Son of the Cabinet of Doctor Charcuterie*

I had successfully prepared lonza and pancetta, the salami was underway, what else could I try to cure? A quick check of the Deep Storage Facility inventory list revealed a pair of forelegs from a half pig I ordered a few year ago. They were little more than trotters with the hocks still attached, definitely not as meaty as whole shoulders, but otherwise perfect scale versions. I would attempt to cure prosciutto.

After a few days of sitting in a bag of salt (the salting time is proportional to the weight), I hung the legs in my curing chamber, where you can see the mold beginning to develop on the outside of the salami.

That was two months ago. Yesterday I checked one of the legs by trimming some of the meat from around the bone.

Deep color? Check. Creamy fat? Check. Intense porky taste with a bit of salt? Check. I think I’m ready to step up to a full shoulder once I run out of this batch.

Coda

The salami was ready for consumption about a month ago, so I brought some to a dinner party hosted by friends.

It looked right when cut open.

And it, along with the lonza, was right at home on this charcuterie plate that featured a duck terrine with duck heart center garnish.

I also sent some to Ryan Adams of Nose to Tail at Home. It met with his approval.

I think I’ve got this curing thing down. It’s time to step up the difficulty, but not before I make another batch of the salami. It’s almost gone, and now there’s a waiting list for it.

*I will eventually run out of monster movie titles for this series of posts.