Culatello

story28
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Culatello

Post by story28 » Sun Oct 30, 2011 23:48

Pretty cool video. I thought you guys might like to check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1x5Qn68MYo
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Post by Bubba » Mon Oct 31, 2011 01:54

Amazing Video, and very interesting.

I would love to get to the point where I have sufficient experience to try dry curing Ham. I'll get there.
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Post by redzed » Sat Mar 14, 2015 07:34

I finally got around to making my first culatello. After 3 weeks of equilibrium cure I wrapped each ham in two sheets of pasted hog casings and fitted them into a cotton stockinette. The traditional method of course is to case them in a pig's bladder, but I was unable to find one. Beef bungs are too small, so I had to compromise. Each ham weighs a 3.7kg (over 8lbs) and while not from a berk or manga, I was very happy with the quality of the pork legs that I cut these out of. The legs were not in cryovac bags, but fresh and with excellent colour. Tomorrow I will spray them with a surface starter and the wait begins!

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Post by BriCan » Sat Mar 14, 2015 08:28

Nice looking Chris

I have yet to start mine so I will be following, I do have six fiocchetto di culatello style hams down and more to go as the weeks go by
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Post by redzed » Sat Mar 14, 2015 19:13

Robert, for sure keep us posted on the fiocchetto and culatello. Certainly more practical info is needed here. I cut out only one fiocchetto, picture below. Hope it all turns out!

BTW I was at Churchill's in Parksville about 10 days ago just when they were unpacking a box of your British bacon! Now I know where to go when mine runs out!

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Post by BriCan » Mon Mar 16, 2015 08:37

redzed wrote:Robert, for sure keep us posted on the fiocchetto and culatello. Certainly more practical info is needed here. I cut out only one fiocchetto, picture below. Hope it all turns out!
I will be seeing what this week brings, been informed I have to showcase another Charcuterie station at a function on saturday night --

I have been boning my pork legs out Culatello style for so long and had no idea I was doing it.

Have three Prosciutto started right now, average size between 10kg - 12kg
BTW I was at Churchill's in Parksville about 10 days ago just when they were unpacking a box of your British bacon! Now I know where to go when mine runs out!
Next time I send an order I will try and remember to put a package of the traditional Ayrshire Middleback in for you
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Post by redzed » Tue Mar 17, 2015 05:37

BriCan wrote:Next time I send an order I will try and remember to put a package of the traditional Ayrshire Middleback in for you
Thanks Robert, that would be a treat!
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Post by BriCan » Wed Mar 25, 2015 09:43

It seems that I too have joined the ranks Culatello (three of them down in cure)


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Post by Bob K » Wed Mar 25, 2015 13:45

BriCan-
Do you think that curing vac sealed speeds up the curing process or is any different than just a baggie or container?
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Post by BriCan » Thu Mar 26, 2015 06:36

Bob K wrote:BriCan-
Do you think that curing vac sealed speeds up the curing process or is any different than just a baggie or container?

This is a EQ cure (equilibrium cure) can be done in a ziplock bag if one likes

Curing is not a speed process, so no -- does not speed up

I am using a walk-in-cooler which has fruit and veg so I do not want to have cross contamination either way <--->

Ziplock bags I find messy (just me, no put down on people using them), containers I tend to use only for doing sides of bacon

Some will remember me from a couple or so years back I did a piece on Schinken , redzed emailed me asking if I would like to come back and give whatever support/information on the English fair.

My background is well trenched within the Butchery trade having learned from the old folks in the very early sixties in England -- well over fifty years in the trade (still learning)
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Post by Shuswap » Thu Mar 26, 2015 14:48

It slays me to see Brican tagged as a Beginner on this site - ya, I know its because the number of his posts :lol:
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Post by redzed » Thu Mar 26, 2015 15:32

Shuswap wrote:It slays me to see Brican tagged as a Beginner on this site - ya, I know its because the number of his posts :lol:
That is a good observation Phil, but hopefully that "beginner" designation will change. I appreciate having him here and would rather learn from a pro that actually makes stuff, rather than someone who just writes about it, without any evidence that they even own a grinder. I see too much of the "blind leading the blind out there".

Your culatello looks great Brican, did you manage to find pork bladders to case it in?
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Post by BriCan » Thu Mar 26, 2015 16:39

redzed wrote: Your culatello looks great Brican, did you manage to find pork bladders to case it in?
Thanks redzed, hope it finishes as good -- first time out on these :oops:

As for casing; not got a source for pigs bladders this round (although I am still looking), this round will be using beef caps :wink:

On a side note if I may; order to parksville next week :wink:
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Post by Bob K » Thu Mar 26, 2015 17:04

Not sure if it helps you CA guys but Butcher & Packer in the US carries them.
http://www.butcher-packer.com/index.php ... cts_id=970
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Post by redzed » Fri Sep 25, 2015 04:56

After six months of drying my two culatella have lost 38% of weight. The section that did not have a fat cover felt quite hard so I cut one in half. And as suspected, there is some case hardening on the exposed part. The rest of it looks good and I was happy that I tied both well enough in that there were no holes where the hams were boned and rolled. Both hams have now been vac packed and went into the fridge for a couple of months. By then the dry parts should reabsorb some of the remaining moisture and the case hardening dissipate. Well, let's hope. :grin:

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