# Alpaca



## moikel

Just got in the door after dropping in on the farm on the way back from coast. I now have 5kg neck noisettes,6x shanks,burgers & 2 x of shoulder.
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Farmer tried to give me more but I didnt think it was fair. But you gotta love the barter economy. Restaurants take all the liver,heart,kidney. Great little operation but the ones they were ear tagging & weighing were pretty ornery & spitters! Came from out west hadnt been handled much.

Big females going 105kg ,plenty of meat maybe 60-65kg dressed.

Now what to cook?
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





. Shanks in Calabrian style if Calabrians had Alpacas.?

I have some photos on phone but cant find plug in for transfer.


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## chef jimmyj

Dude I am soo Jealous! That Alpaca sounds Great...JJ


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## moikel

430pm here. 6x shanks = 2kg. I wont do them now by the time they defrost its to little time. Will try for tomorrow.Might do them in MES over alder then finish them in sauce.Tomato based,root veg ,wine you know the deal..

I asked for the neck noisettes I think they scream osso buco or done like oxtail.Lets face it Alpaca have long necks.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





The farmer is a guy who made his $ in his own big city business sold up at the right time,retired got bored got into Alpaca farming.

He is obviously very switched on he doesn't miss suits & ties one little bit
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





,  he has a lovely bit of country to live on,younger employees to do the heavy lifting he just gets out & promotes it as a meat. He & real good chef from the Hungry Duck in Berry run cooking demonstrations to get chefs up to speed on it.He has a curing room so he is doing prosciutto & pastrami as well.He has sunk a lot of $ into it & its starting to move up the charts a bit. I can see a lot of him in my future.






	

		
			
		

		
	
usineess


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## moikel

Chef JJ BTW if you have any suggestions on what to do with other cuts just stick them in here.

I am  thinking a tagine with dried figs, maybe a hunters style dish with red wine & bitter chocolate like the Northern Italians do hare.As long as its low,slow & wet I can just put it in MES.


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## fatback

I thought Alpaca were too valuable to eat! There aren't that many here in the states, and my limited exposure to them made me think they were prized for their wool -- warmer than sheeps wool, but softer than angora.

Who knew.


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## thoseguys26

I'd love to try that.


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## smokinhusker

Sounds interesting as usual and can't wait for what you decide!


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## moikel

fatback said:


> I thought Alpaca were too valuable to eat! There aren't that many here in the states, and my limited exposure to them made me think they were prized for their wool -- warmer than sheeps wool, but softer than angora.
> 
> Who knew.


It was all about the wool to begin with but fleece quality declines after year 3. Lot of small holders,hobby farmers got into them here. They have become a meat item in last few years. The guy I met has 600 I think , he is doing about 10 a week for restaurants.You can even get an Alpaca burger at the local pub!


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## moikel

Marinate overnight in red wine,garlic,cbp,bay leaf. Slices of pancetta on top into MES at 100c for 2 hours.

I will finish them in sauce in oven tonight.


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## moikel

So far so good,but man these Alpaca's are lean.I figure in the sauce then in oven for 2 hours will get it done.Put it in fridge until tonight then will skim fat from pancetta drippings top it up with some stock. Kept rest of it simple,got good colour in 2 hours of smoke..I figure just looking at the animals that the shanks are going to need a lot of cooking to get them to fall of bone. Figure your shanks would be pretty tough if you were bred to live in the Andes.


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## moikel

Trying to change ear tags without getting spat on hence the headlock!


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## thoseguys26

Very cool. How would you describe how Alpaca tastes?


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## moikel

Its somewhere in the neighbourhood of lamb but not. It looks like a cross between lamb & venison fresh. I will have a better answer in about 2 hours when these shanks are ready.It is lean &dense as in tightly grained.There are lots of health reasons to eat it,cholesterol etc. 

I just like the variety that it gives me , I  like the story that goes with it & I want to support the little guy where ever I can.

The topside that I  did in a previous post was just a knockout. I hope to go to the restaurant that serves a lot of it near my office.Called Morena chef is Peruvian.


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## moikel

Maybe 3 hours ,went to gym put it in oven but did not have it hot enough.They arent exactly falling off the bone.


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## chef jimmyj

Mick, There is not anything I can add to what you are doing. You have some terrific ideas. How long since your last Curry?...JJ


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## moikel

This was a lovely tasting meal but I could have cooked it for another hour.The formula is right,its old school cookery.The thing is the meat is so dense. I do lamb shanks a bit this way,sometimes in North African way they take about 3 hours.I reckon these could be a 5 hour cook + 2 hours in the smoker. 

