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chiffonodd said:
Summer = grillin = fajitas.

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A storm whipped up so I didn't get a good picture but I grilled up fajita fixin's myself last night. Steak, onions, peppers smoky roasted garlic, fresh salsa and homemade chips.

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Duck breast in an equilibrium cure. Curing takes four days to whatever. (Two weeks, in this case; curing time is not critical with equilibrium cures.)
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Two weeks later, after curing in the fridge, wrapped in collagen sheet.
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And sliced up, as part of a charcuterie platter. Everything on that board is home-made. Pork and veal terrine with pistachio, chicken liver, and cognac. Pork Rillettes, duck prosciutto, Polish-style cured and smoked pork loin, and roast beef tenderloin.
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MarcelNL said:
You are sure you are not taking on an adult for adoption...? Man that looks great and it's an inspiration to try myself!
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Thank you! :)

It's surprisingly easy to make good charcuterie. It takes a bit of persistence and an investment in time. Both when making the stuff, and when researching it.

So far, all my efforts have been good to excellent. No failures at this point, and most of what I make leaves any Brisbane butcher for dead.

There is a whole range of things I have not tried yet. In particular, fermented meats, such as salami. The climate here is prohibitive, with temperatures near or considerably above 30 ºC (86 ºF) for much of the time. It's possible to do this, but only with a dedicated temperature- and humidity-controlled fridge. That's something I'd love to try some time but, at the moment, I cannot spare either the time or the space.

If you want to get your hands dirty, an easy thing to start with is to make your own bacon. You can do that with a minimum of equipment. A thermometer that you can leave in the meat while you bake it is probably the most important thing. (In a pinch, an instant-read thermometer will do.) Everything else can be improvised. You don't need a smoker; a barbecue and some wood chips wrapped in aluminium foil will work fine.

If you don't have a BBQ, you can do it in your oven, and use a bit of liquid smoke. Not ideal, but still better than what you can buy at a store…
 
Thanks for the info!, It's more a lack of kitchen space in our current rental home than a lack of gear that makes me postpone doing this sort of experiment. I even have a small smoke gun that would come in handy I think, yet it is in storage for lack of space...the BBQ however is in the garden!

Fermenting for sure is something I won't do anytime soon, as somehow every experiment so far has miserably failed.....sauerkraut, Kimchi, even making Yoghurt was a mixed bag and growing mushrooms on coffee waste only produced mold.

Curing should work, will try!
 
Equilibrium cures are probably the easiest, and they take up the least amount of space. If you don't have a vacuum sealer, a zip-loc bag will work just fine. All you need is the fridge space to keep the meat in there for a week or two. Then finish on your BBQ or in your oven.

Duck prosciutto is another easy one. In the simplest case, just bury the duck breast in a whole lot of salt for three or four days. Then remove it, rinse it off, and pat it dry. Hang in your fridge, wrapped in a cheese cloth, for two to three weeks. Presto: home-made duck prosciutto.

Fancy people might add some bay leaf, juniper berries, maple sugar, and other assorted things to the salt. But, really, what this is all about is getting the meat salted enough to stop it from spoiling, and then air-drying it until about 30% of the original weight is lost due to evaporation. Pretty much all cured meats rely on this basic approach.
 
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Michi said:
Equilibrium cures are probably the easiest, and they take up the last amount of space. If you don't have a vacuum sealer, a zip-loc bag will work just fine. All you need is the fridge space to keep the meat in there for a week or two. Then finish on your BBQ or in your oven.

Duck prosciutto is another easy one. In the simplest case, just bury the duck breast in a whole lot of salt for three or four days. Then remove it, rinse it off, and pat it dry. Hang in your fridge, wrapped in a cheese cloth, for two to three weeks. Presto: home-made duck prosciutto.

Fancy people might add some bay leaf, juniper berries, maple sugar, and other assorted things to the salt. But, really, what this is all about is getting the meat salted enough to stop it from spoiling, and then air-drying it until about 30% of the original weight is lost due to evaporation. Pretty much all cured meats rely on this basic approach.
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You don't use a curing salt (e.g. with nitrite)? A 0.6% nitrite salt (colorozo zout) is very obtainable and easy in use in NL.

I dry in my garage (after an equilibrium cure/brine in the fridge) when temperatures are are below 15C (though stuff like guanciale is quite tolerant), as fridge space is expensive
 
I'm having two courses again today. What might I have done to deserve this..!

Courgette soup accompanied by toasted bread with olive tapenade
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Followed by pissaladiere with onions, tomato, olives and goats cheese
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had a great smoked chicken for dinner last night. first bite I knew the leftovers needed to be turned into a salad.

fresh veggie finger foods on the side instead of potato chips.

SMOKED CHICKEN SALAD - bonus, I used my own pickled jalapeño and cucumbers in this.

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riba said:
You don't use a curing salt (e.g. with nitrite)?
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Yes, I do, depending on what I make. But for a lot of recipes, nitrite isn't necessary.

I do use nitrite for the bacon though, because, during baking, the meat spends considerable time in the temperature zone where bacteria love to multiply. Nitrite also imparts a particular flavour that people expect in bacon (and ham) and stops the meat from turning grey during cooking.
 
Michi said:
Yes, I do, depending on what I make. But for a lot of recipes, nitrite isn't necessary.

I do use nitrite for the bacon though, because, during baking, the meat spends considerable time in the temperature zone where bacteria love to multiply. Nitrite also imparts a particular flavour that people expect in bacon (and ham) and stops the meat from turning grey during cooking.
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Yeah, i just would have expected (just a brain fart I mean) a nitrite salt cure when you suggest to cure/dry for 3.5 weeks in a fridge.

(For the uninitiated it makes sense to read up a bit to be aware of the topic. It is easy to wrongly extrapolate (e.g. have different temperatures) )
 
Yes, it pays to read up a little. But it's not complicated, and surprisingly easy to get right.

And it's so worth it. Trust me, once you've made your own sausages, you won't ever want to eat one from a supermarket again.
 
I think I do have a great book on the subject, yet that too is in storage until we can inhabit the new home and kitchen...

Michi said:
And it's so worth it. Trust me, once you've made your own sausages, you won't ever want to eat one from a supermarket again.
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that is exactly what I'm 'afraid' of, on the good side, I find it harder and harder to find decent sausage and charcuterie lately (glue-ish consistency, chewy chunks and loads of fat, far too much salt etc...indicating the cheapest of cheap meat is being used) so perhaps the time is right...
 
We made some pinto beans in the instant pot. We, it was a group effort with the wife. She got it ready and I spiced them. Fresh chop onion, can of tomatoes, some garlic and leftover chicken stock in freezer. I added 1 home grown habanero pepper and 1 teaspoon of McCormick Taco seasoning. Salt to taste.
Habanero peppers have such a great favor. I like my Wusthof spoon I got this Christmas.

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