Howdy y’all!

There are a few of you out there who enjoy my cooking threads, so I thought I’d share this with you. This is something completely new for me, and, it’s kinda neat, and I thought y’all might like it!

Many years ago, our annual family trip took us to colonial Williamsburg for a few days. I got to see and learn quite a bit about how they did things back then. I found all of it interesting,  especially how they preserved meat. As part of the behind the scenes cooking seminar we took, I sampled a ham that was dry cured well over 150 years ago.  It was absolutely amazing...!

I have always wanted to try curing my own meat, but never got around to it. Recently, I ran across an article on how to dry cure a duck breast....well, I LOVE seared duck breast, so I thought this might be tasty! Best part...it’s easy!

I had a few duck breasts in the freezer already, so I figured I’d give it a try! Keep in mind, there are no immediate results when you dry cure meat, it takes time...so hang with me (pun intended). 

I thawed a couple of duck breasts out and patted them dry with paper towels. The article said to leave the skin (and of course, the lovely duck fat) intact. 

I used 1 1/2 cups of coarse kosher salt per duck breast. To this, I added some ground thyme and rosemary, about 2 tsp per breast. You can use fresh herbs, but I didn’t have any on hand.

Mix the salt and the herbs, and coat the duck breast in the salt mixture. 

Place the salt mixture in a plastic zip lock bag, and put the breast in it. Remove all the air, and seal it up. Stick it in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. 

After the breast has sat in the salt mixture for at least 24 hours, take it out of the bag and rinse the salt off of it. You’ll see that the breast has already lost a lot of moisture, and is much more dense. Pat the meat dry, then coarse grind some black pepper on both sides. With your fingertips, kinda push the pepper into the skin. Wrap the breast in either muslin or cheesecloth, tie it off at both ends, and hang it in a cool, dry place. You can hang this in your refrigerator (that’s what I did). 

Most dry cure recipes I have read say that you are supposed to weigh the meat before  curing, and when it’s lost at least 30% of its original weight, you’re good to go. This particular recipe said because this is a rather small piece of meat, weighing it should not be a concern, that it will be properly cured after a week. 

I just put my duck breasts into the refrigerator yesterday, so we have a week to wait. To show you what it’s supposed to look like, I’ve posted a pic of the cured duck from the article I read. The meat is supposed to be sliced thin, as it should be a bit salty, and bold flavored, kind of like a prosciutto. I can think of a number of ways to serve this, but I think I’ll keep it simple and try it with a nice cheese platter. 

We’ll check on the duck in a week, and see how it looks!

 

 

 

Is curing fish the same?

36 minutes ago, Zeke said:

Is curing fish the same?

While I have never cured fish, I would think it’s a similar process. 

Awww helllzyah, a DisplacedTexan cooking thread!  Eagerly looking forward to a brisket how-to.

6 minutes ago, DirtyDigz said:

Awww helllzyah, a DisplacedTexan cooking thread!  Eagerly looking forward to a brisket how-to.

Hey Dirty, I did a brisket thread a year or so ago...but I’ll do another one for the April meet.

Damn, I saw the thread title and thought you were going to help me shake off the herpes.

1 minute ago, Zeke said:

Don't throw shade at me. I didn't have it before you took me on that camping trip.

10 minutes ago, Handyman said:

Damn, I saw the thread title and thought you were going to help me shake off the herpes.

There ain’t no cure for what you have, Handy

It’s the gift that keeps on giving Clark 

I ain't a health nut by anyone's definition, but doesn't smoking food make it bad for you? Like an uber-carcinogen?

In this case, we are not smoking anything. This is a dry cured meat. No cooking required. 

Forgot to post this earlier...ducky goodness hanging in the refrigerator. 

I used one of those 3M hooks with the removable adhesive to hang the cheesecloth bags. I have no idea why the pic posted sideways....no, it’s not defying gravity. 

You’re like magic chef

Well, today is day 7, and the duck is fully cured. 

