First Bresaola

Aaron
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Post by Aaron » Sun Jul 06, 2014 15:02

I'm just boasting my first bresaola here...I cut into it this evening and it is (in my opinion ) pretty good.....A little darker than I had expected...Maybe to dark around the edges but cut transparent thin it taste good, smells good and looks not too bad.

I saved it up with cornichons and sun dried tomatoes in olive oil and it was Lovely!
/Users/karenkaye/Desktop/IMG_2756.CR2

I have a photo of it but I'm not sure if I can post it up
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Post by Janlab » Sun Jul 06, 2014 15:15

Great Aaron,

There is a link that helps with uploading pics. See "How to post a photo" in Hyde Park.
What recipe did you use?
Jan
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Post by Aaron » Mon Jul 07, 2014 01:52

Hi Janlab
The recipe came directly from Ruhlman & Polcyn's Charcuterie book P.197
My butcher gave me the wrong cut so this one is actually made from Topside.
I have since learned what to ask for so I have another hanging that is from Gerello. It will be ready in a week or so...I will be interested to see any differences in the two cuts of meat having used the same recipe for each.
My only criticism would be perhaps the darker ring around its circumference is a little too wide so I'm guessing it dried a little too quickly????
I had no control over how it dried as I just hung it from the ceiling in my Dining room.
I've been getting on average 63RH and 15c temperature.
I'll check out the topic of uploading photos.
Thanks
Regards
Aaron
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Post by ursula » Mon Jul 07, 2014 07:45

Hi you other bresaola makers!
I'm having a bit of trouble with mine. Since having some troubles with the wrong moulds in my drying chamber, I moved all my salamis and my three bresaolas into the bathroom which had the correct humidity and temperature. The bresaolas were pieces of girello stuffed into protein lined fibre casings (as tight as I could, but still some areas of airspace under the casings. They were starting to acquire some white mould (good type-bad type? Who knows) but were smelling strange - a bit like beetroot is about the best Icould explain. Weight loss was on track, but one of them today I noticed had a bluish colour under an air space which hadn't been completely filled. I took the casing off and sure enough the meat had the blue mould ( like you get on cheese) and white mould along the length too.
So I cleaned it all off with a mix of vinegar and water and hung it back up without a casing. Cleaned off the others too, but left the casings on as there was no evidence of mould under the casing.
I've had about enough of this mould issue, so tomorrow I'm going to fire up the coldsmoker, and throw the lot inside for a few hours: Salamis, bresaolas and all. I wonder how smoked bresaola will taste? At least the smell of smoked meat is a little more appetising than some of the strange smells that have been coming off the rest of them.
Now what we really need on this forum is a smellmail......
Any ideas Chuck or Duck?
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Post by el Ducko » Mon Jul 07, 2014 12:24

ursula wrote:Any ideas Chuck or Duck? Ursula
From my vast treasure trove of knowledge (translation: eeew! ...never done this!), let me guess that, since brasaola is supposed to be air- dried and covered with "friendly" mould, maybe you didn't inoculate with a mould culture and the "bad guys" got the upper hand.

...just a guess. Like I said, I've never done this. Maybe CW (expert on smelling bad???)(can't believe I wrote that!) can help. Good luck.
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Post by Janlab » Mon Jul 07, 2014 12:44

Aaron,
I buy the vacuum packed girellos from Drovers, good value when they are on special.
Jan

Ursula,
I made the bressaola in Umai bags, since I have no chamber. They came out well, no mold though. So maybe it was more like Büntnerfleisch, the Swiss version of dried beef, Although I did not press them square, they sort of ended squarish, tasted good though.
Any news from CFH?
Jan
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Post by Chuckwagon » Mon Jul 07, 2014 13:51

Like I said, I've never done this. Maybe CW (expert on smelling bad???)(can't believe I wrote that!) can help.

Smelling bad? Smelling bad! Coot? Coooot?

