This was my cure project for the week.

Cured lamb breasts for bacon. A couple of them were cured with
sage, garlic, and black pepper, the other with long pepper and
allspice. Cured for 6 days, rinsed, dried, then lightly smoked over
cherry wood for 2 hours at 200F.

I will definitely do this again. Lamb breast is regularly priced at
$.99/lb fresh cryovaced. This is awesome stuff:

Bone-in:
http://i28.tinypic.com/161ffps.jpg
http://i27.tinypic.com/2j4f29u.jpg

Trimmed:
http://i26.tinypic.com/befv9d.jpg
http://i28.tinypic.com/1562sdl.jpg

I see Scotch broth in the near futu
http://i32.tinypic.com/2ry25v9.jpg

Next up: Lamb pancetta.

Sqwertz wrote:

> This was my cure project for the week.
>
> Cured lamb breasts for bacon. A couple of them were cured with
> sage, garlic, and black pepper, the other with long pepper and
> allspice. Cured for 6 days, rinsed, dried, then lightly smoked over
> cherry wood for 2 hours at 200F.
>
> I will definitely do this again. Lamb breast is regularly priced at
> $.99/lb fresh cryovaced. This is awesome stuff:
>
> Bone-in:
> http://i28.tinypic.com/161ffps.jpg
> http://i27.tinypic.com/2j4f29u.jpg
>
> Trimmed:
> http://i26.tinypic.com/befv9d.jpg
> http://i28.tinypic.com/1562sdl.jpg
>
> I see Scotch broth in the near futu
> http://i32.tinypic.com/2ry25v9.jpg
>
> Next up: Lamb pancetta.

This looks spectacular.

When I've done cured lamb, I had a good time trying
to mix it in with other ingredients. If you do it
right, not all dishes have to be a lamb-dominated dish
per se. I've used lamb bacon in wilted salads that came out
really nice. Also some stews. Other times the lamb did
dominate too much. The results were often surprising and
the fun part was experimenting.

On Sat, 05 Sep 2009 10:56:37 -0700, RegForte wrote:

> When I've done cured lamb, I had a good time trying
> to mix it in with other ingredients. If you do it
> right, not all dishes have to be a lamb-dominated dish
> per se. I've used lamb bacon in wilted salads that came out
> really nice. Also some stews. Other times the lamb did
> dominate too much. The results were often surprising and
> the fun part was experimenting.

This really isn't too lamby at all. And I only put a very light
smoke to it sp the smoke didn't dominate. The seasoning is also
pretty light, but boy - the upstairs sure smells awesome after
cooking up enough to have a BLT.

It's a tad salty after cooking shrinkage. I may try soaking them in
a couple waters for a few hours after the smoke finishes settling
in.

All in all, a very successful first try.

-sw

Sqwertz wrote:

> On Sat, 05 Sep 2009 10:56:37 -0700, RegForte wrote:
>
>
>>When I've done cured lamb, I had a good time trying
>>to mix it in with other ingredients. If you do it
>>right, not all dishes have to be a lamb-dominated dish
>>per se. I've used lamb bacon in wilted salads that came out
>>really nice. Also some stews. Other times the lamb did
>>dominate too much. The results were often surprising and
>>the fun part was experimenting.
>
>
> This really isn't too lamby at all. And I only put a very light
> smoke to it sp the smoke didn't dominate. The seasoning is also
> pretty light, but boy - the upstairs sure smells awesome after
> cooking up enough to have a BLT.
>

That's the key, isn't it. Balance balance balance. You want
just the right amount of smoke, salt and seasoning
if you're using it. The reason most mass market commercial
products in this category are so inferior is because one
or all of these elements are overdone. More is not always
better. And it's also why many people have a distorted view
of so many cured products. They've only tried the crude,
cheap supermarket stuff and not the real-deal artisanal
version.

> It's a tad salty after cooking shrinkage. I may try soaking them in
> a couple waters for a few hours after the smoke finishes settling
> in.
>

Another bullseye. After so many inconsistent attempts I've
learned that soaking can be your best friend. That's cause
getting the salt exactly right can be tricky, no matter how
much measuring you do, no matter what anybody says. It
takes a lot of pressure off when you have to commit days,
weeks, and even months to making something when you know
you can easily make adjustments at the end if needed.

