Basturma

Armenian Basturma (Cured Beef with Cemen)

Armenian basturma is whole beef that is salt-cured, pressed, air-dried, then coated in cemen - a pungent paste of fenugreek, garlic, paprika, chilli and cumin. This is a long project (several weeks) but the hands-on work is simple; the key is patience and a cool, dry, well-ventilated drying spot.

Prep

60 min

Total

60 min

Serves

Makes about 800 g (1 lb 12 oz) finished basturma, sliced thi

Difficulty

Hard

Recipe ingredients

• •1 kg (2¼ lb) beef eye of round or top round roast, one whole, trimmed piece, all silverskin removed
• •60 g (2 oz) fine sea salt, non-iodised
• •10 g (2 tsp) curing salt (Prague powder #1 / Instacure #1), optional but recommended for safety; see note
• •10 g (1 tbsp) ground fenugreek seed, the signature ingredient; buy whole seeds and grind if needed
• •8 g (2 tsp) sweet paprika, or Armenian red pepper if you can find it
• •3 g (½ tsp) chilli powder, Aleppo or cayenne, to taste
• •4 g (¾ tsp) ground cumin
• •20 g (6 cloves) garlic, finely grated to a paste
• •5 ml (1 tsp) red wine vinegar, or pomegranate molasses, traditional in some families
• •1 whole egg white, helps the cemen paste adhere

Steps

1. 1 Trim the beef of all fat and silverskin, leaving one clean, even muscle. Pat completely dry. Weigh the trimmed piece and calculate the salt: use 3% of the trimmed weight in total salt-cure mix (for a 1 kg / 2¼ lb piece that is 30 g salt plus, if using, 3 g curing salt).
2. 2 Mix the salt and curing salt (if using). Pack the cure evenly over every surface of the meat, place in a non-reactive dish, cover, and refrigerate at 1–4°C (34–40°F) for 24 hours, turning the meat and re-applying the cure once halfway through.
3. 3 Remove the beef, rinse off all the cure under cold running water, and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels.
4. 4 Wrap the meat tightly in cheesecloth or a clean cotton cloth, then place it between two cutting boards with a heavy weight on top (a cast-iron pan with tins on it works). Refrigerate at 1–4°C (34–40°F) for 48 hours, changing the cloth if it becomes damp. This pressing expels moisture and gives basturma its dense, sliceable texture.
5. 5 Unwrap, pat dry, and weigh the pressed piece. Note the weight - this is your 'wet weight'.
6. 6 Hang the meat in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place at 10–16°C (50–60°F) with good air circulation, ideally 60–70% relative humidity. A cellar, unheated pantry, or the back of a fridge with the door ajar all work. Avoid warm kitchens.
7. 7 Dry for 10–14 days, until the piece has lost 30–35% of its wet weight (a 1 kg / 2¼ lb pressed piece should weigh about 650–700 g / 1 lb 7 oz–1 lb 9 oz). The surface should feel dry and firm, the centre still slightly yielding. Do not exceed 40% weight loss or it will become too hard.
8. 8 Make the cemen: in a bowl, combine the fenugreek, paprika, chilli powder, cumin, grated garlic, vinegar and egg white. Mix to a thick, spreadable paste. If too stiff, add water ½ tsp (2.5 ml) at a time. Let the paste rest, covered, at room temperature for 1 hour so the fenugreek softens and mellows.
9. 9 Rub the cemen generously and evenly over the entire surface of the dried beef, pressing it on so it forms a coating about 3 mm (⅛ inch) thick.
10. 10 Return the coated basturma to the same cool, dry spot for a further 7–10 days, until the paste has dried to a firm crust and the meat is uniformly firm throughout. Final weight loss should be 35–40% of the original pressed weight.
11. 11 To serve, slice paper-thin against the grain with a very sharp knife. Basturma keeps, wrapped in parchment then loosely in a cloth bag, in the fridge for up to 2 months, or frozen for 6 months.
12. 12 Safety notes: keep the meat at 1–4°C (34–40°F) during salting and pressing, and never above 16°C (60°F) while drying. If you omit the curing salt, extend the salting phase to 48 hours and keep everything strictly refrigerated. The finished product is a ready-to-eat cured product - do not serve to pregnant women, young children, elderly or immunocompromised people.