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Italian favourites
House-cured meats from Bistecca Tuscan Steakhouse include capocollo, pancetta, and bresaola.

More than just an ancient craft, the tradition of curing meats lives on beyond time and space.

The Perfect Cure

By D e n i s e Ko k P h oto g r a p h y by Ed m o n d H o a n d K i yos h i Yos h i z awa , ja m bu st u d i o

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appetiteasia.com photo by anton korbjyn

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[ the art of the cure ]

he wonderful thing about meat is its ability to transform into entirely different entities on the plate. The quickest way to steady your hunger is to catch a beast, slaughter it, and toss it on the grill. In five minutes, steak is served. The pleasure is immediate. But good things, as they say, come to those who wait. A slither of jamn Ibrico takes two years

sometimes three to go from porcine to divine, and the transformation takes place in a hidden language that only charcutiers and salumieres can decipher.
Seven years ago, you would be hard-pressed to find jamn Ibrico in tapas bars here. It was only in 2008 that the AgriFood and Veterinary Authority finally approved the import of this delicacy into Singapore. Today, no self-respecting Spanish tapas bar or restaurant would be seen without a leg of jamn resting on its counters. And it is not just Spanish cured meats that are making their way to our shores. French, Italian, and even Hungarian producers are likewise helping to expand our vocabulary in the delicatessen wing. Then there are those who take matters into their own hands. Weve found locally cured air-dried beef at Meat The Butcher and spotted handsome ageing cabinets at a few restaurants too. To that end, we spoke to two chefs both masters of the cure who showed us how they make their own bresaola, capocollo, pancetta, and chorizo.
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The art of curing meat is really a science. And its not a modern science. It represents some of the oldest methods of cooking and preservation. Drying, salting, smoking all came before the cool convenience of the refrigerator. While the baptism of fire transforms a slab of meat into something blue, medium rare, or well-done, curing it presents a panorama of possibilities. Here, a pig is not just pork. It manifests as pancetta, lardo, prosciutto, soppressata, coppa, and salami all at once. It is infinitely varied. Uniformly delicious. The process of curing a piece of meat doesnt merely begin with the drying and ageing. Terroir is equally important and sense of place becomes a magnificent thing. The breed of the beast, the food it grazes on, the lay of the land these beginnings are as important as the end. Technically, it is possible for you to cure your own meat in Singapore. But would it taste as good? Probably not.

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[ t r o u G h - fa r e ]
CURED MEATS RUN THE GAMUT FROM THE MELLOW AND CREAMY TO THE RICH AND SPICY. HERE ARE SOME TO TICKLE THE PALATE AND PLATE THE PLATTER.

to market, to market
pick up these meats from swiss Butchery (#01-02, 56 tanglin road) and tanglin market Place (#b1-02/03 tanglin mall, 163 tanglin road)

ProscIutto dI san danIele

ProscIutto dI Parma
otherwise known as parma ham, prosciutto di parma comes from pigs raised and cured in the province of parma, italy. unlike most cured meats, prosciutto di parma does not contain spices, sugar or additives. instead, salt is massaged into the hind legs of the hog before it is le to dry and aged over a period of 10 to 36 months. the hogs in question are raised on a diet of grains and whey from cheese factories that produce the regions famed parmesan cheese, and it is for this reason that youll find the meat perfumed with an earthy, nutty flavour. if youre tired of the classic prosciutto and melon pairing, try having the meat with pomegranate or avocado. as pre-sliced prosciutto oxidises quickly, it should be consumed within a day or two.

similar to prosciutto di parma, prosciutto di san Daniele is produced with salt only, sans the use of preservatives. once again, provenance and terroir play a principal role in imbuing the meat with its unique taste profile. the pigs hail from farms in 10 specific regions of central northern italy while the curing process takes place exclusively in san Daniele del Friuli. unlike parma ham which impresses with its robust, savoury notes, san Daniele ham boasts a delicate, sweet bouquet that would certainly be lost if paired with bold dishes. enjoy it sliced paper-thin preferably on its own.

wInter salamI Jamn IBrIco de Bellota chorIZo PamPlona

simply put, a salami is composed of the trim le from butchering an animal, then mixed in with a good dollop of fat before the mixture is seasoned, ground, stued into casings, and hung to dry. From here, countless variations of salami can be made. the meat can be coarsely or finely ground before a cocktail of seasonings is applied. with the chorizo pamplona, one finds a finely ground mixture of pork, beef, and pork fat marinated with salt, pimento (otherwise known as paprika), garlic and sugar. this reddish-orange meat is a favourite in the basque country and impresses with its rich and spicy flavours. this lush firecracker of salami can be sauted and sprinkled over eggs, tossed into a stew, or simply paired with sweet and mellow manchego cheese. this coveted delicacy can retail for as much as $200 per kilogramme arguably a small sum to pay for its intense, layered, earthy and nutty flavours. its gleaming, crimson flesh is delicately marbled with fat that melts on the tongue, and the only way to do justice to this exquisite treat is to savour it au naturel and unembellished. only iberico pigs distinguished by their black hooves are destined to become jamn ibrico de bellota. their lives before the slaughter is almost enviable: they wander freely in green pastures, grazing on acorns, wild grass and herbs. once slaughtered, the legs of the pigs are crusted in sea salt before they are le to cure in cool mountain air a process that could take anywhere from 14 to 36 months. with a history dating back to 1869, the production of winter salami is a proud tradition upheld by pick szeged, a hungarian purveyor of various meat products. while the original recipe called for donkey meat, the modern-day version has been tweaked to yield a mixture of lean pork and pork belly. till today, the spices that go into the mix remain a well-kept secret but what we do know is that the meat is smoked over beech wood and le to mature for up to a hundred days in cold air. at the end of its journey, the winter salami develops its signature coat of white mould. this coating acts as a shield to prevent the salami from turning rancid, thus prolonging its shelf life.

coPPa
the practice of curing coppa originated in piacenza, a city located in the emilia romagna region of northern italy. as history would have it, coppa was once touted by landowners in piacenza as a bonus of sorts. industrious field hands would be gied slices of coppa in return for their toil. while the velvety, pliant texture of coppa is similar to that of prosciutto, the meat doesnt come from the hind leg of the hog. instead, its composed of chunks of pork typically cut from the neck of the pig stued into large casings. the meat is cured with salt, wine, and a spice mix thats either spicy or sweet. the rich, earthy flavours of coppa are best savoured when the meat is sliced paper-thin.

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I love curing meats without any chemical products. I just use Sicilian sea salt and a Tuscan spice mix."

Homemade
This page: Chef Francesco Mansani showcases Bistecca Tuscan Steakhouse's house-cured salami and dry-aged beef. Facing page: Custom-made dry aging cabinet at the restaurant.

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Francesco Mansani, Executive Chef, Bistecca Tuscan Steakhouse Meats cured: Bresaola, capocollo, pancetta

[ m e at y o u r c u r e m a s t e r ]

started curing meats when I was working for a wine producer in Chianti. I used to take classes with our master butcher there. He showed me the ropes. But really, in Italy, there are so many beautiful producers that you dont have to cure your own meats. A great salami begins with a good meat. Then there is the issue of getting the right combination of spice, curing the meat under the right balance of salt and spice, the period of the cure, and the temperature and humidity of the cure. There is a spice mix unique to Tuscany. There, youll find small shops that sell their own secret blend of Tuscan spice. All the spices come from the area. It is a balance between dried garlic, lemon zest, and other herbs. I cant get this specific spice blend in Singapore and have to reproduce what I would otherwise easily find in Tuscany. At the beginning, it was hard to determine the right balance between the spices. I had to tweak the recipe till I found the flavour I was looking for.

The biggest challenge in curing meats in Singapore is the climate. It is humid and hot. In Italy, we age the meats under houses built on massive rocks, and that creates a natural environment where you have 16 degrees Celsius all year round. That, together with a really low level of humidity, is the ideal condition for curing meats. We had to custom-make the meat fridges for the restaurant to achieve the lowest humidity levels possible and the right temperature for the meat. We try to reproduce the temperature of an old building or butcher shop which is around 16 degrees Celsius. I love curing meats without any chemical products. I just use Sicilian sea salt and a Tuscan spice mix. The process of curing the capocollo and pancetta is pretty much the same. I rub the meat with our blend of Tuscan spices before curing them under sea salt. They sit for a week before the salt is washed out. Then, we hang the meats up and cure them for three to nine months. For the bresaola, the process is slightly different because it is beef. As it has more intramuscular fat, it has the tendency to go rancid. The salt also has to be combined with sugar. This mixture would help to extract the water from the meat water being the agent that would spoil the

