Dry-cured tenderloin with herbs
If you enjoy the taste of dry-cured meats, we have a recipe you simply must try. You can prepare dry-cured tenderloins at home without fear of harmful microorganisms developing. Thanks to the addition of perfectly selected starter cultures, you will speed up the maturation of whole-muscle meat and give it a characteristic taste and aroma.
Notes
Recipe for dry-cured herb tenderloins
Preparation:
Trim the tenderloins of silverskin and fatty parts. Prepare the starter cultures (measure the appropriate amount relative to the weight of the meat) and dissolve them in about 50 ml of water. To 1 L of water, add the dissolved cultures, sugar, salt, and potassium nitrate. Mix thoroughly. To speed up the process, you can inject the tenderloins in several spots with the prepared solution.
Place the tenderloins in the brine and leave for 24 hours at room temperature. Then transfer everything to the refrigerator, to a temperature of about 8⁰C, and leave for 4 days. You can stir it every day. After this time, remove the tenderloins, pat them dry with paper towels, and lightly coat them with your favorite herb blend.
Hang the prepared tenderloins on hooks—they should air-dry for 2 days. For the first few hours, you can turn on a fan with no heat. When the tenderloins are completely dry, you can cold-smoke them for about 3 hours. If this is not possible, leave them for another 2 days at room temperature.
We recommend vacuum-packing both the smoked and unsmoked tenderloins. After a week under vacuum, they will become nicely moistened and will be ready for tasting.
