Franco's Step by Step Parma Ham

[Paul Kribs]

I am wondering if there may have been a small clot that trapped some blood. I am hoping that Heather can find her documents regarding my fiasco as I would like to know the cause of my failure. Not really concerned with the cost, more concerned with the cause, just out of interest. Quite fascinated as to why???

Regards, Paul Kribs

[akesingland]

Hi Paul

I saw this URL (http://italianfood.about.com/od/curedmeats/r/blr0698.htm). I know very little about butchery or indeed curing. Mind you blood must be just as cureable than any other part of the pig (black pudding?). We all know a few of these projects will go wrong, we may not know why. I may wait a few weeks and then cut into a forest of green mold on my leg.

My mold is becoming more white than green. May post a moldy picture!

Cheers
Adam

[akesingland]

Hi All (again)

Do you slice air dried ham across the grain or with it. Spanish ham is always with the grain (it is essential if the bone is in!) to make it chewey. However if you have a boneless ham you have a choice. Anyone else?

Cheers
Adam

[pokerpete]

pokerpete

As I say, I am unsure, but as the gunk was coming out of the artery area I assumed that the cause was blood as I cannot see any other reason for it. Could be on the wrong track but either way it has been discarded. I have had no problems with the pork from my supplier in the past, and all the rest of my charcuterie with the same pork all ended with good results.
The pig was dispatched at a reputable abattoir, and I believe that any animal dying of natural causes is not allowed to be sold for human consumption.

Regards, Paul Kribs

Quite right, and if you are happy with the abbatoir, well and good. I believe the normal way of dealing with casualties is that if the animal died of natural causes, then it would be offered to the local hunt, other than that it could be incinerated along with other carcases, or indeed used on a maggot farm to produce fishing bait.

[Rik vonTrense]

Well having built a piggery for a closed herd in my days as a builder one sees what goes on with the little squeelers and the pigmen are not all that gentle either.

They do not tolerate any misbehaviour by awkward piglets ....if they don't play the game then it's the hammer through the head and into the incinerator with it's body.....always seemed a waste of good cracklin' to me.

They always get rid of backward or sickly piglets making sure that the herd stays strong and pure as all of them are exported for stock.

The big old breeding sows who never leave their mating beds frequently go to the hounds as meat because of prolapsess of the womb etc etc and even when they have reached their useful lives as breeding stock. But none of this pork ever reaches the table but would make lovely sausages.

I have never seen any of the staff that work there take anything home for dinner either.,
.

[pokerpete]

Hi Paul

I saw this URL (http://italianfood.about.com/od/curedmeats/r/blr0698.htm). I know very little about butchery or indeed curing. Mind you blood must be just as cureable than any other part of the pig (black pudding?). We all know a few of these projects will go wrong, we may not know why. I may wait a few weeks and then cut into a forest of green mold on my leg.

My mold is becoming more white than green. May post a moldy picture!

Cheers
Adam

I have never hear of pigs blood being brine cured at all. The brine and osmosis might negate the microbiotic proliferation in the artery or veins to negatation.
The normal way to make sure that the fresh pigs blood does not coagulate after collection is to use acetic acid (vinegar)
BTW black puddings are neither brined nor cured.

[akesingland]

Hi All

Just checked my ham, the molds are growing but not at alarming rate. My ham is two weeks off 2 months now. The bad weather (UK south) has meant spot on conditions in my larder, altough sometimes a little high on the humidity. The molds have gone right into a little crevice. I may scrub it but I will be unable to scrub the crevice.

On squeezing the ham some parts a very firm so I may have a sneek look in the near future. It has not dripped in weeks now. No bad smells just a little musty from the mold, you have to get close.

Cheers
Adam

[Fallow Buck]

Adam,

We use blood to train tracking dogs for stalking and the general way we use to stop it coagulating is to add a tsp of salt to it, so apart from cooking it inblack pudding or using it to thicken sauces as in some continental recipies I think that is as far as the use for blood goes.

FB

[dougal]

Just as a general observation, isn't it fair to say that curing (especially involving air drying) is going to be a much more demanding test of *butchery* skills than that presented by ordinary immediate (thorough) cooking?

[akesingland]

Dear All

When does heavy seasoning end and curing start (black pudding)? As often happens, threads get distorted and people start to offer their opinion, which is a good thing. We don't know why Paul's ham went off, maybe it was "one of those things". Dougal you are right curing is not a test of butchery skills. Curing to me seems to be a test of taking advice for the novice or relying of days/months/years/tens of years/hundreds of years of experience, shared or otherwise.

Cheers
Adam

[dougal]

Adam - I'm a total novice at air curing. I'm afraid that I've been too confusing in what I was trying to express.
What I was trying to say is that it seems having a good *butcher* (maybe slaughterman too) seems to be more important for curing than cooking.
My impression is that had Paul roasted his joint, the 'problem' would likely never have been evident. Or have I got this all wrong?

[Wohoki]

Something I read when I was researching smokers was that it is necesary to run the heel your hand hard along the inside of the (in this case it was venison) leg, from hock to hip, after the initial cure to squeeze out the gunk that builds up in the femoral artery, as it can taint the meat whilst it smokes. I don't see why this shouldn't be true of air-cured swine as well.

[Paul Kribs]

dougal

I accept what you say with regard to roasting the leg, I know I would have enjoyed it as well, but I really wanted the parma style ham for my son to taste.. He'll have to put up with chorizo's, bresaola, salami, faggotts, haggis, bacon, burgers and sausages etc.. plenty to be getting on with..

Wohoki

I haven't come across the pressing of the artery before, but it would certainly go toward what resulted with the spoilage. In future I will try to remove the artery, but won't try another leg, bone in, until later in the year. Whatever the reason for spoilage, I am not put off by it at all..

Regards, Paul Kribs

[pokerpete]

dougal

I accept what you say with regard to roasting the leg, I know I would have enjoyed it as well, but I really wanted the parma style ham for my son to taste.. He'll have to put up with chorizo's, bresaola, salami, faggotts, haggis, bacon, burgers and sausages etc.. plenty to be getting on with..

Wohoki

I haven't come across the pressing of the artery before, but it would certainly go toward what resulted with the spoilage. In future I will try to remove the artery, but won't try another leg, bone in, until later in the year. Whatever the reason for spoilage, I am not put off by it at all..

Regards, Paul Kribs

Why not try a hand held brine pump, and pump some brine mixture nearer the legbone to help with the osmosis.
Even the small butcher who cured his own small output did this.
Not only that, but I advised many to pump in polyphosphates to a level of 5% of the piece weight, and then cook in a cooking bag on simmer. Of course the piece, after cooking can be removed from the bag (less weight loss) scored, painted with gravy browning and flash roasted. Thus giving it the authentic look.

[Paul Kribs]

pokerpete

Thanks for the input, but the parma ham is a dry cure. I know about osmosis etc, but at what stage in the process would injecting the accumilated brine/cure/osmosis residue would I inject the ham? And moreover, what would it achieve as osmosis has already occurred when the fluid has drained? I have large canulas and syringes which I use for wet cures.

Regards, Paul Kribs