Duck prosciutto, unwrapped

We had to unwrap and reveal, this day of reckoning anticipated, hoped for, feared.

It was two weeks since we had hung the previously salted, wrapped duck breasts out on the terrace, from a chair placed on top of the stone table. On nights that threatened rain we brought the chair inside and put it beside the open sliding door, to keep the temperature as even as possible. We live on the top floor of a brownstone and do not own a cave or cellar or garage for hanging purposes (Ruhlman says he just hangs them next to his stove...bit hot? But he wrote the book). We improvised.

Every other day I felt them, squeezing gently. Till the last I felt a soft spot in the middle of each on the meat side, and worried. I suspected that I should have salted the 1lb breasts for longer than 24 hours.

We tested the smaller one, and I unwound the light muslin. I sniffed the meat. Deeply. Suspiciously. Nothing. Just pepper. The soft spot I had been feeling had in fact been the fatty side. The meat side looked quite dry and dark, a lot like biltong. Maybe too dry.

I sliced with the sharpened Opinel knife. The meat looked beautiful, garnet red, though the underside looked much darker, and is probably drier than it should be.

We each took a slice and sniffed. Deeply.

Nothing bad. In fact, very good. I tore off the fat on mine - it was silky. Vince swallowed his whole. I chewed carefully, with my front teeth, ready for anything.

It tasted marvellous. I did a little victory dance in a circle, the floor boards thumping.

We ate more, maybe a quarter of the first breast. and then I called a halt.

Final word on the prosciutto: delicious.

The second, larger breast was not well cured. I tossed it, incase  I know, ouch - and searched for some answers (in retrospect I think it should just have hung longer).


My friend Johannes, who makes duck prosciutto and blogged about it on Voer, sent me a link to Charcuterie Sundays, written by Grant van Gameren, who runs The Black Hoof in Toronto. Grant's response to my email:


"Leave the 24 hour duck breast cures for the old school Italians.
I salt a 360 gram duck breast with 30 grams kosher salt to 5 grams white sugar for 12-14 days. Then hang for 3-4 weeks.
This way you can infuse any flavors you like and have a good amount of time for it to sink in.
The fats the best part!
Cure it in a ziplock and turn regularly.
Empty any added liquids that release from the breast.
I wouldn't wrap it in too many layers of cheese cloth either.
Add .9 grams of dried lavender to your mix and you will be in heaven.
Make sure you rinse well. Dry . Wrap. And hang.
Your raw middle problems could be a) not enough salt or b) humidity.
Probably humidity and your meats drying out on the exterior, therefore trapping moisture within and it will eventually rot and go rancid."

"A really good book is cooking by hand by Paul Bertolli ! 

Just a favorite. 

As for the juices... Every couple days as it accumulates. 

Do you have a cold basement? Cured meats don't like that much ventilation. 

Another option could be a rubbermaid container with a few small holes put into it. Perhaps with a damp towel for humidity that gets changed often. That way you might be able to keep it outside and get a good end product!"

So.There's a completely different approach. And since The Black Hoof serves over 40 different kinds of house made charcuterie, this is good advice.


Thanks, Grant!