After the curing phase I cook up a piece and taste. If
there's too much salt it gets soaked. If it's a long cure
I let it sit after soaking to re-equalize. Never fails.

> All in all, a very successful first try.
>


Awesome!

In article >,
Sqwertz > wrote:

> This was my cure project for the week.
>
> Cured lamb breasts for bacon. A couple of them were cured with
> sage, garlic, and black pepper, the other with long pepper and
> allspice. Cured for 6 days, rinsed, dried, then lightly smoked over
> cherry wood for 2 hours at 200F.
>
> I will definitely do this again. Lamb breast is regularly priced at
> $.99/lb fresh cryovaced. This is awesome stuff:
>
> Bone-in:
> http://i28.tinypic.com/161ffps.jpg
> http://i27.tinypic.com/2j4f29u.jpg
>
> Trimmed:
> http://i26.tinypic.com/befv9d.jpg
> http://i28.tinypic.com/1562sdl.jpg
>
> I see Scotch broth in the near futu
> http://i32.tinypic.com/2ry25v9.jpg
>
> Next up: Lamb pancetta.

This looks like a neat idea. The way mom always used lamb breast was to
roast it on a rack to roast most of the fat out of it, then use it to
make shepherds stew.
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein


Subscribe:

In article >,
RegForte > wrote:

> After the curing phase I cook up a piece and taste. If
> there's too much salt it gets soaked. If it's a long cure
> I let it sit after soaking to re-equalize. Never fails.

How long do you cure, and do you use a wet or dry cure?
I've only cured once and I've got another batch drying off right now for
smoking on Monday morning. I did a 5 day cure this time instead of 3
day (making Canadian bacon again) and am letting it dry for 3 in the
Hobart.

I'll use Mimosa again since that worked out so well, and I've finally
installed a temp gauge on my smoker. :-)

I've got some Beef Heart in the cure right now and it will have gone for
3 days but it will go directly into the smoker with no dry off time.
Well, maybe let it drain for a few hours... If I take it out Sunday
afternoon before going to work, that'll give it about 14 hours to drain.
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein


Subscribe:

On Sat, 05 Sep 2009 15:23:11 -0500, Omelet wrote:

> I've got some Beef Heart in the cure right now and it will have gone for
> 3 days but it will go directly into the smoker with no dry off time.
> Well, maybe let it drain for a few hours... If I take it out Sunday
> afternoon before going to work, that'll give it about 14 hours to drain.

I corned some beef heart once. Once was enough. It came out pretty
weird tasting - sand sweet for some reason.

http://i25.tinypic.com/zvq7wh.jpg

As you can see it doesn't cure as quickly as less dense muscles.

-sw

On Sat, 5 Sep 2009 12:45:40 -0500, Sqwertz >
wrote:

>This was my cure project for the week.
>
>Cured lamb breasts for bacon. A couple of them were cured with
>sage, garlic, and black pepper, the other with long pepper and
>allspice. Cured for 6 days, rinsed, dried, then lightly smoked over
>cherry wood for 2 hours at 200F.
>
>I will definitely do this again. Lamb breast is regularly priced at
>$.99/lb fresh cryovaced. This is awesome stuff:
>
>Bone-in:
>http://i28.tinypic.com/161ffps.jpg
>http://i27.tinypic.com/2j4f29u.jpg
>
>Trimmed:
>http://i26.tinypic.com/befv9d.jpg
>http://i28.tinypic.com/1562sdl.jpg
>
>I see Scotch broth in the near futu
>http://i32.tinypic.com/2ry25v9.jpg
>
>Next up: Lamb pancetta.

