homemade ham
What is jamon, and is it possible to cook it at home? Spanish cuisine is diverse and has brought together the traditions and customs of many nationalities from different regions. Of course, meat dishes predominate here, olive oil, herbs, garlic, wine.
Content:
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General information
Spanish jamon - cured pork ham
This is a dried pork ham cooked according to an old recipe in a special way. It is both very simple and very complex. On the one hand, there are only two components - the ham of a young pig and salt.
On the other hand, it may take up to two years for the meat to reach readiness, and many different conditions must be observed so that everything is cooked according to the rules and the meat turns out to be tender and tasty. Due to the difficulties associated with the preparation of jamon, this delicacy has a rather high cost.
The price in Russia starts from 7 thousand and can vary up to 100 thousand for one ham
But gourmets and connoisseurs of Spanish cuisine who can afford such a luxury do not waste money - jamon not only has a subtle, memorable taste, but also has a number of other undeniable advantages. For instance, jamon meat is cooked in such a way that it contains almost no cholesterol, so it can be classified as a low-calorie meat delicacy.
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A dish prepared according to a classic recipe
What to do if you are not a Spaniard and not a rich man, but you still want to try jamon? If you are ready to take a chance and try to cook jamon, then our recommendations are for you!
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Basics of cooking
If you undertake the preparation of this dish in the conditions of your apartment, you must clearly understand that you will not succeed in the classic Spanish jamon. Fans of this dish have come up with simplified variations of the so-called quick jamon.
For salting, use coarse sea salt.
The priority is the ham of a young piglet. Of course, you will have to tinker with it, but the result is worth it. It is better for beginners to start with a loin, although the portion of the finished dish will be smaller compared to the whole ham, but you can enjoy the dish after a week.
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Classic
fresh harvest
To prepare a classic raw-cured ham, you only need two ingredients:
- pork ham 4-5 kg
- coarse sea salt
Cooking process:
- We take a pork ham (it is better to take the meat of a young piglet) and fill it completely with coarse sea salt. A large wooden trough is well suited for this purpose. But if you don’t have one, then adjust any dishes of a suitable size.This will preserve the meat, make it environmentally friendly and keep it from spoiling for years.
- Now we leave the ham to salt out at the rate of about 1 day per 1 kilogram of weight. The temperature in the room should be no higher than 5 degrees, and humidity - at least 80%!
- Then, after this period, you need to rinse the piece of meat with water and place it in the freezer for one and a half to two months.
- During this time, the remaining salt is evenly distributed over the ham and absorbed into it.
- Then we remove the meat from the freezer and hang it vertically for 3-5 months in a well-ventilated room with a temperature of 15-20 ° C and a slightly lower humidity - 70-75%.
- So, the final and longest stage of preparation of our jamon comes. Place it in a dark and cool (preferably basement) room. There, at temperatures up to 10 ° C, the pork leg must languish for 1-2 years before it is completely ready for consumption.
- Classic jamon is prepared in several stages. Professional chefs, who know all the subtleties of cooking, conduct test piercings with a special needle, determine the smell, texture, and evaluate all quality indicators.
Spanish ham
Wine and cheese go well with this dish.
Components:
- 4 kilograms of young pork (pork ham)
- 10 kg coarse sea salt
Cooking technology:
- Trim the fat from the ham. Dry the meat in the air, then generously rub with salt.
- We place the meat in an enamel bowl with a lid and leave it for 14 days in a cool place to salt.
- Once every two days, we turn over the salted ham for uniform penetration of salt throughout the depth.
- After two weeks, take out the ham and wash off the salt.
- We wrap the ham with a layer of gauze and hang it on a hook for drying and ripening.
- In a suspended state, the meat is kept for about six months. Every week it is necessary to increase the temperature by one degree.
- During the ripening process, excess liquid and fat will be released from the meat. Experts call this process “ham sweating”.
- After six months, the future jamon should be transferred to a cold place until the final ripening for 60 - 90 days.
Quick recipe
Use a long, sharp knife to cut
The fastest way to cook raw-cured pork like jamon is suitable for those who are unable to withstand meat for maturation in the basement and in the attic.
We will need:
- pork loin - one kilogram
- salt - two kilograms,
- granulated sugar - one kilogram
- spices (mixture of peppers, basil, curry, chopped bay leaf)
Cooking steps:
- Sprinkle dried pork loin with salt and sugar.
