How to make Bresaola…

1. Using a sharp knife, trim any scraps of meat from the outside of the beef as these can become quite tough during curing. Also remove any outer layers of fat. Weigh the trimmed joint of beef and record the weight. You will need this to calculate the quantity of curing salts but also the moisture loss during drying.
2. Place the beef into a plastic zip-lock or vacuum-pack bag and pour in the red wine. Leave it in the refrigerator at 3–5°C/37–41°F overnight. The following day, open the bag and discard the wine.
3. Measure out the curing salt accurately for the exact quantity of meat being used and mix it with the PDV salt. Add the pepper, rosemary, thyme or oregano, juniper berries and nutmeg. Pour the cure ingredients into the bag, coating the meat as evenly as possible.
4. Seal the bag and place it in the refrigerator at 3–5°C/37–41°F for 14 days, turning the beef in the bag every other day to redistribute the cure. After 2 weeks, remove the meat from the bag. It should look darker and will feel firmer. Rinse off the excess cure, and pat dry with kitchen paper.
5. The beef is then packed into a fibrous or large natural casing that is just big enough to hold it and which has been soaked for at least half an hour ahead of stuffing. If it is difficult to fill the casing, rub the outside of the meat with a little olive oil. Working slowly, carefully ease the beef in, squeezing all the air out of the casing. Tie the end with butcher’s string. A butcher’s net can be tied around the outside, principally to help to maintain its shape as it dries but it also adds to the visual appeal of the hanging meat.
6. Hang the bresaola to dry in a meat safe or in a cool larder until it loses 35–40% of its weight. This may take several months depending on the size of the cut of beef. The temperature should be maintained steadily at 10–12°C/50–54°F with humidity around 80%. Too low a humidity in the early stages will cause the outside of the meat to harden, preventing the core from drying properly.

To Serve

Cut off the netting and score the casing with a sharp knife, peeling it back as far as you intend to slice. Slice very finely either with a carving knife or a meat slicer. The cut face should be protected with a strip of clingfilm or food wrap to prevent it from drying out.

If several days pass since the bresaola was last carved, discard the first slice which is likely to have dried out. Wrap the remaining bresaola in greaseproof paper to prevent it from drying out and to protect the surface from contamination.