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Making Duck Prosciutto

Posted on 2/10/15 at 12:50 pm
Posted by gorillacoco
Baton Rouge
Member since Oct 2009
5318 posts
Posted on 2/10/15 at 12:50 pm
I considered putting this on the F&D board instead, but I think it applies more to the OB since it involves wild duck. Anyway I got a charcuterie book for Christmas and one of the recipes in it is duck prosciutto so I gave it a try.



Early in the duck season I had a couple of gray ducks that were in great shape and had a thick layer of fat, so I (luckily) saved the breasts with the skin on. The recipe in the book is incredibly simple: you basically salt the meat for 24 hours and then hang them in cheesecloth at 50-60 degrees for 4-6 days. The salt draws a LOT of moisture out of the meat, so when i went to hang them they looked almost cooked.





I had my doubts when they were hanging b/c the tenders (the thin strips of meat) from the back of the breast dried out completely after about 2 days and when I tried them they basically tasted like crappy beef jerky.

Anyway this is one of the breasts after hanging from Sunday to last Saturday.



Frankly I was shocked at how good they were since I thought I'd screwed it up entirely after eating the tenders. They taste a little like a mixture of meat and cheese actually. The fat adds a whole lot to the taste so I don't know how good it would be with bare breast meat (which I have a lot more of). Anyway I just thought I would pass it on to you guys since people are looking for new recipes on here all the time.
Posted by OTIS2
NoLA
Member since Jul 2008
50082 posts
Posted on 2/10/15 at 12:53 pm to
Posted by Creamer
louisiana
Member since Jul 2010
2817 posts
Posted on 2/10/15 at 12:56 pm to
That looks awesome. Did you worry about humidity at all?
Posted by gorillacoco
Baton Rouge
Member since Oct 2009
5318 posts
Posted on 2/10/15 at 12:58 pm to
Not really. I figured it was humid enough in LA that I didn't have to worry about it. If i really get into this stuff I might consider converting an old fridge to control temp and humidity but they came out fine this time. Not to say it couldn't be improved.
Posted by bbvdd
Memphis, TN
Member since Jun 2009
24928 posts
Posted on 2/10/15 at 1:05 pm to
very
Posted by CajunCommander
FloodZone
Member since Jan 2015
1843 posts
Posted on 2/10/15 at 1:08 pm to
nice
Posted by PapaPogey
Baton Rouge
Member since Apr 2008
39420 posts
Posted on 2/10/15 at 1:10 pm to
That just doesn't look or seem appetizing to me at all.

ETA: solid effort though
This post was edited on 2/10/15 at 1:21 pm
Posted by Creamer
louisiana
Member since Jul 2010
2817 posts
Posted on 2/10/15 at 1:10 pm to
I need to give it a shot. I got too caught up in reading about it rather than just trying it. What are you going to try next?
Posted by KingRanch
The Ranch
Member since Mar 2012
61590 posts
Posted on 2/10/15 at 1:11 pm to
I heard you were doing this. I lol'd.
Posted by Redfish2010
Member since Jul 2007
15168 posts
Posted on 2/10/15 at 1:17 pm to
A for effort.
Posted by LSUballs
RayVegas LA
Member since Feb 2008
37712 posts
Posted on 2/10/15 at 1:20 pm to
Neat-o
Posted by gorillacoco
Baton Rouge
Member since Oct 2009
5318 posts
Posted on 2/10/15 at 1:22 pm to
quote:

What are you going to try next?


They have a recipe for brining and cooking the legs all day in whats called a confit. I don't know shite about it yet but I do have a metric ton of duck legs so it seems like a natural choice.
Posted by 34venture
Buffer Zone
Member since Mar 2010
11369 posts
Posted on 2/10/15 at 1:37 pm to
quote:

confit


Is legit, a lot of work, but it's fantastic.
Posted by Citica8
Duckroost, LA
Member since Dec 2012
3665 posts
Posted on 2/10/15 at 1:45 pm to
How do you plan on eating the prosciutto?

Just as a snack like eating jerky or do you plan on serving it in dishes.
Posted by gorillacoco
Baton Rouge
Member since Oct 2009
5318 posts
Posted on 2/10/15 at 1:58 pm to
basically like on an antipasta tray with cheese and crackers and shite.
Posted by Citica8
Duckroost, LA
Member since Dec 2012
3665 posts
Posted on 2/10/15 at 2:14 pm to
Makes sense.
Posted by eyepooted
Member since Jul 2010
5717 posts
Posted on 2/10/15 at 2:20 pm to
Looks excellent.

to trying new things with wild game.
Posted by AngryBeavers
Member since Jun 2012
4554 posts
Posted on 2/10/15 at 2:22 pm to
Is 6 days really long enough? I know regular authentic Prosciutto hangs for a year at least.
Posted by gorillacoco
Baton Rouge
Member since Oct 2009
5318 posts
Posted on 2/10/15 at 2:27 pm to
Recipe called for 4-5 days, adding a couple of days if necessary to dry it out a little more. It came out fine after 6 days. But I'm no expert, just following the recipe.
Posted by gorillacoco
Baton Rouge
Member since Oct 2009
5318 posts
Posted on 2/10/15 at 2:27 pm to
The duck breast is tiny compared to an entire ham though, so it may take that long to dry out the whole ham.
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