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Duck Prosciutto

Ingredients

  • 1 whole boneless duck break, skin on, split, ~ 1 lb
  • ~ 450 grams (~ 2 cups) kosher salt (or as needed)
  • 1.5 grams freshly ground white pepper
  • cheesecloth

Directions

  1. Put ~225 grams (~1 cup) of salt into a nonreactive disk that will hold the duck breasts without touching.
  2. Place duck breasts skin side up on top of the salt. The higher the fit the less salt you'll need, but be sure that the pieces don't touch each other.
  3. Pour enough additional salt over the duck breasts so the pieces are completely covered.
  4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.
  5. Remove the duck from the salt, rinse thoroughly, and pat completely dry with paper towels. The flesh should feel dense and its color will have deepened.
  6. Dust the breasts on both sides with white pepper.
  7. Wrap each breast in a layer of cheesecloth and tie with string.
  8. Hang the duck breasts for 7 days in a cool, humid place (about 50-60 F is optimal). The flesh should be stiff but not hard throughout. the color will be a deep rich red. If the breasts still feel squishy (raw) in the center, hang for a day or two longer as needed.
  9. Remove the cheesecloth, wrap the breasts in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to serve. The duck will keep refrigerated for several weeks or more.
  10. Serve thinly sliced like prosciutto. Optionally with Parmigiano-Reggiano, arugula, and lemon juice. Optionally serve with salad.

Notes

  • Tye type and size of the duck aren't critical, but some suggestions are:
    • Pekin (Long Island) duck breasts - Less fat than Moulard duck breasts.
    • Magret Moulard duck breasts - Cross bred from Muscovy and Pekin ducks and raised for foie gras. Have a thick layer of fat but the meat itself is very lean.

References

  • Adapted from Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman & Brian Polcyn

History

  • 2015.11.26:
    • Mary's Free Range Duck Breast from Bianchini's; 12.75 oz @ $14.27 / lb = $11.37
    • Actual weight: 12.40 oz (removed one 0.35 oz tender).
    • Put in fridge on 2015.11.26 @ 14:00, removed on 2015.11.27 at 22:00. Refrigerated for 32 hours. Weighed 11.25 oz, so lost 1.15 oz of water weight in the fridge. The meat had shrunk considerably, the fat had not, the meat was almost the same thickness as the fat. Hung in garage, the outside temp was 37 and humidity was 79%.
    • Removed from garage on 2015.12.11 @ 18:30. Aged for 14 days. Meat is very dark purple on the outside and radish-purple on the inside. Tasty but very salty.

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