That looks wonderful. I'm looking forward to seeing the pancetta.

koko
--

There is no love more sincere than the love of food
George Bernard Shaw
www.kokoscorner.typepad.com
updated 08/31

Sqwertz wrote:
> This was my cure project for the week.
>
> Cured lamb breasts for bacon. A couple of them were cured with
> sage, garlic, and black pepper, the other with long pepper and
> allspice. Cured for 6 days, rinsed, dried, then lightly smoked over
> cherry wood for 2 hours at 200F.
>
> I will definitely do this again. Lamb breast is regularly priced at
> $.99/lb fresh cryovaced. This is awesome stuff:
>
> Bone-in:
> http://i28.tinypic.com/161ffps.jpg
> http://i27.tinypic.com/2j4f29u.jpg
>
> Trimmed:
> http://i26.tinypic.com/befv9d.jpg
> http://i28.tinypic.com/1562sdl.jpg
>
> I see Scotch broth in the near futu
> http://i32.tinypic.com/2ry25v9.jpg
>
> Next up: Lamb pancetta.

Looks good! I wonder how it would be in a bread salad with tomatoes,
oregano, and feta cheese.

Bob

In article >,
RegForte > wrote:

> Sqwertz wrote:
>
> > This was my cure project for the week.
> >
> > Cured lamb breasts for bacon. A couple of them were cured with
> > sage, garlic, and black pepper, the other with long pepper and
> > allspice. Cured for 6 days, rinsed, dried, then lightly smoked over
> > cherry wood for 2 hours at 200F.
>
snip-
> > Next up: Lamb pancetta.
>
> This looks spectacular.
>
> When I've done cured lamb, I had a good time trying
> to mix it in with other ingredients. If you do it
> right, not all dishes have to be a lamb-dominated dish
> per se. I've used lamb bacon in wilted salads that came out
> really nice. Also some stews. Other times the lamb did
> dominate too much. The results were often surprising and
> the fun part was experimenting.

Cured and smoked lamb, kid, goat, and mutton are all called kastradina
(despite their obvious differences) in the lands along the Eastern
Adriatic. It is used a lot in soups with cabbage, kale, beans and/or
potatoes. I like to smoke lamb shanks which braise well and can also
give soups and stews good body. The Croatian word for bacon (at least in
Dalmatia) is 'panceta' whether it is smoked or not. The rib photos look
so good I think I will give them another chance in the form of bacon. I
tried slow cooking lamb ribs for several hours but they were still too
fatty.

D.M.

In article >,
Sqwertz > wrote:

> On Sat, 05 Sep 2009 15:23:11 -0500, Omelet wrote:
>
> > I've got some Beef Heart in the cure right now and it will have gone for
> > 3 days but it will go directly into the smoker with no dry off time.
> > Well, maybe let it drain for a few hours... If I take it out Sunday
> > afternoon before going to work, that'll give it about 14 hours to drain.
>
> I corned some beef heart once. Once was enough. It came out pretty
> weird tasting - sand sweet for some reason.
>
> http://i25.tinypic.com/zvq7wh.jpg
>
> As you can see it doesn't cure as quickly as less dense muscles.
>
> -sw

Interesting results. Did you finish it by smoking? That's my intent.

And yes, I'll take completed pics. <g>
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein


Subscribe:

On Sat, 5 Sep 2009 12:45:40 -0500, Sqwertz wrote:

> This was my cure project for the week.
>
> Cured lamb breasts for bacon. A couple of them were cured with
> sage, garlic, and black pepper, the other with long pepper and
> allspice. Cured for 6 days, rinsed, dried, then lightly smoked over
> cherry wood for 2 hours at 200F.
>
> I will definitely do this again. Lamb breast is regularly priced at
> $.99/lb fresh cryovaced. This is awesome stuff:
>
> Bone-in:
> http://i28.tinypic.com/161ffps.jpg
> http://i27.tinypic.com/2j4f29u.jpg
>
> Trimmed:
> http://i26.tinypic.com/befv9d.jpg
> http://i28.tinypic.com/1562sdl.jpg
>
> I see Scotch broth in the near futu
> http://i32.tinypic.com/2ry25v9.jpg
>
> Next up: Lamb pancetta.

i'll confess i've never heard of lamb bacon. i thought there was something
wonky about lamb fat that made it inadvisable.

still, you can't argue with success.

your pal,
blake

On Sun, 06 Sep 2009 11:27:01 -0500, Omelet wrote:

> In article >,
> Sqwertz > wrote:
>
>> http://i25.tinypic.com/zvq7wh.jpg
>>
>> As you can see it doesn't cure as quickly as less dense muscles.
>
> Interesting results. Did you finish it by smoking? That's my intent.

