In this episode we make breasola, a type of dry cured meat (salumi) made from beef eye round.

I am starting from a beef eye round that weighs a bit more than two pounds and is no more than about 3 inches in diameter (too thick and it may be hard to dry it all the way through. You need to trim the exterior fat (unlike pork, excess beef fat isn’t all the tasty) and remove the silver skin (so that the cure can penetrate the meat.

The first step in the dry curing process is to make and apply the cure. There are many varieties of cure for bresaola that use varying amounts and types of spices. Some are quite strong. I prefer something on the milder side so as not to overpower the meat. Approximate measures for the cure are:
• 2 TBLSP KOSHER SALT
• 2 TBLSP SUGAR
• 1 TBLSP CURE #2 (PRAGUE CURE #2; PINK SALT), A CURING AGENT
• 2 TSP BLACK PEPPERCORNS
• 1 TBLSP CHOPPED ROSEMARY
• 1 TBLSP THYME LEAVES
• 6 JUNIPER BERRIES

Grind this to a powder (a blade style coffee grinder works well). Rub half of the cure on the beef. Put it in a ziplock bag and place in the refrigerator for a week, turning it every couple of days to redistribute the cure.

After one week, pull it out, drain the liquid from the bag, pat it dry, and rub on the rest of the cure. Put it back in the ziplock bag and return it to the refrigerator for a another week, again turning it every couple of days to redistribute the cure.

After the curing time is complete, prepare the beef for the drying phase.
• Wash of the cure in running water and pat dry.
• Tie with twine using a butchers’ knot
• Weigh it and write the weight down
• Spray it with Bactofirm Mold 600
• Hang it in the drying chamber (see Episode 81) for 3 to 4 weeks or until it loses about 30% of its weight

Bactofirm Mold 600 is a naturally occurring mold (penicillium nalgiovese) that is easily available in freeze dried form from multiple sources on the internet. This is a harmless beneficial surface mold that wins the battle over pathogenic bacteria, protecting the meat during the drying process from harmful mold and spoilage. It is not generally considered essential when drying whole muscle (it is essential for drying ground meat products), but since my “drying cave” is a contrivance that could become infected with “bad stuff” I prefer being safe rather than getting other molds and having to remove them during drying.

After three weeks my bresaola has already lost a bit more than 30% of the weight, so it is finished drying. It will have the white powdery (not fuzzy) surface mold, which is the Bactofirm 600. Remove the string and scrape off the mold and wipe off with a damp cloth. Don’t obsess over it. It is perfectly safe to ingest and won’t affect the flavor. Slice to whatever thickness you prefer. You can use a sharp slicing knife for this, put it is more convenient if you have a small home slicer.

You can store wrapped in the fridge and slice as you go, or you can just slice it all up at once, portion it into vacuum bags, and freeze until you need it. No need to freeze the slices if you plan to use it all over the next couple of weeks. It is, after all, cured and dried and so quite well preserved. The only issue with keeping it too long sliced and unfrozen is that the slices get really dried out.

Just like other “cold cuts,” serve it with some bread, cheese, and olives, or make it into sandwiches. You can also dice some up and use as a flavoring in cooking. In a future episode I am going to show you one way to present the bresaola as an appetizer.