My first try at a full prosciutto. Been thinking about it for several months, reading and watching videos, and now everything seemed to fall into place. With the help of some friends, I now have an extra fridge in the garage for the initial salt cure. I also now have two wine coolers in the basement that I've tinkered with. One is now a cool curing chamber, and the other is heated with a flat, reptile heating pad, for blooming sausage. Both have analog Johnson Control units attached that keep the temperatures pretty steady.
Then yesterday I was in my local business Costco (geared more like a restaurant and business supply store) looking to see the prices on corned brisket packers, when I stumbled upon 2 whole, skin-on pork legs. I bought the biggest one, 22.5 pounds at $1.09 lb, and now I'm kind of kicking myself that I didn't grab the smaller one as well. Oh well.
I don't know what whole legs go for in other parts of the country, but the best I found earlier was $2 lb, and that had to be special-ordered.
Trimmed, it came to a little less than 19.5 lbs. Had fun removing that Aitch bone.
Back side.
Packed securely with 3 lbs. of Kosher salt. I debated about using Cure #2. I read the arguments here for and against. In the end, I decided to use it, feeling better to be safe, than sorry.
Now it's in the fridge with a load of bricks on top. I'll keep an eye on it, and drain any liquid in the next few days.
Hopefully, sometime in 2018, we'll have something good.
Then yesterday I was in my local business Costco (geared more like a restaurant and business supply store) looking to see the prices on corned brisket packers, when I stumbled upon 2 whole, skin-on pork legs. I bought the biggest one, 22.5 pounds at $1.09 lb, and now I'm kind of kicking myself that I didn't grab the smaller one as well. Oh well.
I don't know what whole legs go for in other parts of the country, but the best I found earlier was $2 lb, and that had to be special-ordered.
Trimmed, it came to a little less than 19.5 lbs. Had fun removing that Aitch bone.
Back side.
Packed securely with 3 lbs. of Kosher salt. I debated about using Cure #2. I read the arguments here for and against. In the end, I decided to use it, feeling better to be safe, than sorry.
Now it's in the fridge with a load of bricks on top. I'll keep an eye on it, and drain any liquid in the next few days.
Hopefully, sometime in 2018, we'll have something good.
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