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Prosciutto maintenance (so far, so good)

20stone
20stone Posts: 1,961
edited October 2018 in EggHead Forum
When last we spoke, our garage-butchered prosciuttos had been carefully packed, and moved to an undisclosed location:
https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1202264/charcutapalooza-long/p4

Well, the hour (or month, in this case) for our first one is drawing pretty close, (2 years on 1/1/19), and I have been a little worried about how slowly it’s been losing weight.  What MIGHT have happened would have been the meaty face, which has been covered in sugna (lard, rice flour and pepper), MIGHT have hardened (like the rind on cheese or salami), blocking the moisture from migrating out. 



There was only one way to find out - Go to the undisclosed location, scrape off the sugna, test, shave off the scabby bits (if necessary), reapply sugna, rehang.  Given the tenuous nature of our rental agreement, we took all the tools... like Dexter playing an away game - paper towels, knives (to scrape), fresh sugna, two sets of gloves (each), a trash bag, a scale (to check on progress) and a horse bone.


After a good scrape, we saw BEAUTIFUL, unscabby meat.  Maybe we should have a taste with a glass of wine. Man, it is really coming along. 


Fresh sugna applied to eliminate future scabby risk


Last, it needed a poke and a sniff to make sure things are good all the way through. 


Good times!

(now only 16 stone)

Joule SV
GE induction stove
Gasser by the community pool (currently unavailable)
Scale (which one of my friends refuses to use)
Friends with BGEs and myriad other fired devices (currently unavail IRL)
Occasional access to a KBQ and Webber Kettle
Charcuterie and sourdough enthusiast
Prosciuttos in an undisclosed location

Austin, TX
«13

Comments

  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,794
    Excellent.  Thanks for the update. 

    I’ll keep you posted about the potential for a venison fest about the time the prosciutto hits the 2 year mark. 

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

  • 20stone
    20stone Posts: 1,961
    Forgot the closeup.


    Gonna be yummy
    (now only 16 stone)

    Joule SV
    GE induction stove
    Gasser by the community pool (currently unavailable)
    Scale (which one of my friends refuses to use)
    Friends with BGEs and myriad other fired devices (currently unavail IRL)
    Occasional access to a KBQ and Webber Kettle
    Charcuterie and sourdough enthusiast
    Prosciuttos in an undisclosed location

    Austin, TX
  • thetrim
    thetrim Posts: 11,352
    Farking excellent tasting pic.  I haven’t seen a smile on @caliking face like that since he and @Killit_and_Grillit shared a similarly intimate moment at BB III
    =======================================
    XL 6/06, Mini 6/12, L 10/12, Mini #2 12/14 MiniMax 3/16 Large #2 11/20 Legacy from my FIL - RIP
    Tampa Bay, FL
    EIB 6 Oct 95
  • blind99
    blind99 Posts: 4,971
    From what I can tell you are hiding this stuff in a Home Depot somewhere

    that is amazing
    Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle
  • GATraveller
    GATraveller Posts: 8,207
    edited October 2018
    I absolutely love this. I wanna do this but I'm too dam intimidated.  Also, not sure what the dress code is for an operation like this but that doesn't look like it.  =)  Y'all rock! 

    "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community [...] but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots."

                                                                                  -Umberto Eco

    2 Large
    Peachtree Corners, GA
  • NPHuskerFL
    NPHuskerFL Posts: 17,629
    Damn sure am glad that your pictures are geotagged.  I'll be swooping in like a prosciutto Thief in the Night :lol:
    LBGE 2013 & MM 2014
    Die Hard HUSKER & BRONCO FAN
    Flying Low & Slow in "Da Burg" FL
  • NPHuskerFL
    NPHuskerFL Posts: 17,629
    blind99 said:
    From what I can tell you are hiding this stuff in a Home Depot somewhere

    that is amazing
    Agreed.  