There was  a bit of a difference between fore 1/4 & hind 1/4.

I have 4 left so I  will add a bit more stock & redo them in the oven.

Taste wise, the
	

		
			
		

		
	






	

		
			
		

		
	
meat has a sweetness thats hard to compare .You sort of expect it to be bolder because its so dark it doesnt have that taste that goes with other dark meats like venison or kangaroo .Its closer to lamb . Its a bit tricky with so little fat,I think I will get my hands on a cut that I  can make a better comparison maybe a bit of rump.


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## moikel

Chef JimmyJ said:


> Mick, There is not anything I can add to what you are doing. You have some terrific ideas. How long since your last Curry?...JJ


I can do a curry with the shoulder but its not smoked if thats OK. I think its a great meat for curry,but Indian not Thai. Cook for a couple of hours just keep topping up the liquid until its done. Maybe one of those Sri Lankan ones with curry leaves,black mustard seeds,fenugreek etc or adapt the Fijian Indian goat curry recipe that I posted a while back.


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## moikel

Starting to wonder if I  should have cut through them to break up sinew. Or just cook them for longer.


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## frosty

Beautiful results, looks outstanding.


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## moikel

Frosty said:


> Beautiful results, looks outstanding.


Thanks ,the farmer said he was promoting it as a nose to tail  product so I  have a few cuts to choose from. I will just keep taking him bacon ,smoked cheese,sardines & whatever else he likes.

The neck pieces I have look really promising. I do an oxtail dish thats Roman,got raisans,pinenuts,celery,wine,tomato.Real low n slow classic,might adapt it. If this Peruvian chef takes all the liver,heart,tongues there is a message in that.

Wondering what potential it has as a fresh sausage ,you could add a bit of lamb fat & follow Africanmeats recipe for a mergez.

Suppose thats the fun part its a whole new deal.


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## chef jimmyj

Moikel said:


> I can do a curry with the shoulder but its not smoked if thats OK. I think its a great meat for curry,but Indian not Thai. Cook for a couple of hours just keep topping up the liquid until its done. Maybe one of those Sri Lankan ones with curry leaves,black mustard seeds,fenugreek etc or adapt the Fijian Indian goat curry recipe that I posted a while back.


The Sri Lankan Curry sounds great. It will be a nice addition to the last recipe. I was looking at those Shanks and Neck and it occured to me they have so much connective tissue than they would make some amazing PHO! I have been obsessed since I got the Spice balance right and a friend of my daughter, who has eaten at every Vietnamese Restaurant in a 20 mile radius, told me mine is right there with the Best she has ever had. Besides as your side of the planet cools off, you might be ready for a good bowl of Soup...JJ


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## Dutch

What about cutting the shanks in 2 inch sections and cooking oso buco style?  I'm thinking with more of the connective tissue exposed it would reduce that cooking time needed. Keep in mind I'm thinking this with a Butcher's line of thought and not a Chef's.

The whole shanks look great, btw.


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## moikel

Getting pho right is a huge acheivement !There is also that whole North South thing with it as well. I dont know that I can pull that off but an Asian soup is a really good idea.


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## moikel

Dutch said:


> What about cutting the shanks in 2 inch sections and cooking oso buco style?  I'm thinking with more of the connective tissue exposed it would reduce that cooking time needed. Keep in mind I'm thinking this with a Butcher's line of thought and not a Chef's.
> 
> The whole shanks look great, btw.


Good idea but they are a funny shaped bone. I think I will take the meat off the rest then keep cooking it as a ragu or maybe even a filling for a pie.I think I  was under on my cooking time flavour is great I just need to think it through.Suppose thats the learning curve on a new animal,pity there are no Peruvians in my 'hood.


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## moikel

Chef JJ,Good bowl of soup ? I tell you what I am going to do. Brine then smoke some neck pieces like its ham hock or similar ,smoke them over hickory then make a Central European soup with beans & root vegetables, might even be Polish
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





.Maybe even dumplings or that keilbassa sausage in  the mix. What do you think?

I will leave this thread open & just see where I  go with it.

Major respect for the pho its such an iconic dish .


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## thoseguys26

It's phonominal. I haven't attempted it or Ramen from scratch yet... but when I do, I'll watch Tampopo again! You two better watch Tampopo (probably already have) if you want to succeed in the craft of flavor asian soups!


