I cured this with the standard equilibrium cure ratios for over two weeks, then let it hang in my chamber until it reached 35% loss (it’s actually a little past that mark I was out of town). The center of the meat still looks too pink to me. It also has that sheen that fresh beef sometimes has. It smells delicious, I’m not really sure if it’s safe to eat though. The bresaola I’ve made in the past has been more uniformly red. It looks to me like I need to use different chamber settings but these settings have done well on several other projects. Please let me know your thoughts…
by leguardschuck
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Photo Description: Bresaola that I’m not sure about. It received the standard equilibrium cure followed by hanging until 35% weight loss was achieved.
I’ve had similar issues, maybe not as red as yours. I got myself a vacuum sealer and all my cures now get at least a month sealed in the fridge to get more uniform humidity. Works wonders.
I’d try yours and if it’s too raw (it’s whole muscle, if it smells good it should be good) I’d leave it to dry just a bit more, or a Ziploc bag. That’s what I did once before getting the vac sealer
The sheen doesnt concern me, that happens to my cured meats that are well below the safe aW levels. However, the feel of your bresaola can tell you a lot about it being ‘done’ or ‘ready’. Did you use cure #2?
If its pretty soft maybe let it sit longer to dry out or like others have said, vacuum seal it for 2-3 weeks and see what it looks like then.
I cure everything a month minimum after under curing some brisket. With an equilibrium cure, it’s fine to go way long.
Two things I think I see, the fat may have needed some more trimming. Fat retains moisture longer* itself but also slows the water loss for any lean that it surrounds. The other thing I see is that you could also try coating the outside with antioxidants like fresh thyme, bay leaf, or rosemary to slow oxidation specifically on the lean side.
Your bresaola isn’t uniform because of the fat cap on one side. Fat doesn’t really lose moisture, and moisture from the meat doesn’t really move through the fat.
So all your moisture is moving through one side, ipso facto, it’s not uniform. It also looks like you have a slight bit of case hardening as the outside ring is *really* dark, which will really slow moisture loss or potentially lock it in.
But, if it reached its target weight, just vacum seal it. By the book, it should be vacuum-sealed for half the time it took to dry cure.
Uneven drying but should definitely be fine to eat.
If it smells delicious, it most likely is!
How thick was the original piece of meat? I usually only do my Breseola for 2 weeks and they are fine.
What salt and sugar content did you use?
Also the sheen is usually always fine. It’s to do with the protein of the meat. It’s only an issue when it’s caused by slimy moisture meaning it’s rotten.