    Think I found the Prosciutto Lair
    https://youtu.be/kzNcW96zjVA
    LBGE 2013 & MM 2014
    Die Hard HUSKER & BRONCO FAN
    Flying Low & Slow in "Da Burg" FL
  • thetrim said:
    Farking excellent tasting pic.  I haven’t seen a smile on @caliking face like that since he and @Killit_and_Grillit shared a similarly intimate moment at BB III
    What a tramp!

    "Brought to you by bourbon, bacon, and a series of questionable life decisions."

    South of Nashville, TN

  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,008
    edited October 2018
    Awesome!
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    Damn sure am glad that your pictures are geotagged.  I'll be swooping in like a prosciutto Thief in the Night :lol:
    I wouldn’t be so sure of that. You would have to negotiate this first:



    Thats not a stock stock pic off the interwebz... :smiley:

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    Great news.  Jealous.
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    thetrim said:
    Farking excellent tasting pic.  I haven’t seen a smile on @caliking face like that since he and @Killit_and_Grillit shared a similarly intimate moment at BB III
    What a tramp!
    I get around :smiley:

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • 20stone
    20stone Posts: 1,961
    blind99 said:
    From what I can tell you are hiding this stuff in a Home Depot somewhere

    that is amazing
    Agreed.  

    Think I found the Prosciutto Lair
    https://youtu.be/kzNcW96zjVA
    That’s hilarious, and exactly how it felt.
    (now only 16 stone)

    Joule SV
    GE induction stove
    Gasser by the community pool (currently unavailable)
    Scale (which one of my friends refuses to use)
    Friends with BGEs and myriad other fired devices (currently unavail IRL)
    Occasional access to a KBQ and Webber Kettle
    Charcuterie and sourdough enthusiast
    Prosciuttos in an undisclosed location

    Austin, TX
  • Sea2Ski
    Sea2Ski Posts: 4,088
    Not sure how I missed this post. What percentage  weight loss is the 22 month leg at at this point, and what are you aiming for?

    Color on that meat looks fantastic!
    --------------------------------------------------
    Burning lump in Downingtown, PA or diesel in Cape May, NJ.
    ....just look for the smoke!
    Large and MiniMax
    --------------------------------------------------

    Caliking said:   Meat in bung is my favorite. 
  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
    20stone said:
    Update

    Prosciutto #1 is past due for eating, and I just got a couple of my mom’s old carvers rehandled in Texas pecan for the purpose of carving a leg , so I was Jonzin’ for an excuse.




    @The Cen-Tex Smoker figured out how to break his boat, so he opted to bring himself and @TFJ into town, so sampling was in order. 

    We we went to the Undisclosed Location and performed an inspection. Prosciutto #1 is now nearly 2.5 years old, and has lost about 25% of its initial weight, which is on target for the amount of fat on these bad boys. 

    (Pictured hanging on a scale from a commercial fire suppression system)


    As with wine, the longer you age it, the better it gets, but the more likely something has gone horribly wrong.  As with before, the Italians use a horse bone, but unless you know a butcher that kiestered one back from Italy, you’re SOL. 

    (@CT sniffing my bone)


    We we had a bottle of bubbly and noshed on a nubbin we cut off the bottom, along with some Manchego and some olives.

    (A few slices from the nubbin)


    I am hoping @CT has some better pics of the grub, as I was carving most of the time. 

    The next step is building a stand for the leg(s) and munching the other 20 pounds. 

    It it sure is a relief when a two year project turns out well. 
    £¥>~%#ing Amazing Buddy!
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
  • the prosciutto was incredible. @20stone has put in the heavy lifting on this and I’m vsry glad he did. Likely the best prosciutto I’ve ever tasted. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • James MB
    James MB Posts: 359
    Wow, that’s some endeavour. Puts Stike’s duck breast stuff to shame!
  • 20stone
    20stone Posts: 1,961
    I would, if I could post here anymore, rave about how this is possibly the most impressive culinary endeavor I've had the pleasure of witnessing on the forum.  Unfortunately I can't post anything but I'm reaching out in the spirit of an epicure.  Carry on.
    James MB said:
    Wow, that’s some endeavour. Puts Stike’s duck breast stuff to shame!
    To be fair, it is really not a lot different than doing a duck prosciutto or other whole cut. It just takes way more time and space (and a little more particular about environmental controls).  Prosciutto #2 (which we will eat in another year or so) has the added cachet of being a pig we raised, so that’ll be special, too. 

