Lamb Prosciutto

Prosciutto has always been one of our all time favourite cured meats. It is commonly known to be made using ham, not lamb. So when I stumbled across an Italian chef that was making it using legs of lamb I was thrilled to learn….since we breed sheep, not pigs.

Right form the first attempt this has been an absolute triumph. Without a doubt, homemade Prosciutto is an absolute culinary delight. Don’t be afraid, it really isn’t that hard, it just takes time but not a whole lot of effort.

We’ve made quite a number of them now and each one has been a total success. To make your own Lamb Prosciutto, use the following format.

The legs we use are usually around 2 to 2.5kg. The weight is important to know because at the end of the curing process you want it to have lost about 35% of its weight….that said, I usually forget to weight it and it always works perfect.

The rub mix we make consists of the following,

• 100g Salt
• 2 tsp Brown Sugar
• ½ tsp Cinnamon Powder
• ½ tsp Clove Powder
• 1 tsp Black Pepper Powder
• 1 tbsp chopped Bay Leaves
• 1 tbsp chopped Rosemary

To start, cut off the excess outer fat layers from the leg. Don’t be too picky, get the easy bits and try to keep it as a clean piece.

Following this, you must push out any remaining blood. Simply massage it down towards the hip joint and you’ll see it start to come out as in the image below. There is usually only a small amount but you do want this out.

Now add the rub. You must get it into every nook and cranny that you can. Remember that it is the salt that cures the meat and removes the moisture that allows it to preserve. Don’t be slack here, get it into every part of the meat that you can, and the joints at either end. Once this is done, place it in a dish that will fit in your fridge. We use an oven rack within the dish, this is not a requirement but we prefer it. If you don’t have a dish, you can just use an oven bag, many people do, including the Italian that I learnt from. Add slices of garlic to the surface of the leg.

You can now place it in the fridge for 5 days. If you forget and it pushes out to a few extra days, don’t stress, it’ll be fine. Once this time is over, remove it and drain out the liquid that has been drawn out by the salt rub. Scrape off the garlic and then repeat the rubbing process with the half that was reserved. Remember, do this thoroughly. Place back into the fridge for a further 5 days. Adding garlic again is optional.

When 5 days have passed, remove it and drain off the excess liquid. Then rinse the leg under fresh cold water and pat dry. Now you need to bind it with twine. Use natural twine, not synthetic. Once it is firmly bound up, coat it throughly in black pepper powder and rub into it just like you did with the salt rub. What you end up with should look something like below,

Now hang it at room temperature for 8 hours before it goes into the fridge. You’ll then want to work out how to hang it in the fridge, or a cellar if you have one. This is where the real waiting starts, usually 40 days. During this time it will get some white mould on it, this is the penicillin developing. After the forty days, it will look much different, smaller and lighter in weight as shown below,

Remove the twine, slice thinly and enjoy the amazing flavour of your very own homemade Prosciutto.

We store ours in the fridge and enjoy it with all manner of meals and snacks. It usually lasts up to a month before it is all gone but we are sure it would store far longer. We plan on storing one at room temp during next winter so that we can forego the use of the fridge. It is after all, a modern contraption that humans lived without for thousands of years. We’ll keep you informed of the outcomes.