Homemade smokey duck prosciutto - cured in berry flavored salt
Dry aged smokey duck prosciutto is a real delicacy. Yet it's a bit on the priced side! So why don't you try and make your own? Like mostly it's easier than you would even think it could be. Take a look at this recipe for a step by step process from curing to dry aging.
Servings 1 duck breast
Ingredients
- 1 piece duck breast (+-350 gr.)
For the equilibrate salt cure
- 14 gr. Nitrite salt at least 4 % of the meat wheight
- 7 gr. dark sugar
- 4 gr. rosemary
- 2 gr. fresh sage
- 2 gr. ground juniper berries
- 3 pieces crushed blackberry
- 3 pieces crushed cranberry
Extra necessities
- 1 vacuum sealer
- 1 vacuum bag
- 1 cheese cloth
- kitchen rope
- 1 cold smoke generator
- Hickory smoke dust
Instructions
Dry curing the duck breast
- Mix all cure ingredients! You can experiment with the flavors by adding or mixing in different spices. However you must keep at least 3-4 procent of the total meat weight in nitrite salt.
- Rub the duck breast thoroughly with the salt cure and add it to a vacuum bag. Make sure all of the salt is in the bag!
- Vacuum seal the bag with a foodsaver and put in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- Remove the duck breast from the bag and pat it dry. Now you're ready to smoke
- Gently stuff the cold smoke generator with extra fine hickory smoke dust. Don't push it too hard or it will die out.
- Lit the cold smoker using a blow torch and once it's smoking add your cured duck breast to the smoker. Smoke for 10 hours (or more). Warning: make sure the temperature doesn't cross the 25°C/77°F limit.
- Once smoked remove the homemade smoked duck breast from your smoker. Wrap it in a clean cheese cloth and tie it up with kitchen rope.
- Hang the homemade duck breast in the fridge for dry aging. You need to lose 30% of weight before it's ready to serve (in this case it's done when you're left with a piece of homemade bacon that weighs 245 gr.). In this process the meat juices are evaporated causing the weight loss and intensifying the flavor!