Back in early May I bought a nice looking eye round. I wanted to make some Bresaola. Since I had the charcuterie dry bags from Umai, and I had started my Pancetta experiment, I figured, why not go for it.
The first picture is the trimmed eye round. It ended up weighing about 3.5 pounds.
Into the brine for about 10 days.
Thirty days later, the meat was feeling really firm. If I waited much longer, I might end up with a big piece of jerky. So, I removed the dry bag and started to slice it on my slicer. The outside of the eye round is really dark and crusty looking and feeling.
Another view of the eye round and the really, really thinly sliced pieces of Bresaola. You can almost read a newspaper through it!
The final picture, before I vacuum sealed in two ounce packages, is a wonderful looking and tasting delight.
There is an inherent sweetness due to the juniper berries. Even with the crust on the outside of the slices, you don’t notice it when you eat it. That is truly sliced deli-thin!
After tasting it, I looked up on line to see what the going price was for sliced Bresaola. $25 per pound was the best price I saw. I’m not sure I would ever pay that amount, but I will make some more one of these days. If you get to try some, enjoy the experience. Then, make your own!!
Art
