Fiocco Salume Recipe

Fiocco is the name given to cured and dried ham made from the smaller muscle on the hind leg of the hog. You’ll likely be more familiar with Prosciutto, made from the entire hind leg - however Fiocco is quicker to cure and dry and has a flavour close to Prosciutto. It’s also a lot smaller, so can easily be made in a small home curing cabinet!

If you have a little more room, and can wait longer, Culatello is made from the larger muscle on the hind leg of the hog (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosciutto#Culatello).

Traditionally Fiocco and Culatello are wrapped in a hogs bladder, once the meat has been tied up. I could only get hold of a cows bladder (from https://www.weschenfelder.co.uk/), pretty huge as you can see! You will also need a trussing needle, and a good amount of butchers twine.

It’s great fun to learn a few new techniques, with all the wrapping and sewing and you’ll be surprised at the flavour of the Fiocco - it’s pretty close to Prosciutto in my opinion.

See here for a great video on the butchers knot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lbrqf-jv4w

• 1.5 kg Small muscle from the hogs hind leg (ask a good butcher!)
• 45g salt (3% by weight)

• Trim off any excess around the muscle and cover in the salt.
• Seal in a ziplock back and store in the fridge, turning it over daily, for 14 days.
• Remove the muscle and pat dry.
• Soak the cow bladder casing overnight and run some water through to clean thoroughly. Do not sniff - It’s as bad as an Ox bung. Understandably.
• Make a slit in the bladder and insert the muscle.
• Working from one end, stitch the opening close, as tight as you can to the muscle.
• Tie around the muscle as shown in the pictures above - this will help you hang it in the curing chamber
• Weight it and note it down!
• Hang at around 75RH and 12 - 15 c until it has lost 35% of its weight. This should take around 12 weeks!