Traditional Pastirma or Bastirma Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Dry-cured lamb, goat, or mutton in the style of Bastirma: rubbed with a spicy, aromatic paste of garlic, paprika, and fenugreek.

Prep Time15

Curing time21

Total Time21 15

Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Charcuterie

Cuisine: Turkish

Keyword: Bastirma, charcuterie, Mutton, Pastirma

Servings: People

Calories: 50kcal

Mix the salt and instacure and cover the roast, then refrigerate, turning occasionally, for 1 week.
Drain the meat and soak for in cold water to cover by1 inch, changing the water at least 4 times, for at least 12 hours.
Pat the meat dry and reserve.
For the spice paste, grate the garlic cloves or mash to a paste, then mix with the water. Grind all the spices in a spice grinder, mix with the water-garlic paste, then rub the spice mixture all over the meat.
Put the salted meat in a small (roast size) Umai dry bag, seal with a vacuum sealer and refrigerate on a cooling rack to encourage good circulation for another two weeks. Flip it regularly during the drying process.
Alternately, you can wrap the meat in cheese cloth and hang the meat to dry in a cool dark place, but it will be much easier for it to mold.
After 2 weeks of curing, you can slice and enjoy the meat (cut it as thin as possible). Traditionally it's enjoyed on sliced thinly on buttered toast, or with eggs, as in the omelet recipe in this post.
After cutting into the meat, it should be wrapped in cling film and stored as you would ham or salami. It will last for a month, or longer.

Traditionally beef is used here. If you want to use beef one of the best cuts of meat to use is eye round.