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dpack

ageing hams etc

i decided it was time to explore the slatted shelf over the kitchen door to the back yard (warmish/coolish and a bit drafty ) to see how some of the mummified piggies are getting on.after a couple of unwrappings everything seemed fine with some 10 yr belly and a couple of paws of indeterminate date so once i came to a small shoulder and front leg which i could not resist. it is probably a 5 yr old cure with nothing but salt ,air and time in a variable mix of temp, humidity etc etc

having taken the razor sharp mini cleaver in a rather robust tourne de mestre and then sawn the bone to give most of the humerus and lower leg to the wrist i peeled off the skin and most of the yellowed fat.
now it is sliced and has given about half top grade nibbles and half cooking ham for sauces and such like.

two observations : a salt cure is very adequate for long term preservation and excellent flavour etc etc. so long as the initial cure is done cool enough to prevent microbial / fungal decay until the meat is salty enough to be resistant to such problems the storage conditions of a wrapped in a cloth to keep dust off the skin and to wick up any oozy fat when it is hot in summer on an airy kitchen shelf is enough to dry and mature the product ( get stuffed eho's Laughing all your details of constant temp and humidity within tight limits etc in a dedicated hanging room is irrelevant to the real world )

at the mo im on nibbles and young blackberry "port" yummy Cool
sgt.colon

It all sounds very yummy DPack. I'm still determined to do my own leg* one year.











* Please note not my own leg as in my own but one off a pig. Very Happy
dpack

Laughing

that would be a downsizer gold award for several reasons Laughing Laughing Laughing
sgt.colon

Laughing Laughing Laughing
Midlandsman

Re: ageing hams etc


two observations : a salt cure is very adequate for long term preservation and excellent flavour etc etc. so long as the initial cure is done cool enough to prevent microbial / fungal decay until the meat is salty enough to be resistant to such problems the storage conditions of a wrapped in a cloth to keep dust off the skin and to wick up any oozy fat when it is hot in summer on an airy kitchen shelf is enough to dry and mature the product ( get stuffed eho's Laughing all your details of constant temp and humidity within tight limits etc in a dedicated hanging room is irrelevant to the real world )

at the mo im on nibbles and young blackberry "port" yummy Cool


FWIW, the protection will be as much from the reduction of Water Activity (the water available for bacteria to react with, as against the dryness) as the level of salt. Salt alone would need to be at unpalatable levels to provide safety on its own.

It's somewhat academic though when you've got aa superb shelf stable product as you have. Enjoy!

MM
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