- We put the pork in an enameled dish, put a load on top, stand for three days for salting. Turn the pork several times a day to evenly marinate. Each time we drain the resulting liquid, the salt “pulls” the liquid out of the meat.
- After three days, dry the salted pork with a paper towel. We rub with spices.
- It wraps the future jamon with gauze, wraps it with a thick thread and hangs it on a hook for 4-5 days. It is advisable to hang out in the fresh air, on the balcony. After 5 days, it can be eaten, but it is better to hold it in limbo for about 30 days to fully ripen. In a month, the loin will turn into a real delicacy.
- The dish keeps well in the refrigerator. Shelf life - more than a year. To avoid weathering the edges, the slices are processed with rendered pork fat, melted butter is also suitable for this.
- When serving, it is important to properly cut this refined dish. In the homeland of jamon, in Spain, this is done by slicing specialists - cortadors.
Eating a delicacy with bread is considered bad form in Spain. The thinnest slices of this delicacy are taken by hand.
Spicy jamon
After a week, you can eat the dish. But if you let it sit for another week, the taste will improve a lot.
Are you a resident of a big city, the pace of your life does not allow you to cook a classic delicacy according to all the rules? It doesn't matter, make a quick analogue of the Spanish delicacy. I must say right away that you don’t need to buy a pork leg. It is enough to buy a quality loin at the nearest market.
In addition to meat (2 kg) you will need:
- salt - 500 g
- sugar - 250 g
- herbs: coriander, savory, basil, rosemary
- ground black pepper - two teaspoons
- chopped bay leaf - 1 teaspoon
- vinegar 6% - 100 ml.
Cooking steps:
- Rub a piece of loin with a mixture of salt, sugar and spices, put in an enamel pan, sprinkle with vinegar. Press down the meat with a weight and place in the refrigerator for 3 days.
- Turn the meat daily for better brining, but do not pierce with sharp objects. After each turning, drain the resulting liquid, this salt “draws” moisture from the meat.
- After three days, take out a piece of loin, dry it with a paper towel, rub again with spices. Wrap the meat with a layer of gauze, wrap it with strong thread and hang it on a hook on the balcony.
- During the summer, remove the meat during the day and hide it in the refrigerator, and hang it up again at night to dry.
A recipe for those who are not looking for easy ways
If you correctly follow all the points described in this recipe, you will get a wonderful fragrant product and you will not regret the time spent.
But, first of all, you need golden hands, great patience and male help. Let's start creating not just a dish, but a culinary masterpiece. You will only need to buy a pork leg (its cost is not high compared to the cost of the finished product).
To prepare this dish, you will need:
- high quality pork loin
- salt
Cooking:
The preparation is simple but time consuming.
- First of all, prepare a wooden box, you will need it in order to store the pork ham in it for complete salting.
- Bought on the market, fresh pork leg, blot with a cloth, scrape off the soot, which always remains from the tarring process.
- Never wash meat with water.
- Using a sharpened knife, cut the bone to a round joint. We cut off irregularities. The blank for jamon must have an impeccable appearance. If there are cuts in the meat preparation, they should be dried with a paper towel, then sprinkle the holes with salt so that the meat does not rot during the cooking process.
- Pour salt into a wooden box, first stretch burlap or other fabric that will allow air to pass over the box.
- There should be a lot of salt, it should cover the entire meat preparation completely. Essentially, you have to drown the pork leg in salt. It is recommended to mark the pork leg with the date and weight of the product.
salting process
- After the workpiece is covered with salt, cover with a thick cloth and close the box.
- Thus, the meat will stand for a complete, uniform salting.
- If the used ham weighs 10 kg, then it should be in a box of salt for two weeks.
Meat after two weeks of brining
- After two weeks, remove the pork billet from the box, shake off the remaining salt.
- You will notice that the meat is slightly shriveled and the leg looks shrunken. This is normal, because the salt has extracted excess moisture from the meat.
- When pressing on the surface, moisture should not be released. After weighing, you will notice that the weight has decreased by 15 - 17% of the original weight value.
- We hang the salted pork leg on a hook in a room with good ventilation.
- It is unacceptable that there are extraneous odors in the room. In a suspended state, the workpiece should be at least three months.
