# lamb prosciutto



## sniper7990 (Mar 20, 2015)

well I'm really getting in to this cured meats and sausage thing. My ultimate goal is to eventually make a pork prosciutto. But before I go to the expense and the risk of ruining such a lovely cut of meat, I'm going to do a trial run with a leg of lamb (bone in).

I have a cupboard under the stairs where I think may be suitable to hang it and I will be using this dry cure-

kosher salt: 3.8%

sugar: 3%

freshly ground black pepper: 1.4%

freshly chopped rosemary: 1%

cure #2: 0.25%

crushed juniper berry:  0.4%

If any of you have done this, see any glaring errors or can offer any advice, please give me a shout.

Ill post pics as the project progresses :)


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## mdboatbum (Mar 20, 2015)

I'm just giving you a bump so maybe you'll get some answers from others with more experience in this sort of thing.
I am curious, is lamb a cheaper meat than pork where you live?


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## wade (Mar 21, 2015)

Hi Sniper

Because it will be a large piece of meat you will need a cool humid place to age it where it can dry slowly. If it is too warm or too dry then it will quickly form a hard outside and will not dry evenly. The under stairs cupboard may be OK if it is clean and cool. You should also have a good air flow around the meat too. A cool garage with the meat hanging in a net curtain cage may be a better place as it will probably be cooler at this time of year and have more air flow - but it may get too hot in the summer.

You may want to find yourself and old upright fridge and convert it into a curing cabinet.


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## smokin monkey (Mar 21, 2015)

Hi Sniper, try this as a starter.

Duck Prosciutto.

Ingredients.

170-180g Duck Breast (6-6.5oz)
900 g Sea Salt (32oz)
teaspoon Ground Coriander
teaspoon Ground Fennel
teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper
225g White Wine Vinegar (8oz)

Method

1. rinse and dry the breast. Make a 1 inch bed of Salt in an earthware or Plastic Dish, (take away container). Place the Breast on the Salt and cover with another 1 inch of Salt. Cover the dish with Cling Film (sara wrap) and refrigerate for 24 to 48  hours.

2. In a small bowl, combine the coriander, fennel and pepper. Unwrap the duck Breast, rinse it with the Vinegar to remove the Salt and then rinse it ubder cold running water. Pat the Duck Breast completely dry and then rub it all over with the spice mixture.

3.wrap the breast in cheesecloth and knot the cloth at both ends. Hang the Breast in a refrigerator. Let the Duck cure until it feels firm but not dry, about 2 weeks. (about 40-45% of original weight). Thinner or smaller Breasts will take less time. Start checking after a week or so.

Smokin Monkey


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## sniper7990 (Mar 22, 2015)

Hi all, been really busy, so not had much chance to get back to you all
Mdboatbum, pound for pound Lamb is a lot more expensive here than pork, but as this was a starter experiment, I didnt want to ruin a whole hog leg (which, as it is so big, would be twice the price of a leg of lamb anyway)
So, I have just put the leg (bone in) in to cure with the above recipie, and in my haste, forgot to take any pics, so ill do that when I flip the leg over next.
Wade, yep, a curing chamber may well be my next project, if i can get it past my financial advisor (Mrs Sniper!!)
Smoking Monkey, I may well give that a try if I dont get any where with this little stunt. Only problem is, I love pan roasted duck so the chance of any hanging round to get cured is pretty slim LOL


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## atomicsmoke (Mar 27, 2015)

How is that lamb prosciutto coming along?


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## sniper7990 (Mar 27, 2015)

Hi Atomic, its going ok, its still curing in the fridge at the moment, and will be for 2 more weeks. I've hit a stumbling block an at the moment and that's finding a suitable place to leave to dry cure. I was thinking about the cupboard under the stairs but may have to make a curing chamber


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## atomicsmoke (Mar 27, 2015)

I bet you can't wait. Have you tried cured lamb before? Is nothing like (pig) prosciutto ....very intense flavours. I love it. My family ...not so much.


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## sniper7990 (Apr 3, 2015)

TBH, no, not tried  it before, but I love 'gamey' flavours. I love 18month parma ham.

I think im going to scrap the idea of drying in the cupboard and make a frame covered by a pair of tights (my wifes....not mine lol) to act as a curing frame that will keep the flies out. I may hang this in a covered entry way that runs between our house and the neighbours. it out of the sunlight and has a god flow of air through it


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## sniper7990 (Apr 8, 2015)

Right, the project so far.

