Phil wrote:

> Has anyone ever made their own Bresaola [A cured beef originating in
> Lombardy, Italy similar in appearance to prosciutto. Bresaola is aged
> 2-3 months until it becomes very hard and a dark red color. It is
> traditionally served sliced very thin and dressed with olive oil, lemon
> juice and freshly ground black pepper.]? I am about to attempt to make
> a recipe from Mario Batali's Babbo cookbook. It is a duck bresaola. It
> does not specify whether to remove the fat or not. From other articles
> I have read online (regarding the traditional beef version), the fat is
> always trimmed. So, I was not sure what to do.
>

Funny to hear Mario using a term like "Duck Bresaola". He's
normally a traditionalist about these things, or so I thought.

Trim the big hunks of fat, but it's ok to leave a little bit.
I always leave some when curing beef or duck.

> Also, if anyone has made any of their own cured meats and has any
> advice for a newbie (for example: what to expect as far as mold
> growth), I would appreciate it. Thanks.

The amount of mold you get depends a lot on the humidity
level of your drying environment. I try and keep it about
60-65% RH. 70% tops. Go much above that for long and you'll
get mold.

If you do get some mold, you can either leave it on or wipe
it off with a bit of vinegar. Unless you're doing something
incredibly wrong, the mold that appears is harmless.

You also don't want the environment too dry either. If
you go below 50% for long you'll get "case hardening",
where it forms a kind of shell on the surface. That's
no bueno.

One of the best online best sources on the subject of dry
curing is here. He's got a killer bresaola recipe and
much more.

http://home.pacbell.net/lpoli/

--
Reg