OOOOOOOoooooo.... you, you, you feathered fugitive from a funny-farm!
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If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! :D
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Post by Janlab » Mon Jul 07, 2014 15:17

Ursula,
I guess it would taste like...well... smoked bressaola! And maybe it should then acquire another name such as... Cecina, Suho meso, or Bògoǫ! Hehehe
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Post by el Ducko » Mon Jul 07, 2014 21:37

ursula wrote:?.... but one of them today I noticed had a bluish colour under an air space which hadn't been completely filled. I took the casing off and sure enough the meat had the blue mould ( like you get on cheese) and white mould along the length too.
The more I think about it, the blue mould in air cavities and along the length is probably a clue that the meat was contaminated during processing and stuffing. ....maybe? Like I said, I don't have experience making bre... bra... .whatever this is. :roll:

...just trying to help. Did everything, including dishes, utensils, hands, get scrubbed with soap and hot water before processing? I find it easy to slip up and forget something, for example, a chopstick to push out the rest of the mince from the stuffer tube, then reach into a drawer for an unwashed one. ...no chopstix here, I know, but that's an example for the potentially bad short cuts that we all unconsciously take.

...hope this helps. (...hope it's not too late to salvage.)
Duk
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Post by Aaron » Tue Jul 08, 2014 04:07

Image

Hey, I think this may work....Thanks to the video on Photo Bucket uploads.
It's not a crash hot photo but I reckon you can still see the texture and colour of this Bresaola.
This is the Topside....Hopefully the Gerello will be just as good or better.

Regards
Aaron
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Post by ursula » Tue Jul 08, 2014 05:32

Well done,Aaron! I'm jealous. : :smile:
All my fermented products are now smoking away in the cold smoker. At least I know I'll have a lovely smell in my bathroom tonight.
Ducko, it's quite possible there was some contamination.
I clean all my implements with bleach then rinse them, both before and after use. But it's easy to overlook something during the process. And yes, you are right, - the bad stuff does seem to have overwhelmed the good. That's what happens if you don't have a safe mould culture to spray. We in Oz are still working on that.
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Post by ursula » Tue Jul 08, 2014 05:33

And no, Janlab, not a word from CHR yet. Will send another email if I don't hear from them today.
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Post by crustyo44 » Tue Jul 08, 2014 08:39

Hi Aaron,
A great looking Bressaola, if you are satisfied with the taste, you've got it made.
Just keep experimenting with the spice mixture.
Next week I will start 2 of them with Girello's in UMAi bags.
I have not decided yet what spice mixture to use.
Suggestions anybody?
My 2 coppa's drying well, I take them out of the fridge and hang them on the verandah overnight, out of reach, seeing that we are having super low temperatures here at the moment.
Steve Plas from Perth send me some goodies a long time ago, it will be a big job to better these.
Cheers mate,
Jan.
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Post by Aaron » Tue Jul 08, 2014 10:07

Thanks Ursula and Thanks Jan for your compliments.....Beginners luck me thinks!
After the Cure in the fridge for a week it was only hung for 3 weeks. That's not too long a wait for something as tasty as this is....
It has made me confident with our RH and Temps we are getting here right now....I know it is not the ideal but it obviously still works which is great.
If I could be as confident about the Rats not climbing down my butchers string I would hang it outside from the verandah......Any suggestions on that???
If I could be stress free about rodents I would be more willing to tackle a whole leg ham as a not too distant project.
A friend of mine recently sampled a proscuito made locally after it had hung for 2 years and he was in heaven over the taste...I have a pic of it...I'll try and post it up...
Regards
Aaron
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Post by Janlab » Tue Jul 08, 2014 11:11

Agreed Aaron,
you can be proud of that! Keep some for me to sample...
The conditions are good in winter, and hanging them outside will work, I dry my big biltong in the shed. For rats, just put a wire cage around the meat!
Jan L
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