My leg of lamb has been in the cure for three weeks, and it smells wonderful, all the Rosemary and Thyme. It has flattened out and is now very firm to the touch.

Some pictures for you.

Ready to come out of the bag













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Just before wash













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Now patted dry













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Got nearly all of the herbs off, but some are a bit stubborn













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All ready for the reefer to rest and start to dry off for a couple of days













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In the reefer....you can see how it has flattened out













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I'm going to construct a wooden box like frame and cover it with some stockings (my wife's, not mine before any of you start). that should keep flies away

And this is where I'm going to hang it to dry, once I've tidied it up a bit. Its out of the sun, fairly cool with a slight breeze













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Just one thing bugging me at the moment. When I have looked at how pork prosciutto is made, they cover the exposed meat at the joint with a mixture of lard and herbs or black pepper. I can understand that this protects the exposed flesh from drying out, but shouldn't the lard go rancid over time? Also, as a leg of lamb is more or less skinless, should I lard the whole leg?

Any advice would be really appreciated

Cheers folks

ATB Russ


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## atomicsmoke (Apr 8, 2015)

The lard layer is only applied after the 1st drying stage. Which for parma style prosciuttos is about 3 months. Lamb leg being smaller I expect I will dry faster than 3 months.

As for lard going rancid...doesn't matter. You wipe it off before consuming the meat.


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## atomicsmoke (Apr 8, 2015)

If you believe the area where you hang is too dry or drafty you can move the leg in the fridge (wrapped) every week or so (for a couple of days) so the outside layer does not get too dry.


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## sniper7990 (Apr 8, 2015)

Brilliant, then its game on tt


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## sniper7990 (Apr 10, 2015)

OK, final update for a while

This is the frame I have built today for my meat-safe













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Covered it with a very fine nylon mesh. I have fixed the bottom board to it with

Velcro so that I can easily get at the meat if I have to













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And here it is, in-situ, with the lamb all larded up. getting a consistent 10-12 degrees c, a constant light breeze and as

its all brickwork, it feels quite humid in here, but not got any way of taking a reading as yet













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The leg weighed 900gms so ill monitor it to the recommended reduction of 30%.

Il take Atomicsmoke's advice and bring it inside in the fridge as and when needed

Just got to wait now!!!


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## atomicsmoke (Apr 10, 2015)

That's a nice curing cage. You got skills.


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## sniper7990 (Apr 19, 2015)

Cheers Atomic, sorry not got back to you sooner, had a family bereavement. I just hope my curing skills are as good as my woodworking ones LOL. Its been over a week, no sign of any mould and no off smells coming from it. In fact, all I can smell are the herbs it was cured with, perhaps that's a good sign!!!


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## atomicsmoke (Apr 19, 2015)

Looks great. After another 1-2 weeks you will start to feel the cured meat smell ...knowing things are moving along nicely.


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## sniper7990 (May 5, 2015)

OK, an update at the 4 week mark













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The leg weighed 900gms, with 250gms of lard added to the more exposed areas of meat, so totalling

1150gms. The leg now weighs 950gm (inc lard), so drying a bit quicker than expected.

The shank seems to be the area that has dried the most, which has become quite firm and dark in

colour. The rest of the leg is still quite supple, but definitely not as flexible as when it fist went outside.

As far as odour is concerned, all I can detect is an over pronounced aroma of lamb. No mould visible

or any evidence of insects getting to it, but I think its going to dry cure before the expected 3 months.


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## atomicsmoke (May 5, 2015)

That is expected (quick drying) since it's hung in ambient humidity (lower than what a curing chamber would provide). Also the dryer part in the shank area is normal: there is a lot less meat there. 

Have you given it a break in the fridge to allow some moisture equalization in the meat?

Looks great...looking forward to more updates.

Get some good white wine ready. It will be done (the lamb) in no time.


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## sniper7990 (May 7, 2015)

Atomic, I think Im going to bring it in to the fridge for about a week to slow things down a bit


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## rgautheir20420 (May 7, 2015)

It will continue to loose weight in the fridge. You may need to vac seal it no?


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## sniper7990 (May 7, 2015)

I don't want it to stop drying, that's sort of defeating the objective, but i don't think it will dry as quickly in the fridge as it will outside


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## atomicsmoke (May 7, 2015)

I meant to say wrapped in the fridge...shrink wrap is good enough...vac works too. This will stop the drying process yet allow some of water from the inside to move into the outter layers...an attempt to equalize before resuming drying.