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## chef jimmyj

Moikel said:


> Chef JJ,Good bowl of soup ? I tell you what I am going to do. Brine then smoke some neck pieces like its ham hock or similar ,smoke them over hickory then make a Central European soup with beans & root vegetables, might even be Polish
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> .Maybe even dumplings or that keilbassa sausage in  the mix. What do you think?
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> I will leave this thread open & just see where I  go with it.
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> Major respect for the pho its such an iconic dish .


Polish? Now you're talking...My Dad used to make good Bean or Split Pea Soup. He used Ham Hocks or a leftover Ham bone. I was pretty thick so it didn't need the dumplings but your concept sounds interesting. It will be fun to see what you come up with...JJ


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## rtbbq2

Wow....I would really enjoy this...Very nice indeed............


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## moikel

RTBBQ2 said:


> Wow....I would really enjoy this...Very nice indeed............


Thanks .I figure I will keep learning as I work through the cuts over time. I think these cross cut neck pieces will be the next adventure.


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## moikel

Dutch said:


> What about cutting the shanks in 2 inch sections and cooking oso buco style?  I'm thinking with more of the connective tissue exposed it would reduce that cooking time needed. Keep in mind I'm thinking this with a Butcher's line of thought and not a Chef's.
> 
> The whole shanks look great, btw.


I took all the meat off the bone,cut it up but not to small.There is a lot of connective tissue that you only see in cross section. I put it all back in the sauce ,bumped chicken stock & red wine .I will simmer it slow for another hour then I  feel a pot pie coming on. The rest of the steps prior were all good,
	

		
			
		

		
	






	

		
			
		

		
	
the pancetta,the smoke first etc I  was just shy on the cook time. Couple of days sitting in fridge has only helped the taste. Its like some lamb,goat,venison hybrid if that makes sense.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  It will go well with a big bold red wine & maybe some stirfried wild greens,dandylion,chickory, chimi de ra'pe  sort of thing. 

Gives me some time to think about these neck pieces.


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## moikel

Only fitting as I approach 1,000 posts that its doing something a little different
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  ALPACA

I had 2x big trays of crosscut neck, so I am defrosting now to do 2 things. A few bits will go into a brine overnight  then be smoked then the base for a soup,with beans ,root vegetables etc.

The majority of the pack is going to be made into a version of Coda alla vaccinara, oxtail in the style of the Roman Butcher.I make this every winter,yes its a bit of a leap from oxtail to alpaca neck but I think I  can get it to sing. Battery is flat in camera so I will get onto other steps now.


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## moikel




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## moikel

Here is how it goes. 2.5 kg of oxtail or Alpaca neck In a casserole pan with a lid. .Fry 120gm diced pancetta in some EVO ,bit of butter was loitering in fridge so that went in to. When golden remove with slotted spoon .Dust meat in seasoned flour fry in pan in batches ,dont crowd it.Remove from pan when browned Stud 3 x small onions cut in half with 3-5 cloves.Put everything back in pan add 3-4 cloves of garlic minced .Reheat till its sizzling. Add 2 cups white wine or vermouth reduce for a bit .Add a can Italian tomatoes 800 gms. Splash of veal stock,same tomato passata,cbp. Put lid on then bake  in oven until tender.Turn a couple of times when cooking.When its tender add 2-3 tabs toasted pinenuts,2-3 tabs raisans.I soaked these in marsala they were a bit old. Cook 20 mins Add 12 sticks celery ,destringed cut into 6cm lengths cook till celery tender about 10 mins.

You can serve this with mashed potato or polenta or whatever suits you.

It will be ready in time for friday night football here,maybe a 3 hour cook ,Alpaca neck a bit more tender than  oxtail ,I hope.


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## moikel

Pretty impressive! Added some of the marsala that raisans had soaked in.Made polenta with pecorino & butter. Cant really fault it.Neck gave it an osso bucco feel ,spinal cord to suck out of bone. Got a hell of a lot left over.Not quite polenta weather but it is cold by Aussie standards.


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## moikel

Thats it in the pot. Thats 1,000 posts,a lot of them my take on what this forum is about. Wouldn't change a thing.


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## smokeydokey

Beautiful! Ms. Smokey can't believe that you'd eat a sweater off the hoof, but brother, I'm with you!

From what you've described, I'll bet a really big Syrah or an Albarino would pair nicely with this in the wine department.

