How to make bresaola - in pictures
Spiced, air-dried beef makes a great first project for the novice home curer of meats
• Food blog: the full written method
• Food blog: the full written method
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1. Ask your butcher for the main muscle in the Top Round. This is from the top of the leg, usually regarded as a second class roast but excellently lean and close textured - ideal for our purposes
Photograph: Tim Hayward/Guardian
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2. Trim off all the surface fat and silverskin. Be merciless, it all makes for great stock. Don't try to remove the single vein of silverskin running throught the centre of the muscle - everything will fall apart if you do
Photograph: Tim Hayward/Guardian
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3. Make up your dry cure from 100g of coarse salt, 100g of sugar, 5g black pepper and 5g of Prague Powder #2. You can go off piste with the aromatics if you like but I favour the traditional rosemary and juniper. Put the lot through the grinder and reserve half the cure in an airtight jar
Photograph: Tim Hayward/Guardian
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4. Rub half the cure into the surface of the meat
Photograph: Tim Hayward/Guardian
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5. ...and seal it into a freezer bag. Place the meat in the fridge and allow to marinate, turning daily. The dry cure will dissolve as the meat gives up its liquid. After a week, take the meat out of the bag, dry it with a paper towel and then rub with the second half of the cure. Reseal and marinate for another week.
Photograph: Tim Hayward/Guardian
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6. Remove any remaining cure and pat dry with paper towels. Tie two pieces of string vertically around the meat...
Photograph: Tim Hayward/Guardian
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7. Tie a series of butchers knots horizontally around the meat
Photograph: Tim Hayward/Guardian
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8. and then wrap in clean muslin
Photograph: Tim Hayward/Guardian
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9. and label clearly with date and weight
Photograph: Tim Hayward/Guardian
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10. Hang in a cool place, not too dry - I hang mine in a north-facing kitchen window over the sink - for 3 weeks or until it loses 30% of its weight
Photograph: Tim Hayward/Guardian
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11. Slice paper thin
Photograph: Tim Hayward/Guardian
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12. Best served naked or with with a little olive oil and lemon juice
Photograph: Tim Hayward/Guardian
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