It doesn't look like I smoked that one. That would just make
leather, IMO.

-sw

On Sun, 6 Sep 2009 12:54:10 -0400, blake murphy wrote:

> i'll confess i've never heard of lamb bacon. i thought there was something
> wonky about lamb fat that made it inadvisable.

Some people don't like the taste of lamb because of the fat. I
don't think lamb is nearly as gamey tasting as it was when I was
half my age. Probably because American raised lamb is getting
mellower die to feeding regimens (just like pork and beef did).

Imported spring lamb from NZ or AU is usually gamier (and I actually
prefer it).

-sw

In article >,
Sqwertz > wrote:

> On Sun, 06 Sep 2009 11:27:01 -0500, Omelet wrote:
>
> > In article >,
> > Sqwertz > wrote:
> >
> >> http://i25.tinypic.com/zvq7wh.jpg
> >>
> >> As you can see it doesn't cure as quickly as less dense muscles.
> >
> > Interesting results. Did you finish it by smoking? That's my intent.
>
> It doesn't look like I smoked that one. That would just make
> leather, IMO.
>
> -sw

I'll at least take pics of the done items. The heart has been brining
for 3 days and it'll go pretty much directly to the smoker, but will get
some drain time.
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein


Subscribe:

"blake murphy" > wrote in message
>
> i'll confess i've never heard of lamb bacon. i thought there was
> something
> wonky about lamb fat that made it inadvisable.
>
> still, you can't argue with success.

Lamb fat always tasted wonky to me. The lamb bacon looks good, but I'd want
to taste a tiny bit before making any.

On Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:52:06 -0700, Ranee at Arabian Knits
> wrote:

>In article >,
> Sqwertz > wrote:
>
>> This was my cure project for the week.
>>
>> Cured lamb breasts for bacon. A couple of them were cured with
>> sage, garlic, and black pepper, the other with long pepper and
>> allspice. Cured for 6 days, rinsed, dried, then lightly smoked over
>> cherry wood for 2 hours at 200F.
>
> Sounds wonderful! Do you have any more detailed instructions?
>
>> I will definitely do this again. Lamb breast is regularly priced at
>> $.99/lb fresh cryovaced.
>
> The only way we seem to get lamb breast is when we butcher. It is
>wonderful, but not nearly as inexpensive as that.
>
>Regards,
>Ranee @ Arabian Knits
>

I found lamb breast at under a dollar a pound at the market this
weekend. In fact, after a bit of trimming, I marinated and grilled
them as riblets. Nice stuff.

In fact, I got a veal breast at about the same price and though I
usually stuff it, I treated it the same as the lamb, trimming it,
marinating and grilling as ribs.

Boron

On Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:52:06 -0700, Ranee at Arabian Knits wrote:

> In article >,
> Sqwertz > wrote:
>
>> This was my cure project for the week.
>>
>> Cured lamb breasts for bacon. A couple of them were cured with
>> sage, garlic, and black pepper, the other with long pepper and
>> allspice. Cured for 6 days, rinsed, dried, then lightly smoked over
>> cherry wood for 2 hours at 200F.
>
> Sounds wonderful! Do you have any more detailed instructions?

Read the first part of the book, "Charcuterie". All will be
revealed.

My copy of the book was checked out from the library and I lost it.
So now I have to buy two copies of the book.