I couldn’t wait to have a sample, so here is the result in all its glory.

 

Sliced it thin, like you would prosciutto. OMFG, this is tasty! A duck flavor, with a ham texture. Salty, bold, VERY flavorful! Will be great with a little cantaloupe, and mild cheese! 

I encourage you to try this one!! 

Humm I do have a single grouse breast left in the freezer. I think I'm going to give this a try. 

8 minutes ago, fishnut said:

Humm I do have a single grouse breast left in the freezer. I think I'm going to give this a try. 

I bet it would be tasty with a grouse breast. Give it a whirl and let me know how it turns out!

2 hours ago, Displaced Texan said:

Well, today is day 7, and the duck is fully cured. 

I couldn’t wait to have a sample, so here is the result in all its glory.

 

Sliced it thin, like you would prosciutto. OMFG, this is tasty! A duck flavor, with a ham texture. Salty, bold, VERY flavorful! Will be great with a little cantaloupe, and mild cheese! 

I encourage you to try this one!! 

Where are the meat and fruit haters?

 

looks awesome Tex

Thanks Zeke. This would also be tasty wrapped around steamed or grilled asparagus. 

I can’t believe @WP22 and @Handyman

have nothing to say about pairing with cantaloupe. The absolute worst of the melons

I can’t even touch this one. That meat looks too weird to eat. I’d stick with the cantaloupe.

I started dry curing a pork tenderloin yesterday. Basically the same process, except I added a little brown sugar to the salt, and a little bit of pink curing salt. This guards against the possibility of botulism!!

After 18 hours in the dry cure, I pulled it out, rinsed the salt off it, and trussed it up. Then, I rubbed it down with 110 proof bourbon (Makers Mark Cask Strength), and dried herbs. Then, wrapped it  in cheesecloth, recorded the weight, and hung it in a cool, dry section of the basement. I’ll monitor the weight every week,  but the goal here is to lose 33% of the starting weight. I expect this to take about a month. 

This should be tasty....eventually!! 

Speaking of cured meats. My younger sons school is having "colonial day" this week.   Been tasked with bringing some food item in. I'm makiy beef jerky. 

Using London broil cut as it's lean and the grain is straight (I cut against the grain).  Cut up and cured yesterday. Over night in the fridge. On the dehydrator now.  Will be done in a couple hours. Will post a pic.  

Disclaimer: I wanted to use venison because that was probably what they cured and dried in those days but the wife nixed that idea.  Lol. 

Do you use a wet or dry cure for the jerky? I’ve done both, and I much prefer a dry cure. 

Both. I cheat. Lol. After much trial and error and a dozen different "recipes" my wife and kids like this version. 

I basically use the original blend of dry cure/spices from high mountain.  I sprinkle on as I cut it. I then add 1oz of soy sauce to the bag. Let marinate/cure over night. Put on dehydrator for 5-6 hours. 

6 minutes ago, Displaced Texan said:

Do you use a wet or dry cure for the jerky? I’ve done both, and I much prefer a dry cure. 

And agree I'm not a fan of "wet" jerky. 

We prefer dry jerky and have it break when we chew it. I always try and cut against the grain so it's not chewy or stringy. 

That’s the real secret, cutting the meat across the grain. Makes for a short fiber, easier to chew, and won’t be stringy or splintery. 

48 minutes ago, Displaced Texan said:

That’s the real secret, cutting the meat across the grain. Makes for a short fiber, easier to chew, and won’t be stringy or splintery. 

Or be lazy like me and use ground venison 

3 minutes ago, fishnut said:

Or be lazy like me and use ground venison 

Or ground beef and a jerky gun

35 minutes ago, Zeke said:

Or ground beef and a jerky gun

Yup I have a jerkey gun also but I stick with the venison instead of beef. 

I've used ground meat but family isn't a fan. When I've made snack sticks with venison or beef it had that waxy texture. Same if using jerky gun and laying strips on trays. 

Last few years have only used whole muscle meat.