On the cooking/ tenderness side, what about the rib cooking method of foil braising before putting them in the oven? I've found that wrapping a cut in foil with some kind of liquid seems a much more effective braise in terms of tenderizing than doing a straight oven braise. As an example, 2-2-1 Beef short ribs in the smoker with a pinot noir foil braise pretty much guarantees romantic success in our house... just my 2 cents (or is that shillings?)

-Smokey Dokey


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## smokeydokey

Moikel said:


> Getting pho right is a huge acheivement !There is also that whole North South thing with it as well. I dont know that I can pull that off but an Asian soup is a really good idea.


Check out www.wanderingchopsticks.com and www.theravenouscouple.com for real deal Vietnamese recipes that are explained so simply, even I can cook them.

The Bo Tai chahn, and thit nouong are especially toothsome.

Good Pho recipe too!


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## moikel

SmokeyDokey said:


> Beautiful! Ms. Smokey can't believe that you'd eat a sweater off the hoof, but brother, I'm with you!
> 
> From what you've described, I'll bet a really big Syrah or an Albarino would pair nicely with this in the wine department.
> 
> On the cooking/ tenderness side, what about the rib cooking method of foil braising before putting them in the oven? I've found that wrapping a cut in foil with some kind of liquid seems a much more effective braise in terms of tenderizing than doing a straight oven braise. As an example, 2-2-1 Beef short ribs in the smoker with a pinot noir foil braise pretty much guarantees romantic success in our house... just my 2 cents (or is that shillings?)
> 
> -Smokey Dokey


In the freezer I have 2kg neck & 2x bits of shoulder so I might do a real slow braise with the shoulder.It tastes like some sort of veal/goat /lamb mix. I am still experimenting I did leg to start theres an old post somewhere here. I swap direct with farmer for some of my homemade stuff.

We are pretty proud of our wine here but some countries do some styles better than us.Those bloody NewZealanders do great Pinot Noir. But all jokes aside nobody makes a better shiraz/syrah than us. It just grows so well here.We also have regional styles of it from Barossa Valley block busters to Western Victorian elegance to Margaret River subtleness. All price points. I have a few bottles here & they do go well with Alpaca but the ultimate match is kangaroo(rare) preferably served with a roasted beets,onion ,walnut & goats cheese warm salad.


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## smokeydokey

Oh, how we long for what is unobtainable!


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## moikel

I will dig around in freezers to find that Alpaca shoulder.I need to make room anywayI have a bunch of ham hocks to go into smoker tomorrow. Something French inspired with some smoked alpaca neck bones in the mix.


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## moikel

Cant seem to attach photos all of a sudden! Any way if the French had Alpaca this is how they would cook it. Fry chopped bacon in heavy based casserole pot remove.Season alpaca shoulder with salt,cbp,brown in bacon fat & evo..Remove add chopped onion,carrot,celery,garlic.Fry for a bit put alpaca&bacon back in ,pour over 1/2 bottle red wine about the same veal stock,big bouquet garni,3-4 cloves ,zest of an orange. Then add 2x bit smoked alpaca neck.Boil liquids briefly  then into medium oven until tender. 

How long is that I have no idea
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






.Shoulders were bone in 1 kg each.


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## moikel

Still cant load photo's,just as well .I cooked this for 4 1/2 hours in a dutch oven ,still tough.Hell I  could cook dinosaur for that long & get it tender. Beets,onions,goat cheese walnut warm salad great. Extra special bottle of Seppelts shiraz magnificent. Sauce great meat tough. Cant win them all.


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## smokeydokey

How about "Alpaca au Vin"? From what you were saying about how lean this Alpaca is, what about adding a couple of split leg bones to your braise to let the marrow add some fat and richness?

Just a thought.


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## moikel

SmokeyDokey said:


> How about "Alpaca au Vin"? From what you were saying about how lean this Alpaca is, what about adding a couple of split leg bones to your braise to let the marrow add some fat and richness?
> 
> Just a thought.


Sauce is fine its reduced to much after so long in the oven.Its the meat that won't play ball. I have cut it up put it back in added some tomato passata .Now going on for 6 hours.


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## moikel

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__ moikel
__ Jul 22, 2012






Work computer got it done ,still confused but when it comes to computers thats situation normal. Eventually these guys softened but it was a 7 hour cook. I have done beef cheeks & oxtail in 1/2 that. Tasty,will cut it off bone next time.


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