meat. The bresaola is left to cure from eight months to a year. In Italy, the bresaola consumed is really soft. The texture of it lies somewhere between a cold cut and a roast beef. Here, we prepare it as more of a cold cut. It is drier and more intense in flavour. I wish I could find sopressata in Singapore. Thats the head of the pig thats boiled, shredded, then cold pressed in a towel. All the fat is eliminated and whats left is the cartilage and gelatin. It is then seasoned with spices. There is a liver mortadella from the north of Italy that I would like to see here, too. An unusual cut of meat Ive tried is the culatello di zibello. It is the most expensive and prestigious cold cut we have in Italy. This is an unbelievable cut from the hind leg of the pig, where the bone is removed so that only the lean muscle tissue and a thick layer of fat remains. The texture and flavour of the meat is further enriched by ageing the meat for a year inside pork intestines. No one that I know brings it in here. I tried it in a small place close to Modena. My charcuterie platter includes homemade focaccia bread, pickled onions, and Taggiasca olives the most interesting olives from Liguria. The olive is really small, very sharp in flavour, and seriously intense.
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top cuts
Clockwise from left: Chef de cuisine Andrew Nocente strikes a pose next to SKIRT's dry ageing cabinet; SKIRT's charcuterie platter mixes assorted housecured meats with shaved asparagus, white cauliflower and Chanterelle mushrooms; Sliced chorizo is seared over a wood-fire grill before it is ready to be served.

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Andrew Nocente, Chef de Cuisine, SKIRT at W Hotel Meats cured: Bresaola, pastrami, beef liver pate, oxtail rillettes, chorizo

started curing meats when I was about eight years old. I grew up on a farm in Stanthorpe, three hours southwest of Brisbane, Australia. We had cows and pigs and wed butcher them ourselves. From there, wed make our own salami and prosciutto. A lot of that has slowly transferred into what I do now. The first items I cured were probably sausages and prosciutto. Not all the cures went well. Common mishaps include power trips that shut down the cold room. When the fridge stops functioning, the meats that have been left to cure would begin to spoil. I love curing my own meats because it takes me back to my childhood. Its the connection of being back on the farm. A great salumi has to be unique and made from meat of good quality. Thats why I use the Blackmore for what we do because it is pretty much the best wagyu you can get outside Japan. Start with a good product and treat it naturally. You dont need chemicals to make a good salumi.

[ m e at y o u r c u r e m a s t e r ]

The ageing cabinets at SKIRT were brought in from America. It controls two elements: humidity and temperature. To make the bresaola, I salt the Blackmore for a week with Maldon sea salt before seasoning it with fresh herbs, my special four spice mix, some cinnamon, juniper berries, and a little bit of garlic. I leave that in the fridge for a week and turn the meat every day so that all the juices dont collect on one end. Then, the meat is wrapped in cheesecloth before it is left to hang in the ageing cabinet for two to three months. The cheesecloth ensures that the outer layers of the meat dont dry out too quickly. I keep the fridge at zero degrees and 80 percent humidity. The chorizo is made fresh. I use a mix of paprika, pimiento paste, and a couple of other spices. I also incorporate a little bit of Iberico back fat into the mix before smoking it in-house. It gets smoked for 20 minutes and its ready. To serve, I slice the chorizo and finish it off on the wood-fire grill. My charcuterie platter also includes sourdough bread, asparagus, white cauliflower, and Chanterelle mushrooms. I shave the asparagus, thinly slice the cauliflowers, and drop it all into a

raspberry pickle. This adds a bit of crunch and flavour. An unusual cut of meat Ive tried is cured tuna. I tried it in Shanghai and it was made by one of my mates whos also an Australian chef. When you slice it, youll find that it looks very similar to bresaola. It has a really nice dark red colour. I wish I could find more gamey cured meats in Singapore meats like venison and full-on boars. Thats what I miss a lot. A couple of my mates used to do venison and kangaroo. Ill pair these meats with a simple mustard.
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