After reverting the chamber to a refrigerator for the holidays, I'm finally getting back in business. So nice to have the house filled with the sour smell of fermenting salami! 11 pounds of Berkshire pork spicy salami started last night. I also just finished my last Blacktail backstrap bresaola, so it's time to pull more out of the freezer and get them in the cure.
Merkaba,
What kind of craziness do you have going on lately?
Hey man, that looks good! How was the blacktail bresaola? What spices did you use? Juniper and sage (or bay leaf)?
The spicy salami, what did you use for heat? So many options. Chipotle chili powder, cayenne, chili flake, dried thai chilies?
I've just got one prosciutto going at the moment. Currently 8 months old. But last year I put a rack in my curing chamber so that I could cure more than one prosciutto at a time (due to weight). So getting pretty close to time to get the second one going.
Did just cure out a batch of bacon and a picnic ham for Easter. The bacon is amazing. And oddly enough the thing I decided to do was to simplify my recipe. Less aromatics. Less smoke. Just a dry brine of salt, sodium nitrate, brown sugar, black peppercorns, and some thyme and rosemary. Then since I did two 5 lb slabs at the same time I used the weight of each other while flipping. Then smoked over a mix of cherry and apple wood but only loaded my smoker twice on the way to 150 degrees internally. Worked out well.
Now for the picnic ham. Did a wet brine of salt, sodium nitrate, brown sugar, then mustard seeds, cloves, juniper berries, thyme, rosemary, garlic. Injected the ham with the liquid pre aromatics (so not to jam up the injector). Brined for 5 days. Then pulled and let air dry for a bit, scored the skin, then smoked over alder for 2 hours. Then moved to a 350 degree oven until it reached 130 internally, then let 'er rip at 425 until it reached 145 internally. At the very end added a mix of mustard, brown sugar and maple syrup.
Honestly, it's time to make some fresh sausage. With venison trim and pork shoulder butt.
What I always make each spring.
Uncased: Breakfast, Italian, Chorizo.
Cased: Country, Bratwurst.
Then I always try something new that is cased, andouille, currywurst, jagarwurst, kielbasa, I've done in the past. Thinking about mergez or an asian style sausage this time.
What are your guys favorite fresh sausage?
