The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Food & crafts => Food processing => Topic started by: oor wullie on October 16, 2016, 08:45:47 am
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Does anyone have instructions for making reestit mutton?
The internet is totally silent on the matter!
I know you salt the meat, smoke it for a few weeks then hang it to dry but I was looking for specific details that I can follow.
For those of you not in the know it is a cured mutton that is still a speciality in Shetland.
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Does anyone have instructions for making reestit mutton?
The internet is totally silent on the matter!
I know you salt the meat, smoke it for a few weeks then hang it to dry but I was looking for specific details that I can follow.
For those of you not in the know it is a cured mutton that is still a speciality in Shetland.
https://www.slowfood.org.uk/ff-products/reestit-mutton/ (https://www.slowfood.org.uk/ff-products/reestit-mutton/) I think your best bet though would be to speak/spend some time with people who make it. As I understand its quite a secret among the butchery trade, am not sure whether they would tell you tbh, but always worth a try.....
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Sorry to say, but when we tried it in Shetland it....er...wasn't very nice. Hopefully homemade and home cooked will be better.
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Sorry to say, but when we tried it in Shetland it....er...wasn't very nice. Hopefully homemade and home cooked will be better.
I bought some from a butcher in Shetland a few years ago when I was passing through. I are it raw and liked it enough but understand how cured mutton might not be to everyone's taste.
Various versions of cured sheep are very popular in other Nordic countries. I am not sure I am brave enough to try the Icelandic version that is hung for 6 months without any salting!
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Had a reestit stew in Shetland a couple of years ago. Wasn't as strongly flavoured as I'd expected but it was fine.
No idea how it's done, sorry - but would be very interested to know if you do find out.
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I have a recipe (I think it came originally from Crofter via a different forum (used to be on this forum, but not heard from him recently), whereby the mutton leg is wet cured for a couple of weeks or so, then either boiled (or in my case in the absence of a large enough pot - slow-roasted with loads of water/white wine in the bottom of the roasting tin) - so a bit like hams are done. It is absolutely delicious, but can only be done in winter, as you have to keep the cure cold...
I will try it with goats leg this autumn/winter....
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Just replying so I get notified when you brave culinary souls report back ;D
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We make reestit mutton often and I do love it (never tried it before I moved up here) - we use cuts of leg joints from two year old or older shetland sheep. Prepare a large tupper ware box full of salted water - this next bit is going to sound really weird but there is scientific purpose to it. To get the correct salt ratio to water you have to fill the container with warm water and start adding common table salt, keep stirring until dissolved then float a large egg size raw potato with a 3" nail in it (this gives the correct weight) if it sinks then keep adding a cupful of salt, dissolve and try floating again, I also add a couple of cups of sugar to balance the flavour. This needs to be done the day before and then chilled so the water is completely cold before the meat goes in. Once your tattie is floating at the top of the water add your cuts of leg - don't bother with the shank, these need to be weighted down into the liquid, we use a glass casserole lid then cover with lid and put in the fridge for 3 weeks. Then remove the cuts rinse, dry with kitchen roll and hang to dry for a couple of days - we hang on our pulley above the rayburn. After that you can freeze or cook by bringing to the boil and then simmering very gently for a couple of hours - I'll add black pepper bay leaves and or cardamoms, cumin etc for extra flavour. Then you can eat hot with mash and neeps, and try cold the next day sliced very thinly - fantastic with homemade oatcakes or one of my favourite ways as a soup with leeks and potatoes.
There is a butcher in Shetland who makes lots of the stuff and I've eaten his stuff raw, when sliced thinly enough tastes just like prosciutto but lamby - lovely!
The traditional way was to wait until the cold winter weather came and folk would do a large amount of cuts into barrels full of salt water, but we just don't get that cold up here these days so a fridge is the only option.
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Thank you very much for that description polyana really helpful.
Do you ever smoke it?
Does it really need to be frozen? In the old days wouldnt people would have just hung it somewhere cool? I did once buy some from the butcher in Lerwick on my way out to a rig, it then sat in my locker (without anyone noticing any smells) and it was still fine to eat when I got home 3 or 4 weeks later!
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We make reestit mutton often and I do love it (never tried it before I moved up here) - we use cuts of leg joints from two year old or older shetland sheep. Prepare a large tupper ware box full of salted water - this next bit is going to sound really weird but there is scientific purpose to it. To get the correct salt ratio to water you have to fill the container with warm water and start adding common table salt, keep stirring until dissolved then float a large egg size raw potato with a 3" nail in it (this gives the correct weight) if it sinks then keep adding a cupful of salt, dissolve and try floating again, I also add a couple of cups of sugar to balance the flavour. This needs to be done the day before and then chilled so the water is completely cold before the meat goes in. Once your tattie is floating at the top of the water add your cuts of leg - don't bother with the shank, these need to be weighted down into the liquid, we use a glass casserole lid then cover with lid and put in the fridge for 3 weeks. Then remove the cuts rinse, dry with kitchen roll and hang to dry for a couple of days - we hang on our pulley above the rayburn. After that you can freeze or cook by bringing to the boil and then simmering very gently for a couple of hours - I'll add black pepper bay leaves and or cardamoms, cumin etc for extra flavour. Then you can eat hot with mash and neeps, and try cold the next day sliced very thinly - fantastic with homemade oatcakes or one of my favourite ways as a soup with leeks and potatoes.
There is a butcher in Shetland who makes lots of the stuff and I've eaten his stuff raw, when sliced thinly enough tastes just like prosciutto but lamby - lovely!
The traditional way was to wait until the cold winter weather came and folk would do a large amount of cuts into barrels full of salt water, but we just don't get that cold up here these days so a fridge is the only option.
:bookmark: reestit mutton
Gonna try this!
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Oor Wullie - no problem hope you can try it - I tend to freeze most things \(because I can :D) You're right in the old days they would have just hung it somewhere cool, but it does somehow get saltier and harder
Sally - you really have! ;D
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Oh, I've eaten it alright :yum:. I was stating my intention to make it!