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Okay, I've made bacon (pork and duck breast). Now I am going to make Bresaola. I'v been bothering Len Poli via e-mail before I leap.... and he has been mighty helpful. But I still have questions, and don't want to bother him further. So, being new here, and really digging this site, I ask y'all:

If I choose to use a starter, do I dip the meat in it before I place it in the collagen?
Do I wrap it in collagen first then dip?
Does the meat (I am using a backstrap of axis venison I just harvested) have to be tight in the casing?
Does anyone recommend no casing at all?

i am sure I will have more questions. The meat is just starting cure ( Len's recipe).

vinner
i've never used a starter, and have never seen a recipe advocating one . . . so don't know about that. would presume the starter would be applied at the onset of curing though.

i've had continuously good results without using any casing - just stringing up and avoiding touching. i hang them with other meats and they gather some nice white mould, which is wiped off minimally (with brandy) but mainly eaten as well. would advise tight packing in the casing if used as to eliminate trapped air pockets.

made usually with 3+ kilo pieces of beef topside

try doing a duck breast along the same lines, but with greatly reduced curing and maturing times. and a bit of citrus zest thrown in for good luck. turns out good, and makes a change from smoked

good luck with the bresaola, it's damn fine.

Thanks for the reply. My Axis backstrap is about 2 kilos. I am using Len Poli's recipe. It calls for 7 days of curing. I am leaving to go turkey hunting on the 6th day, returning on the 9th day of curing. Can I leave it in the cure that long?

yes you can leave it (under good refridgeration), as that cure is just the first batch of cure, the remainder being added afterwards. this is to ensure an even & thorough curing. you are doing the cure exactly as len poli formulation? (total cure split in two - first application applied, 7 days later second half applied and left for 21 days in total'ish?)

basically if all handling, curing and storage/maturing is done around advised temp/humidity range, minor variations in the timescale can be allowed for.

thanks again for your reply. If I read his recipe right, it is 3 days in cure, then overhaul, and 4 days more for a total of 7. Would 9 or 10 days total then be too much?

hi vinner
i just checked, and you are right you have read his current published recipe correctly. however previous editions of his recipe, and other sources would advise a different, lengthier timescale.
i think it may just be a typo on len's part but, in point 5 read day 3 as day 7, and in point 6 read day 7 as day 21.
this is more of a sensible timescale for a dry-curing of a raw product.
the other times would more suit a raw bacon to be cooked before eating
if you are in communication with len you may want to check this with him. you could also search this forum, there are recipes for bresaola here

I currently have 2 pieces of topside curing in the fridge for bresaola. I am making the recipe taken from the book 'Charcuterie' by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn. It is similar to Len's recipe but omits stuffing into casings. It calls for 2 curings of 7 days each and then hanging for about 3 weeks.

Bresaola

One 3 lb beef eye of the round roast, no more than 3" in diameter, trimmed of all visible fat, sinew, and silverskin.

The Spice Cure

25 grams kosher salt
30 grams sugar
4 grams Prague powder #2
5 grams freshly ground black pepper
6 grams chopped fresh rosemary
6 grams fresh thyme leaves
5 juniper berries crushed with the side of a knife

1. Combine all the spice cure ingredients in a spice or coffee grinder and grind to a fine powder.

2. Rub � the spice cure over the meat, rubbing well in. Place in a 2 gallon/8 litre Ziplock bag or nonreactive container and refrigerate for 7 days, turning it every couple of days.

3. Remove the beef from the liquid ( discard it ) and rub in the remaining spice cure. Return to the refrigerator for 7 more days.

4. Rinse the beef thoroughly under cold water to remove any remaing spices and pat dry with paper towels. Set on a rack on a baking sheet uncovered at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours.

5. Tie the beef with butchers twine. Hang the meat (ideally 60�F / 15�C with 60%-70% RH) for about 3 weeks. The meat should feel firm on the outside and silky smooth when sliced.

Regards, Paul Kribs

Thanks, Paul:

I have cured my backstrap of axis venison for 12 days in Len's cure, cased and tied it, painted with a penicillium starter, incubated it, and it is beginning its 30 day aging.

I bought a 40 bottle wine cooler from an appliance retailer as a scratch and dent special for $40 USD. It has the right temp and humidity, and can hold a lot more than one bresaola, so I am looking forward to trying more recipes. But the "bresh" smelled so good coming out of the cure, that I am enthusiastically awaiting its finish.

Paul - this sounds very much like Franco's parma method - I wonder if it will work the same for a parma Ham

aris

I agree inasmuch as it has 2 curings, each with half the cure. It smelled very nice when I opened it to apply the second cure. I was going to mature it in the biltong box with the heat off, but it's full of chorizo and salami.. I'm sure I'll think of something.

Incidentally, I have a full leg curing in Franco's Parma cure. I will leave it for 20 days each cure before maturing it for at least a couple of months.

Regards, Paul Kribs

This is so much fun.... thank y'all for this forum.

I think i'll give the Breasola a try - i think we've got 3 weeks of the right temperatures left.

From the sounds of it, breasola is just a big piece of biltong

Yep, pretty similar but no heat source required, just the 65%-75% RH. I'm looking forward to trying it, never tasted it before. Was just that the Co-op were doing some special offer topside.

Regards, Paul kribs

You should find breasola at any good supermarket - where you see the pre-packed cold cuts. Tt tastes very much like biltong, but moister.

I suspect that the humidity will be very important for something with a 3" diameter.

I will post my findings on the forum when I have tasted it, bit of a way to go yet though, but looking good.

Regards, Paul Kribs