You'll have to excuse the gaps in my narration, I've been sitting on these pictures for a while as I've been super busy. I even missed the last throwdown as my life has just been nuts lately. Anywho...I've done some charcuterie in my curing chamber, and I started with something easy: lonza (pork loin).
I purchased a basic pork loin from Sam's Club...super cheap.
I split it in half, so that I could try two different flavors. One half would be a pepper lonza, the other would be an orange-fennel lonza.
I used the salt box method, meaning that you roll the muscle around in a box of salt, and whatever sticks is the "right amount."
This was the pepper lonza, so I ground up some fresh pepper.
I coated the loin in the pepper, and set it in the fridge under some weights for a few days. Pics of this should be with the other lonza post I write later.
After the time in the fridge, I rinsed the old salt and pepper off, and then rinsed the loin with some white wine and rubbed it in.
A fresh coat of pepper went on.
I weighed the loin, and calculated my 30% weight loss target.
Here they are with some hog jowls (guanciale, and in yet another post I have to write).
A few weeks later, they were ready! I hit my target weight and pulled it from the chamber.
A couple of shots: one with the flash, and one without.
This turned out pretty nice! I sliced it up for a gathering of my buddies as part of a charcuterie course, and it was well received. Lonza is a great way to check out your curing chamber, as pork loins are very inexpensive! If it doesn't work out, you haven't wasted too much money!
I purchased a basic pork loin from Sam's Club...super cheap.
I split it in half, so that I could try two different flavors. One half would be a pepper lonza, the other would be an orange-fennel lonza.
I used the salt box method, meaning that you roll the muscle around in a box of salt, and whatever sticks is the "right amount."
This was the pepper lonza, so I ground up some fresh pepper.
I coated the loin in the pepper, and set it in the fridge under some weights for a few days. Pics of this should be with the other lonza post I write later.
After the time in the fridge, I rinsed the old salt and pepper off, and then rinsed the loin with some white wine and rubbed it in.
A fresh coat of pepper went on.
I weighed the loin, and calculated my 30% weight loss target.
Here they are with some hog jowls (guanciale, and in yet another post I have to write).
A few weeks later, they were ready! I hit my target weight and pulled it from the chamber.
A couple of shots: one with the flash, and one without.
This turned out pretty nice! I sliced it up for a gathering of my buddies as part of a charcuterie course, and it was well received. Lonza is a great way to check out your curing chamber, as pork loins are very inexpensive! If it doesn't work out, you haven't wasted too much money!
