I love duck! I also love prosciutto! So when I started toying with curing meats a few years ago, this process has been my go-to for duck prosciutto.
Traditionally, prosciutto is a salt cured and dry aged Italian ham with a delicate buttery texture. In this duck version, Chef Roberto Leoci spins the story a little differently by using a fresh duck breast and a few simple ingredients. The only thing you may find difficult with his technique…is the waiting.
Here's what you will need:
2 (8 ounce) Fresh Duck Breasts
1 cup Sea Salt (can substitute kosher salt)
1 cup Brown Sugar (I use light, but you can also use dark)
2 Tbl Fennel Seeds
2 Tbl Ground Mace (you can substitute Allspice)
2 Tbl Pickling Spice (you can substitute Chinese Five Spice)
2 Tbl Fresh Rosemary Leaves
2 Tbl Fresh Thyme Leaves
2 Tbl Fresh Sage Leaves, torn into pieces
Cheesecloth
Butcher’s twine
2 weeks time of your patience!
Time is wasting, let's make some prosciutto!
Score the duck breast. Using a sharp knife, score the duck breasts by lightly drawing the knife across the skin and through the fat cap in diagonal lines equally spaced ½-inch to 1-inch apart. The cuts should be 1/8-inch to1/4-inch deep depending on the thickness of the skin and fat cap. Next make diagonal cuts in the opposite direction with equal width and depth. You will end up with a diamond pattern.
Mixing the dry ingredients. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the salt, sugar, fennel, mace and pickling spice.
Coating the duck breasts. Massage the spice mixture into the duck breasts. Cover the duck breasts with the salt mixture and place in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator and gently brush off any excess salt mixture.
Assemble the fresh herbs.
Prepare to wrap the spiced duck breasts. Cut two pieces of double thickness cheesecloth that are large enough to completely cover each spiced duck breast. Working with one duck breast at a time, lay out one of the pieces of cheesecloth on a flat surface. Prepare the herbs by removing from stems and tearing into pieces. Divide the herbs equally into two portions and place one evenly on a section in the middle of the cheesecloth. Next place the spiced duck breast onto the herbs.
Wrap the spiced duck breasts into bundles. Wrap the cheesecloth around the breast like a package, being careful to completely cover the breast. Repeat step with the second breast.
Tying and hanging the duck breast bundles. Cut two lengths of butcher’s twine long enough to securely tie each of the duck breast bundles up, be sure to leave a long tail at the end. This doesn’t need to be fancy as shown here by Roberto. Hang the duck breast bundles in a dry place for 2 weeks (a basement, garage or pantry work well). Test for doneness by pressing your finger against the breast. When cured, there will not be any give in the meat when pressed with your finger. If the breasts are still soft, allow to hang for another week and test again.
Congratulations! You have just made duck prosciutto! To serve, slice very thinly for best flavor and texture.
Note:
Wrapping the duck breasts in cheesecloth helps speed up the drying process.
Another method to gauge doneness is to weigh each duck bundle prior to drying (make a small note and attach it to the bundle so you know what your starting weight is). At the end of the 2 weeks, weigh your duck bundle and if the weight has reduced by 30%, your prosciutto should be done.
You can experiment with flavor variations by using just rosemary, thyme, or sage by itself -- I tend to lean heavier on the rosemary and thyme since I have an abundance of it, and omit the sage -- or I might incorporate some fresh and dried herbs depending on what I have on hand. A light dusting of white pepper is also tasty before you wrap up to cure.
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