    That being said, it really turned out great, and I’m looking forward to breaking out the whole leg. 
    (now only 16 stone)

    Joule SV
    GE induction stove
    Gasser by the community pool (currently unavailable)
    Scale (which one of my friends refuses to use)
    Friends with BGEs and myriad other fired devices (currently unavail IRL)
    Occasional access to a KBQ and Webber Kettle
    Charcuterie and sourdough enthusiast
    Prosciuttos in an undisclosed location

    Austin, TX
  • CTMike
    CTMike Posts: 3,247
    Damn, that looks fan-farking-tastic. Your comment about “Dexter at an away game” had me laughing. Nice job. 
    MMBGE / Large BGE / XL BGE (Craigslist Find) / SF30x80 cabinet trailer - "Ol' Mortimer" / Outdoor kitchen in progress.  

    RECOVERING BUBBLEHEAD
    Southeastern CT. 
  • smokingal
    smokingal Posts: 1,025
    edited May 2019
    This is awesome.  I should try this with a lamb leg.
    It's "Smokin Gal", not "Smoking Al".
    Egging in the Atlanta GA region
    Large BGE, CGS setup, Kick Ash Basket, Smokeware SS Cap,
    Arteflame grill grate

    http://barbecueaddict.com
  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,951
    edited May 2019
    CTMike said:
    Damn, that looks fan-farking-tastic. Your comment about “Dexter at an away game” had me laughing. Nice job. 
    He definitely has the full “Dexter” road kit. Knives, gloves. Bags, tape, the whole deal.  All that was missing was a bone saw but that work had been done 2.25 years ago. 

    The guy in the puffer jacket in the pics I posted worked there. He was shuffling around getting wines for people while trying to act like nothing weird was going on. Nervous laughter abounded. The phrase “whistling through the graveyard” comes to mind. “No big deal,
    nothing to be nervous about”. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    Oh man. The prosciutto looks beautiful. If I close my eyes, and go to my happy place, I can almost taste it. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • 20stone
    20stone Posts: 1,961
    smokingal said:
    This is awesome.  I should try this with a lamb leg.
    You should.  IIRC, @Sea2Ski did a couple and has a great thread on it. It’ll be easier/better if you can get the leg skin on, which may take some looking. 
    (now only 16 stone)

    Joule SV
    GE induction stove
    Gasser by the community pool (currently unavailable)
    Scale (which one of my friends refuses to use)
    Friends with BGEs and myriad other fired devices (currently unavail IRL)
    Occasional access to a KBQ and Webber Kettle
    Charcuterie and sourdough enthusiast
    Prosciuttos in an undisclosed location

    Austin, TX
  • 20stone
    20stone Posts: 1,961
    CTMike said:
    Damn, that looks fan-farking-tastic. Your comment about “Dexter at an away game” had me laughing. Nice job. 
    He definitely has the full “Dexter” road kit. Knives, gloves. Bags, tape, the whole deal.  All that was missing was a bone saw but that work had been done 2.25 years ago. 
    A “stop and frisk” would have definitely been a little awkward.  
    (now only 16 stone)

    Joule SV
    GE induction stove
    Gasser by the community pool (currently unavailable)
    Scale (which one of my friends refuses to use)
    Friends with BGEs and myriad other fired devices (currently unavail IRL)
    Occasional access to a KBQ and Webber Kettle
    Charcuterie and sourdough enthusiast
    Prosciuttos in an undisclosed location

    Austin, TX
  • 20stone said:
    smokingal said:
    This is awesome.  I should try this with a lamb leg.
    You should.  IIRC, @Sea2Ski did a couple and has a great thread on it. It’ll be easier/better if you can get the leg skin on, which may take some looking. 
    Or some killing...
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX