    if your temps are higher, ages faster.  if humidity is lower, dries faster.  aging and drying take place simultaneously, but are somewhat independent.



    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • actually found it on ibooks (polcyn was the 1st listed author). Ordered salumi too. cant wait!
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • brianwdmn
    brianwdmn Posts: 371
    Thank you Stike for expanding our culinary horizons. I completely agree the forum should be about more than butts and ribs and brisket. Please keep pulling us up.
    Marietta, East Cobb, GA