A year ago my dad dropped off several deer and an elk to my deep freeze. I had multiple deer legs(hams) so I looked up “venison prosciutto” recipes. I cured three legs with spices and #2 cure until it lost about 10-12% weight. Then I washed them off, dried them with a fan for about 5 hours, coated them with leaf lard and pepper and hung them in a meat curing chamber at 72% RH and 55°F until they had lost 35% of their initial raw weight. Then I coated them in beeswax, left them in the chamber for another two months at 40% RH at 55°F and then hung them in my basement at approximately 68°F and 35% RH for the past 4 months. I am planning to leave them hanging for two years. Question...I was following a Norwegian recipe...which is why I did the beeswax...I am assuming...like the lard...this creates an isolated environment...so, since it’s cured and lost 35% of the weight...it’s okay to age at 68°F? ...or should it still be at 55°F. I was thinking that 500 years ago...aging prosciutto got warm in the summer in italy..so this would be okay....
side note...i know venison prosciutto is not actually called “prosciutto.”....this is just the laymen’s term ;)
side note...i know venison prosciutto is not actually called “prosciutto.”....this is just the laymen’s term ;)