# Venison Bresaola project



## diesel (Jan 13, 2013)

This is my first try at dry curing meat.  I have been following TasunkaWitko's thread: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/131693/venison-bresaola-project-notes 

and also the recipe he linked to.  

With that I would like to thank TasunkaWitko for all of the information he has provided.

*My measurements :*

Venison bresaola

730g of venison loin

14 g of kosher salt

16.8g of sugar

2.24g of cure 2

2.8g of black pepper

3.37g of rosemary

3.37g of tyme

3 juniper berries

I applied half of the cure and rubbed the meat ever other day. After 7 days I added the rest of the cure and have been rubbing the meat every other day.  This Sunday will be the two weeks in the cure and I plan to hang.  I have a collagen middle left over from a SS I did a few weeks back.  I think I will stuff them in that and hang in the chamber.  

My Curing chamber is running around 50 degs with 78% humidity.

One thing I noticed different from the original recipe is that I did NOT have to drain the meat after 7 days.  The loin doesn't seem to have lost any "juice".  Is there any concern?

All the fat trimmed off.

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In the ziplock with have the cure.

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Like I said.  It pretty much looks the same as it did when I started.  

I am excited and hope this will turn out well.

I have weighed the two pieces of loin and tied and tagged with date and weight.  As you can see I have one inside a casing and one outside.  Just going to see what happens.  

I let the meat set at room temp for around two hours after rinsing off all of the cure.













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__ diesel
__ Jan 13, 2013






The humidity is around 78% inside the fridge and I have the regulator set at 50 degrees. 

Modified fridge for curing chamber.  













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__ diesel
__ Jan 13, 2013






I plan to hang until there is 30% weight loss.  

Thanks for looking,

Aaron.

Advice is welcome.. and appreciated.

Aaron.


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## woodcutter (Jan 13, 2013)

That is going to be so good! Looks great!


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## diggingdogfarm (Jan 13, 2013)

Lookin' good, Aaron!

re: no juice.
That's the way it works sometimes.

Your temp and humidity are ideal.



~Martin


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## diesel (Jan 30, 2013)

Here it is after 2 weeks in the curing chamber.

The chamber smell great!  The temp and humidity have been pretty constant at around 50-55 degrees and 65-70 % humidity.  I think that the loin encased in the middle will be better.  The "correct" type of mold is growing on the casing.  The loin without the case is getting some fuzzy white mold on it.  I have been wiping it down with red wine on a regular basis and that seems to be taking care of the issue.

I weighed them last night and forgot to right down the numbers but I think I am real close to the 30% weight loss on both. 

My question is:  Is there anything I need to do to the meat before giving it a try? 

Thanks in advance and thanks for looking.













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__ diesel
__ Jan 30, 2013


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## diesel (Jan 31, 2013)

My moldy meat is finished based on the weight loss.  It only took 17 in the chamber.  The recipe calls for around 30 days.  I put the meat in a ziplock and put it in the fridge. 

Any suggestions as to when to eat?  I plan to slice it really thin.

thanks,

Aaron.

oh..

Loin wrapped in middle:

1-13-13                     1-30-13

beginning weight    end weight

415g                             263g (37% weight loss)  if my math is correct?

Loin not wrapped:

beginning weight    end weight

338g                             173g (49% weight loss)  if my math is correct?


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## woodcutter (Jan 31, 2013)

I've never dried anything like that but you might want to *hide* it before Super Bowl Sunday.


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## diesel (Feb 4, 2013)

Update.

Overall I think this worked out very well.  This was my first attempt at dry curing and taking the first bite was pretty intimidating.  All said and done I think this was a success but not sure I would do the same recipe again. 

The texture is very similar to prosciutto.  I used fresh lemon thyme and fresh cracked black pepper and those flavors really stand out.

Thanks for looking.  Now on to some dry cured sausage.  Sopressata maybe?













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__ diesel
__ Feb 4, 2013


















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__ diesel
__ Feb 4, 2013


















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__ diesel
__ Feb 4, 2013


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## roller (Feb 4, 2013)

Did you like it and did you eat all of it...I have some going on right now that is about a month old. I am doing mine in a Dry Bag...It looks great...


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## diesel (Feb 4, 2013)

> Roller,
> 
> Did you like it and did you eat all of it...I have some going on right now that is about a month old. I am doing mine in a Dry Bag...It looks great...


I did like it.  I was just really intimidated by it at first.  I didn't know what to expect from my experiment.  I wasn't sure if I was going to be sick in the next hour.  But, again it was my first attempt at the dry cure thing.  I probably should not have been so worried, I followed all the "rules"  and the mold was white and powdery like it is supposed to be.

I have not eaten it all but I plan to share it with some friends.  You have any suggestions as to what to serve it with?  It has a great flavor on it's own.

thanks!


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## roller (Feb 4, 2013)

I would just do some cheese and crackers with a beer or some wine. Smoked cheese would be great..I am the same way about that I am making. Scared that I will get sick when I eat it but can`t wait..Like I said I am doing mine in a Dry Bag in my frig.. I am trying to get my Chamber built..Good luck with it and let me know when you conquer your fears. Believe me I am the same way...


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