I've been sticking to curing pork tenderloins for the past few months. They are incredibly easy and very tasty; tough combination to beat. Just for kicks I decided to cure some beef and picked up some pretty eye of rounds. They started out at about 3 lbs each and got a standard cure with Morton Tender Quick, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder and some red chili flakes. I let the cure take for about ten days and then air dried for about a month. Everything cured up very well. I ended up fighting a little mold but it was nothing that a few washes with vinegar couldn't handle.
I was first struck by how pretty these guys were. The second thing I noticed was how bland they tasted. Maybe it's because I am just getting over a cold and my taste buds are dead but these guys taste like nothing! These will definitely be part of a side platter with pickles and olives and not a centerpiece. At least the project kept me entertained for a while. Happy curing!
I make a ton of bresaola and lonzino, and since those cuts are so lean, I've found that the speices need to be amped up big time.
ReplyDeleteDuring curing I double the spices, and then after rinsing, I liberally cover the meat and rub it in well before putting it in casing to hang.
Give it a shot.. it really creates deep flavor
PCP, thanks for stopping by. I've been reading your posts...love the pickles.
ReplyDeleteOf course you are right about the need to amp up the spices. I guess what suprised me was that I expected this to at least taste like super concentrated beef and even that was missing. We'll see what happenes next time.
Good luck with the new job.