This beastie started its life as a "ham" on the 23rd December 08. It has sat, covered in salt and weighed down with a brick for 3 days per kilo in weight. Already it is much drier due to the salt drawing out moisture and it has a cured ham feel about it.
It was washed in cider vinegar to remove any salt deposits, dried and then wrapped in muslin.
Finally, a hook was (with some difficulty) pushed into the end of the ham and it was hung in a dry, airy place which happens to be under our verandah.
It will hang there for another 6-9 months air drying before being thinly sliced and scoffed. Our good friend Di, being of Italian stock, can have first bite as she is well qualified in how our "Leicester Ham" tastes compared to the famous Italian Parma or Sorrento ones.
3 comments:
I am drooling with anticipation!! How can you possibly resist it for 6 months? won't your local foxes find a way to get at it?
Beg pardon - I've a whole hog here to preserve and no idea how to go about it. Your salted-air-dried ham looks a perfect solution!
You hung your ham to air-dry in January, when it's cold. Tell me please, does the same air-drying work in summer, or does the pork need cold to dry properly?
I get more or less the same issues while growing cannabis in the area ...
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