I'll have to check my notes on the drying time, but i believe it was about 5 weeks. The process went perfectly, no problems at all- no mold, moisture content and texture were perfect, but the blessed spicing was no good. I do normally mix up my own spices, using fresh when possible, but i had such good luck with that jerk spice paste before- used it on fresh beef ribs, marinated overnight and then grilled on an open fire of red oak- amazing.
Just didn't taste right- kind of like the smell and what i imagine the taste would be of a fresh basketball !?
This type of thing is called bresaola, in italy. Only beef is used, usually sirloin, but tenderloin was on sale for a reasonable price (relatively speaking, 8.99/lb), so i figured it could only be good using a premium cut. Traditionally spiced with salt, pepper, cloves and garlic.
From Home production of quality meats and sausages, Marianski :
Bresaola-
beef sirloin 1000g
salt 28g
cure#2 6g
pepper 6g
sugar 5g
cloves, ground 1g
garlic powder 1.5g
1. remove all fat, connective tissue and silver skin
2. mix salt, cure #2 and all ingredients together. take 1/2 of the mixture and rub into the meat. place in zippered bag and put in refrigerator for 3 days.
3.remove from bag, apply second half of mixture, drain liquid, put back in bag and return to refrigerator for 3 more days.
4. brush off excess mixture from th meat, stuff into synthetic or collagen casings.
5 hang for 4 weeks at 54F to dry and mature.