Murray went into the woods recently and Bambi got a big surprise.
A leg of venison, skin and hoof on was delivered in muslin one evening. I decided to let Bambi settle in the refrigerator for a week. Then Bambi was butchered to resemble a leg of pork. The result was 5.8kg leg of venison. Bambi was cured like prosciutto, that is to say, rubbed with No. 2 Curing Salt, crushed juniper and pepper. Bambi was immersed in salt. The question was, for how long? Prosciutto is immersed in salt for 1 day/kg. However, my feeling was that Bambi, being red meat and wild game, would need some more. In the event, after much consultation and research (which did little to resolve the question) I settled on three weeks. I changed the salt after one week because it looked a bit grungy. After three weeks the meat was firm but not too hard.
Bambi is now in the curing chamber with Gillian, Gladys and Marilyn.
I will cover Bambi with a lard and flour mixture once the meat is hard and dry. Without that step I think it will dry out too much and too fast. How long will Bambi undergo air drying? I think until 30% weight loss at least.
Standby.
