photos of the lonzino I just finished

[mattwright]

A few of you might remember the little video I did of making a lonzino.. well that sucker is cured. As far as I am concerned anyhow!

I got around to taking some photos of it today and thought I would share them.

First off, the recipe:

Pork loin - 1082g
Salt - 36g (3.3%)
Black Pepper 10.8g (1%)
Cure #2 2.7g (0.25%)
Juniper Berry 1.6g (0.15%)
Fennel Seed 3g (2.7%)
Dried Bay Leaf - 0.4g - about 2 leaves
casing - beef or pork 3.5″ diameter

The juniper and fennel come through really well, not so much the bay. A touch salty right now, but otherwise perfect(ish) - it has been curing for most likely two months.

[grisell]

Looks delicious! Now, let's see if you can keep your hands off it for a month or two for the saltiness to get milder and the flavors to bloom...

[mattwright]

I have always found that the longer I leave something hanging, the saltier it gets

[grisell]

I have always found that the longer I leave something hanging, the saltier it gets

Strange! It's the opposite for me.

[grisell]

- but it sounds like a great excuse for eating it though...

[wheels]

Matt, you seem to have got your drying set-up spot on. Your last two sets of photos show such even drying throughout.

...and superb photography, as always.

Phil

[quietwatersfarm]

Great photos Matt, not that the subject isnt fantastic, but the lighting sure makes the most of it!

For me Lonzino is like those Pears in the fruit bowl, you wait ages, constantly checking, for them to be ripe then you turn your back for a second and they've gone too far!

Eat it while you can!

[NCPaul]

YUM. Great photo.

[mattwright]

wheels - almost perfect mate.. I still think my airflow is a little high, but I have a large chamber and need a fan to push the humid air around. One day I will build some baffles over the fan to slow the air down a bit!

The slices look far more even than the whole cut. It isn't perfect. The outside is some spots is a little drier than the inside, but right now I am rather enjoying the subtle textural differences. Another month in the chamber might well even it all out!

Quietwatersfarm - really simple light setup - both shots are totally back lit, with white foam-core board under the camera to bounce light back on to the front. thanks for the kind words!

[wheels]

Matt

Of topic I know, but what do you think of this type of bulb for artificial light photography?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/85w-Blue-Spectrum ... 0372138684

I can't afford a flash set up, and unless I only make yellow food for the next 6 months, my pictures aren't going to be much good!

I assume that they're a modern replacement for the photo-floods that I remember using years ago.

Phil

[mattwright]

wheels - I have never used a bulb like that for food photography.. Any ideas how bright it is? You would want to diffuse it too, to create a broader, softer light.

Here is what I recommend for artificial light shots:

http://mattikaarts.com/blog/food-photog ... otography/

[wheels]

matt

It's 425W equivalent, but they do a 105W that 525W equivalent, both are 6400K. I was thinking of diffusing through a white umbrella?

I saw your article as I have your RSS in my feed - that's what set me off looking!

Phil

[mattwright]

Personally I think 450W might be too low. The one I use is 550W and I would consider it OK. When the bulb goes out, I am going to replace with a 700W.

White umbrella is a good choice.

[wheels]

Many thanks Matt.

Phil

[mattwright]

so I cannot put my finger on it, but I am unhappy with my spicing on this one. Something isn't right, and I think it is the juniper. The more I eat of it, the more it tastes like stale pee. Not that have eaten stale pee, but it tastes like it smells..

The more curing I do the more I start preferring just the most basic of cures, with little or no herbs and spices. Just pure porky goodness.

Scratch this recipe up to learning I guess.