Very interesting and AFAIK traditional spiced. Personally I’d stick with salt, thyme and garlic. Once cinnamon comes on it’s just sad. But to each their own. I appreciate you sharing this
Thanks for your video and tasty looking recipe! I've made this with a few different ingredients but mostly stick to the basics of salt, sugar, rosemary, and pepper. I don't use lard. Believe it or not, I'm allergic to pork (weird, right?), so instead, I wrap the lamb tightly in cheese cloth and then tie it without the rendered fat. I still let it hang for 2 months and it turns out really well.
Really interesting video!! I do have a couple of questions though ... (1) When I made prosciutto, I took a heavy stick and really started beating on it before massaging the leg to get the blood out. Have you ever done this? (2) I see you did not press the leg. This is not necessary? (3) I see you put lard all over the leg. The lard does not go rancid after 2 months? Thank you!
Hello. Thank you for your good comment. 1. I did massage the leg very well. 2. I did not press the leg because lamb has a harder meat structure than pork and less fat and is much smaller. Pressing it would result in something like a cardboard in the end. 3. The lard is mixed with salt, paprika and pepper and did not go rancid. Maybe after 4-5 months it would have but not after 2 months. Regards.
Good traditional recipe BUT the amount of salt (120g) should be calculated from the weight of the meat , (min 3%) and at 8:50 in you add further ingredient without saying what. And the liberal salting at the end before storage .
I'm a 73 yr old spaniard been in Amerika since I was 18......grew up in NW Spain, the mountains of el Bierzo....we used to do something pretty much alike, we called cecina instead of .....the same thing but out of goat leg......and used only salt and allowed it to dry ....very dry.....much better than lamb.....
Thanks for the video, great stuff! What about humidity? You mention to hang in a dry place, but most cured meat should hang at around 80% humidity. My meat curing chamber runs at 80% humidity, is that ok to use?
Curing is best made in humidity between 65 and 80%. So you are close. My humidity was a bit under 65%. But the excess of humidity is the most dangerous. You can try to lower the humidity placing some salt rocks in that room.
Yes, I noted that too...and I also noted that the amount of salt relative to the leg of lamb was not stated. I have cured whole pieces of meat including prosciutto and the amount of salt that is used is typically 3% of the weight of the meat. The wine does help however, in that it is acidic (pH of wine typically 3.5 to 3.8) so it favours the good bacteria vs the bad bacteria. While the ancestors may have done this curing in the past by feel, I certainly believe in trying to be a bit more scientific, if for nothing else, then to reduce variability...AND it only takes once for botulism or listeria!
I’m hoping to try this recipe when we’re ready to butcher. If I left the cured leg whole...can I hang it out of a cooler without concern of it going bad, do you know? (65-70 degrees F)
Ideally, you're looking for a temperature between 50° and 60°F. That range is key. Anything above 60°F and you're creating an environment that bacteria loves (not the good kind). Anything below 50°F and the drying process slows to a crawl, affecting water activity.
@@naturetravelandfood2231 ...Thank you so much for the response and advice! My kitchen gets pretty cool in the colder months...but I’m thinking not that cold. I’ll have to a thermometer to really measure the temps in my spaces (kitchen and basement) to be sure.
In theory, yes. But you should have a clean dedicated fridge to prevent infectation with bacteria from other foods. Also you should have a higher temperature than a normal fridge ... more than 5 degrees celsius, humidity control and some ventilation.
What about just hang the lamp up outside in cabin-small house that do not rain in but is open for wind? temp is -5 to 10 Celsius also why nessisery to use lard?
Negative temperatures are not good. You should have 10-15C. If you don't use lard, the exterior layer of the lamb will dry too much and too much will be unusable. The lard will protect the lamb and instead of having 1cm of exterior layer too dry to use, you'll have 2 mm of dry lamb layer. Also lard protects from oxidation and bacteria.
You can make it without the wine and instead of lard just cover it with a thick layer of rock salt and spices. Just add a small amount of water into the salt and spices mixture just enough to make it stick to the meat.
@@OumyNeferti It might be a little late but a great replacement I got for lard was lamb tail fat. I ended up getting about 1kg at the butcher. Renders down beautifully, creates a wonderful boost to the already delicious lamb flavor and keeps it Halal.
