Home Page
   Articles
       links
About Us    
Traders        
Recipes            
Latest Articles
ageing hams etc

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Downsizer Forum Index -> Recipes, Preserving, Homebrewing
Author 
 Message
dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45321
Location: yes
PostPosted: Thu Oct 06, 16 6:11 pm    Post subject: ageing hams etc Reply with quote
    

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 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

sgt.colon



Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.
PostPosted: Tue Oct 25, 16 11:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

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.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45321
Location: yes
PostPosted: Tue Oct 25, 16 12:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    



that would be a downsizer gold award for several reasons

sgt.colon



Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.
PostPosted: Tue Oct 25, 16 12:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    


Midlandsman



Joined: 22 May 2014
Posts: 116

PostPosted: Tue Oct 25, 16 12:24 pm    Post subject: Re: ageing hams etc Reply with quote
    

dpack wrote:

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 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


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

Post new topic   Reply to topic    Downsizer Forum Index -> Recipes, Preserving, Homebrewing All times are GMT
Page 1 of 1
View Latest Posts View Latest Posts

 

Archive
Powered by php-BB © 2001, 2005 php-BB Group
Style by marsjupiter.com, released under GNU (GNU/GPL) license.
Copyright © 2004 marsjupiter.com