Home Cured Duck Prosciutto

Prosciutto in contemporary is most often found in the trendy bars and restaurants scene since it became "trendy" in the last two decades, despite its long heritage as one of the oldest methods of preparing and preserving food. In fact, the use of salt as a curing agent has long existed across various cultures and peoples since ancient times. What I am trying to get at, is what makes a food product trendy or high end?

Is it the novelty or popularization as a luxury good? For example, in the instance of Prosciutto (especially Prosciutto di Parma or Jamón ibérico) most consumers enjoy it without fully appreciating the time and effort and it takes to produce it and simply consumes it as a expensive food commodity. So, if a food item is expensive attributed to the cost, time & effort it takes a farmer, chef or producer to make then I think we as consumers should pay the expensive price, but most luxury foods we consume in trendy or high end restaurants are expensive, because they are price so without just cause. And the bulk of the cost is not shared with the maker of a food item so where does it end up, in addition the consumption of luxury foods is perceived by some as a way to show off through social media.

Hence, in the following I will show you how to cure your own Duck Prosciutto at home in 3 steps. Because if you notice Duck Prosciutto has become quite popular as a Charcuterie platter, but it is quite expensive to order in a restaurant for a single breast. On average it will set you back $20 apiece, where a single fresh duck breast costs about $3.50-$5 & a whole duck only around $16-$20, so why not make it at home yourself.

1. We start by sprinkling enough salt & pepper to cover both sides of the duck breast.

Then, place the salt-covered duck breast in a dish and wrap it in plastic wrap to leave overnight in the fridge. After 24hrs take the breast out of the fridge and you will notice the salt have drawn all the moisture out. That is what you want!

Next, lightly rinse off all the salt off the breast and pat it dry with paper towel. Then wrap it in a cheesecloth and hang it in the fridge to dry for 12 days. And after 12 days, you will end up with something that looks like below.

It might look a bit unappetizing right now, but once you slice it you will see the beautiful ruby coloured flesh wrapped in a thin layer of fat. And the substance on the surface is simply salt crystals that formed when drying.

Voila! The final product. It's perfect with a glass of wine.