Preparation of Serrano Ham
We have seen the importance of breeding and feeding regimes to the quality of Spanish ham. The preparation of Serrano ham is also crucial, and may actually be the most important part of the business of making ham!
When it comes to scent, nuances of flavor and aroma, and the degree of salt, curation and so forth, it's all down to the preparation process. To make a leg of pork into Spanish ham, all you really must have is salt and a long time to let it cure. But it takes much more than that to turn a leg of pork into a quality ham. Let's look at how that's done!
It's clear that the preparation of Serrano ham can be aided and augmented by high technology, and all the factors in play can then be controlled with far greater precision. The most prestigious producers of Serrano ham are in Teruel and in the provinces of Granada and Almeria.
Typically, producers will begin work on a pork leg which is reared, slaughtered and butchered elsewhere before being delivered to them, though some producers have their own slaughterhouses. On receipt, the producer will check that the meat meets the statutory requirements to qualify as Serrano ham - that it weighs over 9.5kg wet, for instance.
Once a producer has verified that everything is as it should be with the raw material, the meat is taken to the salting room and salted with sea salt and nitrous salt that helps to desiccate it slightly, reducing its moisture content and speeding the curing process.
This also helps to preserve the pink flesh tones that are so characteristic of Serrano ham, and hams are sometimes left in the salting room for as much as two weeks, depending on factors such as their weight, the amount of fat on the ham or the thickness of the piece.
The environmental conditions in the salting room are strictly controlled, with temperatures never falling below 0°C or rising above 4°C, while humidity is kept at a steady 80%.
Once the salting is complete, the Spanish hams are brushed and washed thoroughly to get rid of any excess salt from their surfaces. After this, they are allowed to stand for at least 40 days to allow the salt that has already been absorbed to distribute itself throughout the meat evenly and to allow the ham to acquire personality, without the intrusion of mold or other issues.
The resting room is kept in conditions similar to those i the salting room.
After this, the Spanish ham is ready to move to the drying and curing room. This is perhaps the most crucial period,lasting more than 100 days and clearly defining the best quality ham.
The piece will be hung in a well-ventilated room whose temperature will gradually increase as the days go on, starting at about 6°C and rising to 34°C with a humidity of around 80%. As the temperature rises, the ham undergoes a slow process of exudation,gradually acquiring all the properties of flavor, aroma and appearance that we associate with the best Serrano ham.
The final step in the preparation of Serrano ham is the aging or curing cellar. This is a complex matter that is usually decided on the personal opinion of an expert rather than by any formula, and it's one of the factors that affects quality and price the most.
Curing time acts almost like an index of quality. Consider that Bodega Serrano ham is usually aged for between 8 and 11 months, Reserve for 11-14 months and Grand Reserve never less than 14 months.
So we can see that the true secrets of making fantastic Serrano ham aren't secret at all. On the one hand, it's about the traditional knowledge of skilled craftsmen working in a way that's based on experience and expertise, and on the other it's the appliance of a little science to the fact that sometimes, good things come to those who wait.
Todo sobre el jamón
Contenido
- 1 Tipos de jamón ibérico
- 2 Cómo consumir jamón ibérico
- 3 Cortar jamón ibérico
- 4 Cómo conservar el jamón ibérico
- 5 Maridaje del jamón ibérico
- 6 Ley de calidad del jamón ibérico
- 7 La Dehesa
- 8 Denominaciones de origen del jamón ibérico
- 9 Propiedades nutricionales del jamón ibérico de bellota
- 10 Recetas con jamón
- 11 Diferencias entre jamón ibérico y jamón serrano
- 12 Diferencias entre paletilla y jamón ibérico
- 13 Diferencias entre jamón ibérico y jamón serrano
- 14 Jamón ibérico y sus competidores en el mundo
- 15 Propiedades nutricionales del jamón ibérico
- 16 Denominación de origen del jamón ibérico
- 17 Zonas de elaboración del jamón y del jamón pata negra
- 18 Jamón cortado a mano o a máquina
- 19 Museos del jamón ibérico en el mundo
- 20 Cata de jamón ibérico: todos los secretos
- 21 Ruta del jamón ibérico
- 22 El jamón ibérico de bellota y su maridaje ideal
- 23 Proceso de elaboración de los embutidos ibéricos
- 24 Historia de los embutidos ibéricos
- 25 IVA para el jamón: preguntas y respuestas
- 26 El jamón en la literatura
- 27 Curiosidades del jamón ibérico
- 28 Cómo conservar el jamón serrano
- 29 Normativa de calidad del jamón serrano
- 30 Elaboración del jamón serrano
- 31 Denominaciones de origen del jamón serrano
- 32 Propiedades nutricionales del jamón serrano
- 33 Recetas con jamón serrano
- 34 Tipos de jamón serrano
- 35 Maridaje del jamón serrano
- 36 Cómo consumir jamón serrano
- 37 Cortar jamón serrano
- 38 Todos los secretos sobre la cata de jamón pata negra
- 39 Cómo elegir un buen soporte jamonero
- 40 Cuál es el mejor jamón pata negra?
- 41 Es correcto el término jamón pata negra?
- 42 Jamón pata negra y dehesa
- 43 Los secretos del maridaje del jamón pata negra
- 44 ¿Cómo saber qué jamón comprar?
- 45 ¿Por qué el buen jamón es tan caro?
- 46 ¿Cómo comprar jamón en tiendas online?
- 47 Mitos y realidades, beneficios y prejuicios del jamón
- 48 ¿El jamón ibérico engorda?
- 49 ¿Qué hacemos con el hueso del jamón?
- 50 ¿Por qué solemos colgar el jamón?
- 51 Jamón y embarazo: ¿Se puede incluir el jamón ibérico en la dieta de las embarazadas?
- 52 El rol del jamón en el crecimiento y desarrollo de los niños
- 53 Consejos para conservar el jamón
- 54 ¿Qué es el perfilado del jamón y por qué se hace?
- 55 Nuevas tecnologías y jamón - Resonancia magnética en la cata del jamón - Imágenes espectrales
- 56 El cerdo ibérico comienza a emigrar
- 57 Embutidos: Origen, composición y clasificación
- 58 Elaboración de jamones y paletas
- 59 Guía de Cata del Jamón Ibérico
- 60 Elementos diferenciales de calidad en jamón y embutidos “ibéricos”
- 61 El mapa del jamón en España
- 62 Propiedades de la grasa del jamón ibérico
- 63 Cómo transportar jamón ibérico y otros alimentos en vuelos internacionales
- 64 Prevalencia de patógenos y beneficios de los ácidos orgánicos en la producción de cerdos