I put off the smoke yesterday after getting home late and getting discouraged by the spitting rain. In retrospect I probably could have gone ahead, but I was tired and feeling a little off. Experience has shown that in such circumstances I'm far more likely to make little mistakes, get frustrated, and otherwise not enjoy myself. When it doesn't flow cooking can feel like a chore. I don't like getting to that space.

That said, the prosciutto is drying nicely and the kitchen smells richly of duck. I've made no attempt to control temperature or humidity, but it's pretty inspiring having our little cheesecloth-wrapped packet of cured duck meat hanging in front of the pots. I think I may even have caught V squeeing over it before she regained composure.

The salmon cure is predictably dilly, but I'm really pleased with the changes I made. The flavors are similar to the last cure, except that I scaled back the sweetness a bit and there is a subtle undertone that I'm sure is the contribution of the bourbon. I'm anticipating that it will only be heightened once it hits the smoke. I'm really looking forward to having folks try it over the weekend and hearing their thoughts.

Really, I'm just looking forward to the weekend.