I had high hopes for my goat leg prosciutto. I just knew it would be better than the duck breast prosciutto I made a while back. I ordered all my curing ingredients and it was kind of exciting. In January I began marinating it. It sat in the marinade for 18 days. Next I rinsed, dried it, then hung it to dry just like I was instructed to do on this website http://curedmeats.blogspot.com/2010/12/violino-di-capra-goat-prosciutto.html Mine hung for 2 1/2 months. I thought I would serve it this weekend as an appetizer for James' birthday.
I think I let it dry too long. It was tough as leather and I was tempted to take it out to the garage and use our mitre saw to cut it. No, really. When I finally got a few slices off I was disappointed to see that it tasted so strong of goat (yes, I know it's goat meat). It tastes kind of like the smell of a buck is what I mean. I know some of you can understand that. It's very gamey. Just now I went back to see what the guy (whose directions I followed) said about his end results. His had dried 40 days. This is what he wrote about his.
"The leg is very dry and almost stiff as a board. The slices are chewy and extremely rich and gamey. This isn't for the feignt of heart! It has a spicyness that hits you in the back of the throat. The aroma is definite goat. Really good. It's pretty much like I remember it in Italy."
So maybe it's supposed to taste like mine does. Maybe I should have let people taste it afterall. I'm not sure I could have sliced enough of it to share though. It's that hard. It's in our refrigerator now. If anyone would like to give it a taste let me know. I don't know what to do with it. It seems a waste to give to the dogs.
The second experiment was much simpler and I got better results, though still not as good as I expected. They're called Dirty Pirate Popsicles, or Poptails. Here are the ingredients.
2 1/2 cups Coke
1/3 cup Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
1/3 cup Kahlua
With these ingredients you can't go wrong right? Well, they were pretty good but not as great as I wanted them to be. I'm sure it's because of the shape I made them. They were supposed to look like this.
But mine looked like this.
I went to WalMart to buy popsicle molds but they said it must be too early in the season because they didn't have them yet so I made my own with little plastic cups, craft sticks and packing tape.
Again, if anyone would like to try them I still have some left in my freezer. I think I may try making them with rootbeer next time.
I think I let it dry too long. It was tough as leather and I was tempted to take it out to the garage and use our mitre saw to cut it. No, really. When I finally got a few slices off I was disappointed to see that it tasted so strong of goat (yes, I know it's goat meat). It tastes kind of like the smell of a buck is what I mean. I know some of you can understand that. It's very gamey. Just now I went back to see what the guy (whose directions I followed) said about his end results. His had dried 40 days. This is what he wrote about his.
"The leg is very dry and almost stiff as a board. The slices are chewy and extremely rich and gamey. This isn't for the feignt of heart! It has a spicyness that hits you in the back of the throat. The aroma is definite goat. Really good. It's pretty much like I remember it in Italy."
So maybe it's supposed to taste like mine does. Maybe I should have let people taste it afterall. I'm not sure I could have sliced enough of it to share though. It's that hard. It's in our refrigerator now. If anyone would like to give it a taste let me know. I don't know what to do with it. It seems a waste to give to the dogs.
The second experiment was much simpler and I got better results, though still not as good as I expected. They're called Dirty Pirate Popsicles, or Poptails. Here are the ingredients.
2 1/2 cups Coke
1/3 cup Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
1/3 cup Kahlua
With these ingredients you can't go wrong right? Well, they were pretty good but not as great as I wanted them to be. I'm sure it's because of the shape I made them. They were supposed to look like this.
But mine looked like this.
I went to WalMart to buy popsicle molds but they said it must be too early in the season because they didn't have them yet so I made my own with little plastic cups, craft sticks and packing tape.
Again, if anyone would like to try them I still have some left in my freezer. I think I may try making them with rootbeer next time.
Hmmm, the goat meat is probably not for me then....
ReplyDeleteToo bad on the Popsicles. I bet root beer would be yummy.
ReplyDeleteKaren, Thanks so much! Mostly when I read all you do, I feel like a lazy bum. It's moments like this that make me OK with myself for not going the extra mile, like you do all the time. :) Love, Linda
ReplyDeleteLinda, I'm glad I could make you feel better. Come see my new babies.
ReplyDelete