The whole process of making jamon will take from six to thirty months, depending on what result you want to get. The optimal time for cooking at home is nine months. After this period, the product fully ripens.
When serving, cut the product with a long sharp knife using a special wooden stand called jamonera
If the temperature in your area does not meet the required standards, then it is advisable to extend the drying process for one month. The finished dish is stored in limbo for one and a half years from the moment of the first cut. The incisions are treated with refined olive oil.
To prevent rotting, the sections are dried with a paper towel. The protective cocoon is not removed during storage of the ham.
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When is the best time to start cooking a delicacy?
It is recommended to start preparing homemade jamon in the last days of winter. With this approach, it will not be difficult to meet some important requirements. One of their requirements is: in the process of drying the ham, the temperature should be gradually increased by one to one and a half degrees every week, and the air humidity should be gradually reduced.
These conditions are easy to withstand in central Russia, as these are normal natural conditions for this time of year. The temperature of the beginning of the process should be 4 degrees.
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An important point is the fight against flies. With warming, it is necessary to begin an active fight against these insects. You also need to protect the meat from touching. We recommend using a mosquito net with a minimum mesh size, you also need to prepare a wire for making a frame.
Preparing a protective net-cocoon for a ham
To make a shelter from a mosquito net and wire, you will need a nylon thread and a sewing needle. You must make a protective cap and put it on the meat preparation, while it is advisable not to come into contact with the product. In places of contact with meat, rotting can form, which will lead to spoilage of the entire finished product.
Mosquito net cocoon protect the product from flies, wasps and other insects
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You can’t scrape off the mold, just wipe it with a soft cloth with refined olive oil.
Did you notice mold? Don't worry, this happens sometimes. In most cases, this simply confirms the fact that the cooking technology is followed correctly, this mold is of noble origin.
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Hamoi slices and black bread
- When preparing jamon from pork ham, the skin cannot be completely cut off. It protects the meat from excessive drying out, and also prevents the aging of fat. By the way, if the pork is very fatty, then a thick layer of fat will interfere with salting, the salt may simply not penetrate to the bone, there is a risk of spoilage of the product.
- For salting, take only coarse salt. It acts as an adsorbent, removing excess moisture.
- By the way, do you know why sea salt is used for salting?
- The thing is that it contains natural iodine, which works as a natural antiseptic. And yet, the iodized salt that we have on sale will not work, because due to the decomposition of potassium iodide, which is part of it, a specific hospital smell will appear. And jamon, as you know, does not like foreign odors.
- If you see a white coating on the meat preparation, do not try to remove it, this is salt being released, this process is quite normal.
- Protect the workpiece from punctures and cuts, because the meat is still raw inside. If there is even the slightest depressurization: a puncture or injury, this will lead to damage to the entire piece.
- If you find browning on the surface of the ham, treat them with alcohol with light touches of a cotton swab, but do not pluck the darkened places in any way.
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- Despite the fact that in classic recipes the skin is not removed from the ham, when cooking dried pork ham at home, it still needs to be removed. This is how practice shows. The fact is that the skin does not allow salt to penetrate inside. Under the pig skin lies a dense layer of fat, which also prevents the penetration of salt to the bone.
- Salting should be started not in the spring, but in early February. The fact is that when heat sets in, the meat dries quickly, darkens and salt slowly penetrates inside, moisture does not come out well. Ultimately, the quality of the finished product suffers.
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Spanish cuisine is diverse and has collected the traditions and customs of many nationalities from different regions.
Of course, meat dishes predominate here, olive oil, herbs, garlic, and wine are very popular. All ingredients are grown and produced directly in Spain, in its various regions, and this is facilitated by the geographical and climatic features of the country.
If you have prepared the most famous Spanish dish at home, after a long and painstaking journey, then it makes sense to arrange an evening of Spanish cuisine.
What wine to serve?
Jamon is served with no less famous Spanish wine - sherry
Sherry is a fairly strong wine, several varieties of grapes are used in the manufacture. Another popular type of wine that is perfect for a meat delicacy is Sangria - it is made from dry wine, a red variety, sugar, fruits, various spices are added there, sometimes even an orange. The color of the wine is a rich blood red.
In addition to wines, cider, spicy and fruit liqueurs are very popular, they are quite appropriate for an evening of Spanish cuisine.
Jamon
Description of the cooking process