-sw

On Tue, 8 Sep 2009 22:07:22 -0500, Sqwertz >
wrote:

>On Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:52:06 -0700, Ranee at Arabian Knits wrote:
>
>> In article >,
>> Sqwertz > wrote:
>>
>>> This was my cure project for the week.
>>>
>>> Cured lamb breasts for bacon. A couple of them were cured with
>>> sage, garlic, and black pepper, the other with long pepper and
>>> allspice. Cured for 6 days, rinsed, dried, then lightly smoked over
>>> cherry wood for 2 hours at 200F.
>>
>> Sounds wonderful! Do you have any more detailed instructions?
>
>Read the first part of the book, "Charcuterie". All will be
>revealed.
>
>My copy of the book was checked out from the library and I lost it.
>So now I have to buy two copies of the book.
>
Our copy of Stephen Pyles' "New Tastes of Texas" was checked out of
the university library in 1994. It's been renewed at the end of every
term since then. Nobody has asked us to surrender it yet, though it is
their right if they want it.

So did you use Ruhlman's pork belly cure for the lamb breasts? Last
time I made pork belly bacon, I smoked it a little bit too long and
too hot. The fat began to render in the smoker, so it's pretty
disgusting to handle. The taste is fine, though.
--

modom

On Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:25:12 -0500, modom (palindrome guy) wrote:

> So did you use Ruhlman's pork belly cure for the lamb breasts?

I used the "basic dry cure" using half the sugar (4oz instead of
eight, IIRC). Plus I used the aromatics mentioned somewhere above.

-sw

blake murphy wrote:

> On Sat, 5 Sep 2009 12:45:40 -0500, Sqwertz wrote:
>
>> This was my cure project for the week.
>>
>> Cured lamb breasts for bacon. A couple of them were cured with
>> sage, garlic, and black pepper, the other with long pepper and
>> allspice. Cured for 6 days, rinsed, dried, then lightly smoked over
>> cherry wood for 2 hours at 200F.
>>
>> I will definitely do this again. Lamb breast is regularly priced at
>> $.99/lb fresh cryovaced. This is awesome stuff:
>>
>> Bone-in:
>> http://i28.tinypic.com/161ffps.jpg
>> http://i27.tinypic.com/2j4f29u.jpg
>>
>> Trimmed:
>> http://i26.tinypic.com/befv9d.jpg
>> http://i28.tinypic.com/1562sdl.jpg
>>
>> I see Scotch broth in the near futu
>> http://i32.tinypic.com/2ry25v9.jpg
>>
>> Next up: Lamb pancetta.
>
> i'll confess i've never heard of lamb bacon. i thought there was
> something wonky about lamb fat that made it inadvisable.
>
> still, you can't argue with success.


I bet that the *lamb* could...


--
Best
Greg

On Wed, 9 Sep 2009 17:34:00 -0500, Gregory Morrow wrote:

> blake murphy wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 5 Sep 2009 12:45:40 -0500, Sqwertz wrote:
>>
>>> This was my cure project for the week.
>>>
>>> Cured lamb breasts for bacon. A couple of them were cured with
>>> sage, garlic, and black pepper, the other with long pepper and
>>> allspice. Cured for 6 days, rinsed, dried, then lightly smoked over
>>> cherry wood for 2 hours at 200F.
>>>
>>> I will definitely do this again. Lamb breast is regularly priced at
>>> $.99/lb fresh cryovaced. This is awesome stuff:
>>>
>>> Bone-in:
>>> http://i28.tinypic.com/161ffps.jpg
>>> http://i27.tinypic.com/2j4f29u.jpg
>>>
>>> Trimmed:
>>> http://i26.tinypic.com/befv9d.jpg
>>> http://i28.tinypic.com/1562sdl.jpg
>>>
>>> I see Scotch broth in the near futu
>>> http://i32.tinypic.com/2ry25v9.jpg
>>>
>>> Next up: Lamb pancetta.
>>
>> i'll confess i've never heard of lamb bacon. i thought there was
>> something wonky about lamb fat that made it inadvisable.
>>
>> still, you can't argue with success.
>
> I bet that the *lamb* could...

the time for the lamb to argue was long before it was made into bacon.

blake

I've heard that if you use female lamb, the bacon will come out much less gamey for those who don't like that.

And on a side note, if you've got Kosher or Halal friends, they can eat this. It may be the first time in their lives they've tasted bacon!