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## rgautheir20420 (May 7, 2015)

atomicsmoke said:


> I meant to say wrapped in the fridge...shrink wrap is good enough...vac works too. This will stop the drying process yet allow some of water from the inside to move into the outter layers...an attempt to equalize before resuming drying.


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## sniper7990 (May 8, 2015)

Vac seal is a bit awkward ....don't have one lol


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## sniper7990 (May 9, 2015)

Actually, heres a question.

If this all goes according to plan, how would you guys first of all carve the lamb? Would you remove major cuts from the bone and then slice or would you leave it all on the bone and slice as needed?

Where should it be stored and how long will it keep?


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## daveomak (May 9, 2015)

I think old world folks just leave it hanging in a suitable environment.....    It keeps drying and aging...


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## atomicsmoke (May 9, 2015)

From a safety perspective you can leave it hanging. My folks left pig prosciuttos hanging in the pantry year round. But we didn't have [email protected]$$ refrigerators back then.

It will continue to dry - and being a lamb leg (smaller) will probably get to dry and chewy before finishing it.

How long will it last you? If a month or so I would leave on the bone and refrigerate. If you plan to munch on it for months I would cut it up and wrap each piece separately.

I bought a whole pork prosciutto in December, cut up half of it and froze it. I would have rater fridged it but had other things going on in the fridge.


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## sniper7990 (May 10, 2015)

Cheers guys, I think Ill only leave this out for 2 months in total before trying it (only 4 weeks to go!!!!)

Id like to show it off (if its edible?) on the bone so may make a proper holder for it and future lambs, and then break it down, seal it up and put it in the fridge to use as and when.

Mrs Sniper wont let me hang it in our kitchen


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## kc5tpy (May 11, 2015)

Hello.  I see like the rest of us you are the MAN of the house and you have the ABSOLUTE FINAL WORDS; which are: "yes dear"  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





   Looking forward to the final product.  Keep Smokin!

Danny


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## sniper7990 (May 12, 2015)

You know what its like Danny.....but its only to keep the peace


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## sniper7990 (May 19, 2015)

10th June!!!

That's the deadline, that's 2 months which I think will be long enough.

Now as this is sort of an experiment to see if the alley way is a suitable curing site, I think I'm going to take all the meat off of the bone in muscle groups to see firstly if it has spoiled near the bone.

I don't want to be eating this and then find its goner off deeper inside.

If I dismember it carefully and as long as its dry cured ok, I should have some sections of meat that will then be able to be kept in the fridge and finely sliced through my meat slicer, as and when required.


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## sniper7990 (Jun 8, 2015)

Right, I couldn't wait any longer, so I took the prosciutto down today.

Here are the results













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And here is a video for you to watch


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## daveomak (Jun 8, 2015)

That is a beautiful hunk of meat...    glad it turned out great.....    Good JOB !!!!... ....Thumbs Up..


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## atomicsmoke (Jun 8, 2015)

Great cured meat you got. How does it taste?


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## sniper7990 (Jun 8, 2015)

Cheers Dave, it was worth the wait. Given me some courage to do a whole hog leg now but will need to build a bigger safe.
Atomic, to be honest I'm not sure if I like it LOL. Imagine the flavour of lamb but ten times stronger! I think it's flavour will improve once I have some properly cut slices. Those ones were a bit thick so I think the flavour was too overpowering.  Had a lovely saltiness to it though


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## atomicsmoke (Jun 8, 2015)

Well...it's cured dry meat...that only amplifies the flavours. This is why I asked at the beginning if you had it before. Many people don't like lamb. Of those who do many don't like dried lamb. I love it. It's an acquired taste. I am sure it will grow on you.


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## sniper7990 (Jun 8, 2015)

I'm sure it will Atomic.

I love Palma ham, but if its too thickly sliced I fing the flavour too strong. I think this is whats happened with the lamb.

Ill get the bacon slicer out later and do some paper thin slices


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## bdskelly (Jun 8, 2015)

Well done Rusty! Both impressive and delicious! Bravo! Brian


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## ak1 (Jun 8, 2015)

looks great. Congrats on a job well done.


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## sniper7990 (Jun 10, 2015)

Cheers AK1, given me real confidence to try a whole leg of hog now.

Im wondering if I should just go for commercially sold pig......or wild Hog/Boar!!!!


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## ak1 (Jun 10, 2015)

Try it.  What's the worst that can happen? Even if you screw it up, you'll learn something.


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## sniper7990 (Jun 12, 2015)

That's true. May give it a start next month


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