Culatelli are GO!

Air dried cured Meat Techniques

Culatelli are GO!

Postby Billy Rhomboid » Sun Mar 27, 2011 11:07 pm

We have just taken on a new field, and become friendly with the people in th e house that adjoins it. Their house, which I covet greatly, dates from the 18th century & was once a slaughterhouse and has a meat cellar. It has running water round 3 sides of it in stone channels from the stream in our field, and 3 ventilation shafts.

The moment I walked in to it my jaw just dropped at the potential for keeping culatello etc in there. The only snag is that the lady who owns it is a vegetarian (wouldn't you know it?) but I am sure I can get round her qualms.
Billy Rhomboid
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Postby Scotty2 » Mon Mar 28, 2011 12:12 am

Start stocking up on beef bladders, Billy
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Postby Billy Rhomboid » Fri Nov 23, 2012 12:25 pm

Well it didn't work out with the cellar - ventilation was too poor.

However, I did have a stab at a culatello last year.

I started with a mangalitsa as the muscle donor. Once trimmed this only came to about 2kg - when people talk of 6kg culatello I wonder how big the pig must be - this was from a leg that weighed in at about 9kg.

It took three attempts to get it stuffed in a bladder. The first two split. Next time I will use an ox bung I think.

Anyway it has been stored in a variety of places over the past year and forgotten about a couple of times, and now finally I summoned up the courage to have a taste of it.

I rubbed it down with vinegar and soaked it in white wine for a couple of days then let it dry off a bit again, and this morning cut into it.

Image

I am very pleasantly surprised by the result. I need to clear the shed and get to the slicer to get thin enough slivers off it, but the little bits I have shaved off by knife promise great things. It has a really rich, almost walnutty flavour.
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