TRADITIONALLY prosciutto is an Italian dry-cured ham which is typically made with the hind leg of a pig or wild boar and is eaten without any cooking.

The process involves salting the meat heavily (literally burying in salt) and gently pressing to remove all the blood.

It’s cured for around two months. It is then washed thoroughly and hung in a cool dark place for up to two years. The temperature is very important: if it’s too warm the ageing process won’t work, and if it’s too dry the meat is ruined.

Traditionally the meat was hung at the beginning of winter to avoid these problems. Today they’re hung in temperature and humidity controlled environments.

There are some famous Italian prosciuttos that have protected status such as Prosciutto Parma.

However the term prosciutto is generic and can be applied to other types of cured meats from a variety of regions and countries, for example lamb prosciutto and duck prosciutto, which is thought to have its origins within the Italian Jewish community as an alternative to pork.

Duck is one of the simplest to make at home without any specialist equipment and with spectacular results! You can produce your own duck prosciutto with just salt, a fridge and a little patience (and some duck of course).

It’s a fantastic introduction into home charcuterie making and takes a fraction of the time it takes to cure a whole pork leg!

It’s also hard to find in this country and therefore pretty expensive to buy.

So it really is worth the effort – which isn’t really any effort at all! It will only take a couple of weeks as opposed to a couple of years.

At my smokehouse, I flavour mine with a wild seed mix of alexander, lovage and hogweed and smoke over cherrywood.

The recipe I’m writing here has salt and duck breast as the only ingredients. You can add any flavours you like though, and mix it in with the salt, such as pepper, juniper, sage, thyme, rosemary or any mixture you fancy!

Although I said there isn’t any specialist equipment (I lied) you will need a set of digital scales.

As prosciutto is a food you effectively eat raw it is very important it loses the correct amount of moisture.

This ensures there is no bacterial growth which will spoil your prosciutto.

After the duck breast has been salted for 24 hours (ensuring it is completely buried in salt with no meat exposed) you rinse it thoroughly and weigh it, recording the weight.

You then leave it uncovered on a small rack or hang it in your fridge wrapped in muslin, then weigh it every few days.

It’s ready when it’s lost 20% of its weight. So if your duck breast weighed 250g after it was cured it will be ready when it weighs 190g.

That really is all there is to it! Except to eat it!

It’s delicious with cheese, mustard, pine nuts and fruit such as melon, figs, peach, pear and apple. And herbs such as basil and sage.

Please share your creations with me via Twitter and Instagram. As always, make sure equipment, hands and kitchen surfaces are scrupulously clean. Enjoy!

Recipe