Parma ham Cure (Questions)

[Oddley]

I have a few questions about the Parma ham cure and the method.

1: Who is making up the cure is it a professional supplier
2: What are the levels of nitrite/nitrate per kg
3: Who developed the method, why the three day hang after being cured.

I'm asking these questions on health and safety grounds. I can't really see myself using this cure without these questions being answered.

I'm not trying to slag off the cure or anything, it may be perfectly ok. But food poisoning is no joke.

If I used the cure I think I would have trouble finding a place with a temp of 15C/ 60F at a RH of 70%. That is until I get the fridge method sorted out.

[Franco]

Oddley,

I'll pass on the spec sheet as soon as the factory sends it to me, they make all my cures and have developed and approved this one.

This cure was originaly based on a Len Poli recipe but aspects of his recipe didn't always work, ie. the heating of the ham at 130o fahrenheit for 60 hours as this tends to cook it!, I have tried variations on this theme over the last few months and have found that leaving it in a warm room after the initial cure (30 days) helps to dry the skin and give a good colour to the meat.

After 30 days spoilage shouldn't be an issue as the ham is in effect 'cured' by this point and most of the water has left the ham.

The second month is in effect the ageing period and I believe this is where the flavours of the ham will develop.

The cure has 3.2% Prague 2 so you can work out the ingoing levels from that, as the cure is made from sea salt the nitrate level will be marginally higher than if using cooking salt.


The 16oC temeperature and the 70%rh are the conditions that a true 'Parma' ham are matured at this time of year my garage has more or less these conditions.

As this cure requires more input than a standard bacon cure it is probably more suited to the more experienced user (that's why I sent you some to test ) for first time curers I would suggest starting with a simple 'all in one bacon cure' and then progressing up to an air dried product.




Regards

Franco

[Oddley]

Thank you Franco for answering my questions. I'll be able to answer questions better knowing the info. I'll certainly give it a go and report back with photo's.

[Franco]

Are you going to try it on a full leg or on small boned piece of pork?

Franco

[Oddley]

Franco as this is a new cure I defiantly won't be trying it on a full leg. I couldn't anyway nowhere to hang it.

I will be trying it first on a belly. If the cure and method works on that it will work on anything.

later in the year if I can arrange it with one of the family who live outside London I may well do a full leg.

This is not really the time of year to be doing this stuff. So I will have to try to get my fridge method up and running to do this anyway.

You are very lucky to have the right conditions in your garage. Down south I think it has been warmer than up north. The temp in my lounge tonight is nearly 80F.

[Paul Kribs]

I spent most of yesterday trying to find the temperature and relative humidity of pretty much every nook and cranny and couldn't find anywhere that got near 16oC / 70%rh. Nearest I got was 22oC / 58%RH. That was in my dining room, which gets no sun, and I don't think the wife would want 'ham' chandaliers hanging from the beams.
I was adjusting my fridge up and down and waiting for it to settle. It's a bit of a science. I did notice that when measuring the RH of the fridge that if I blew 3-4 good lungfuls of air into it and checked it a few minutes later it had increased the RH considerably. Oddley, I now understand what you are trying to achieve with your 'fogger' control experiment.

Obviuosly things will improve as the weather cools, looks like the Parma style ham is going to be a seasonal thing for the home curer.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[Franco]

The temp and RH are only guidelines but I wouldn't recommend going much higher or lower than them.

If the RH is much lower than 70% the outside of the meat will dry too hard and won't allow the residual moisture to escape.

I'll start a belly today and log the exact temp and RH when it comes out of the initial cure.


Franco

[Wilf]

Worked really well on this 1 kilo loin, this was about 2 weeks ago, now only have a small end piece left, has a nice flaky white powdery mould on the edge, still seems to be maturing as I worked my way thro it over the last fortnight

[Paul Kribs]

Wilf

My boned leg finishes this weekend and although I have had a taste, I am looking forward to slicing and tasting. I also have a white mould and what appears to be a salt residue.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[Paul Kribs]

Well guys it's the day of the unveiling..

I have taken the ham out of its racks and it had a bit of white mould and some crystalisation with a salty taste, I'm a bugger for prodding and tasting. I set my small slicing machine on the thinnest setting and lo and behold the ham doesn't fit properly. I had to try to slice without using the clamp and it worked OK. Obviously the test was in tasting so the first few slices went straight into the face hole. I must admit that it tasted more towards Serrano than Parma, but I love them both so was well pleased. I would say that I wholeheartedly recommend Franco's Parma (Serrano) Style Cure. I would say that this experiment is a resounding success. BTW, I put a piece on the newspaper and could read it through it, so the thickness is about right as well. The texture is consistent and the flavour is superb.







Regards, a very happy Paul Kribs

[aris]

Looks great Paul - was it cured and dried all the way through?

[Paul Kribs]

aris

I sliced those bits yesterday and decided to slice the rest this morning and vac pack it. After slicing further, about 2 1/2", I noted the flesh was beginning to feel softer. I decided to skin it and open it up where it became evident it had not properly cured all the way through. It was quite wet still and soft. I have tried to save the situation by applying some salt and I will vacuum pack it and put it in the fridge for a week, when I will check it and hang it again for a few weeks before I make a decision. The bits I tasted yesterday were good, and I am still alive so it can't have any nasties in it. I did apply the cure right up the hole where I tunnel boned it, both times. I was wondering if it would be because I applied pressure whilst hanging it, by the use of the grills and cable ties. It was an attempt to press the moisure out but maybe it had the opposite effect in keeping a pocket of moisture inside. It had stopped dripping last weekend, although I wouldn't think it would matter. In spain they sell and eat them when they are still dripping. We shall see in a week or so. I certainly won't be discarding the bits I have sliced.



Regards, Paul Kribs

[aris]

Perhaps it just needed more curing time - or your humidity levels were too low and the moisture inside was not able to escape?

[Oddley]

The Parma looks good. To be honest, I think a blanket 1 month drying time for any thickness of meat to be a bit optimistic. I would expect a leg to take at least 2-3 months to be air dried properly.

Perhaps a loin would be adequately dried in a 4-6 weeks. A belly in 2-3 weeks. Just my opinion.

[Paul Kribs]

Next time, at Franco's suggestion I will apply more cure 'up the hole'
I will also omit the pressing after curing, and will leave it longer also. Just a case of getting it right and sticking with it. If it turns out that the re-packed piece fails then I am still more than happy as I have about 1 1/2 lbs of good sliced ham.

The RH% was generally a little low, and the temperature a little high. The humidity was generally around 60% - 62% and temp was generally around 16C - 18C, except for the few warmer days we had when it went back into the fridge at about 5C -6C and RH of 66% - 71%.

I was wondering about constructing a cage from screen mesh (insect mesh) and try hanging one under my lean to, would it be worth a try during the winter??

Regards, Paul Kribs