Franco's Step by Step Parma Ham

[debsp]

More questions to be answered if possible please.

I am looking to follow the above recipe for parma ham and, as Franco suggested, am starting off with a smaller amount - 1kg of pork loin.

He mentions that a smaller amount of meat may require a shorter curing time than the 15 days, add more cure, then another 15 days.

Does anyone have any advice on how long I should cure it in the fridge for that amount of meat?

Again, many thanks in advance.

[Paul Kribs]

debsp

I have a 2kg piece of boned loin curing at the moment, and am following the recipe. It is curing with it's 2nd application and will be ready for maturation this Friday. I have cured a Lomo with the parma style cure and shortened the time on it, and also cured a boned leg, which needed longer than the recipe specified.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[akesingland]

Hi All

Well I just jumped in at the deep end using Franco's Parma Ham cure. Got a leg of Tamworth from the Ginger Pig and the Butcher tunnel boned it for me. 5.5 Kg of pork takes some getting into a 30cm wide vaccum bag. It now looks like a bolster cushion. Paul you mentioned that your boned leg needed longer than the recipie specified, how much longer?? The amount of cure is 80g per Kilo split over two applications, yes?

Cheers
Adam

[Paul Kribs]

Adam

I can't really say how much extra time my leg needed for the following reason. I started to carve it after the specified time and noted that the more I carved the softer the texture of the meat became. I decided to open it up and found there was a fair bit that was still holding moisture. Quite soft and wet to the touch. I continued carving as much as I could and then applied some salt to the wet area and re-hung it. After about 4 days there was no drips evident and I decided to discard it.
The boned leg was just over 9 lbs weight. Franco has done a couple of smaller 'bone in' legs.. http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewtopic.php?t=927&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Here are a couple of pics of the ham..

Initial carving, all seems well.



Opened up.. wet flesh still evident..



Don't be put off by the picture, I firmly believe it happened because I did not apply enough cure into the 'tunnel' area internally.. and this is where the wetness was. The next one I cure I will apply more of the cure internally or butterfly it and cure it opened out, and at least double the maturing/hanging time.
I must say that the slices I carved tasted very nice indeed. BTW, yes, the cure is 80 grams per kilo.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[akesingland]

Dear Paul

Thanks very much for your reply. Most of my cure went "in-the-hole" anyway. Do you think your ham was under cured or under dried? Obviously my ham won't be out of the bag for a month, but my outhouse (that I think was an outside toilet ) is 10 degrees and about 55%-65% RH at the moment. Although this will change by April. I'll try to get pictures up if I can. Also did you rinse your ham half way though the cure? Finally it looks like you did the squeeze thing between two grills, yes?

Many thanks again
Adam

[Paul Kribs]

Adam

I would say a little bit of both. The cure must have reached the wet bit as it wasn't rotten and did not smell bad, also the flesh was pink. Yes, it was put between 2 grills and drawn tight with heavy gauge cable ties. No, I didn't rinse the ham half way through, just drained the liquid off and patted dry with kitchen paper before applying the second half of the cure. I did rinse the vacuum bag out and dried and re-used it for the second curing

Regards, Paul Kribs

[debsp]

Ladies & Gents

Another question on parma hams if I may.

I am only doing a small piece of pork, as recommended by Franco.

It is currently hanging out of the kitchen window on a chrome banana holder for 6 hours (I live in Scotland and it is certainly cool and draughty outside). There is still quite a lot of pepper and juniper berries clinging to it. Should I remove these prior to putting the lard and pepper mix on in 3 days?

Thanks,

Deb

[Paul Kribs]

deb

I generally just wipe them off, but it doesn't matter if you don't.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[debsp]

Thanks Paul.

[Fallow Buck]

Hi guys

My Parma ham has been hanging now for about 5 weeks. there are some small spots of white mould on the exposed side of the meatand going into the Tunneled area.

The skin has turned a darkish yellow and is dry to the touch. out of the base of the meat there are some syrupy droplets forming, but it doesn't look wet at all.

I'll probably wipe the mould off with some vinigar. I think the only reasonit has grown is because it is hanging with the venison Salamis in Ox bungs so some of the culture may have been on my fingers when I checked them all.

I haven't however put it in any kind if tightening device so the hole in the middle is quite evident.

I'll try to remember topost some pictures.

FB

[akesingland]

Hi All

My Ham came out of the fridge on Sunday. I hung it and put it in the larder with a fan for 3 hours. As mine was tunnel boned I pulled a clean teatowel through it, to wick out the moisture atfer soaking. I also trimmed a few flappy bits off. I have sewn it up and applied the lard. I popped it in the airing cupboard, don't think my partner was impressed. I was surprised how little it smelled. Had to move it this morning as the gas man is coming round to look at the combi boiler. It has gone remarkably dark in a few days and some of the lard fell off in the heat. I will hang it on Wednesday night in the larder which at the moment is 12 degrees and about 65% RH (Middlesex, UK). I have taken pictures which I hope to post next week.

Cheers
Adam

[akesingland]

Hi All

My "Parma ham" has been drying for two weeks now. I scraped off a lot of the lard/pepper mix. I did this because having looked at the many pictures on the forum, mine was more of a "plaster" than "smear". Has anyone seen the pictures of Franco's ham on rivercottage.net forum? I have seen most of the pictures before but not all strung together. I will put up pictures after I return from Ireland which is where my camera is. The pictures are the most reassuring things for first timers.

Cheers
Adam

[Paul Kribs]

Just to let you all know, I am doing my second Parma style ham.. this time bone in with the trotter left on. It has had both curings in Franco's cure and although I cut it long, is looking good so far. I did however extend the curing time by a few days.. more through work commitments than laziness.
The leg came from a free-range Large White and initially weighed in at 14.5 lbs. I butchered it long but removed the pelvic bone (ishium/ilium) to expose the ball joint of the femur.. mainly for presentation purposes. You can see in the picture the crevise where the pelvis was. It is currently indergoing 4 hours of the fan to dry the outside ready for the application of the lard/black pepper mixture. The lard bring applied to retard the drying, and the pepper being there to dispell any flies that have a liking to cured ham. It was my intention to have the cured leg ready for the end of July but I doubt it will be there then. It is my intention that I will still carve it then, but mainly over the outside where I deem it has matured.. then reapply the lard and let it mature further. As long as it is not soft I will be happy.



Regards, Paul Kribs

[akesingland]

Hi Paul

Are you worried about the weather conditions one might expect this time of year (although at the moment in my larder they are pretty perfect)? My ham has been airing for a month now, I will keep it there as long as I dare. How do you put the pictures up? Do you put them on a web site first or can you just paste them in?

Cheers
Adam

[jenny_haddow]

Look back in the Beginners section, Oddley kindly posted instructions when I was struggling.

Cheers

Jen