Jamon - dry-cured pork leg

[Jamon - dry-cured pork leg]

Jamon - dry-cured pork leg




Jamon without a hoof is dangerous to take
Jamon is a dry-cured pork ham, which they learned to cook before our era. The bearers of knowledge were in no hurry to share the secret, so many enthusiasts who tried to soak pork in salt brines failed. Nowadays, many are aware of how to dry slender pork legs - they know both the temperature regimes and the timing - but they still can't do it. Igor Vovk, the chef of the L'Accente restaurant, told Marina Gladkoy how to find a good jamon.
- How to buy jamon?
- Of course, it is best to buy the whole leg. Sometimes a special wooden stand-jamoner is attached to it as a gift, into which the leg is placed so that it is convenient to handle it. If there is no stand, try to buy it - believe me, it will greatly facilitate your attempts to beautifully cut meat. When buying, you need to pay attention to the hoof - it is dangerous to take jamon without a hoof. The color of the hoof determines the breed, on which, of course, the price depends. If the hoof is black - in front of you is a more expensive Iberian breed, if light - an ordinary farmer. The leg itself should be as if flattened from the sides and, of course, without the hairline. The ham must be touched: if the fingers remain greasy, and the meat itself, with light pressure, is soft, you must take it.
- What color should the meat be?
- The best color of the leg is dark, which means that it has little moisture and it is not water that makes it tender, but fat. The older the ham, the darker it is, it can even be hard, because there are special lovers of jamon gnawing. A good jamon has subtle touches of fat - it can be white or yellow in color, don't let that scare you off. That's right, when there is a stamp on the leg with the date of manufacture (you need to eat the jamon no earlier than 24-28 months from the date of preparation), and the name indicates the exact characteristic, for example, jamon iberico or paleta iberica.
- What is paleta iberica?
- Jamon is a common name for all hams, there are several types of them. They make a pallet from the front legs, and a ham from the hind legs. In Spanish, the word "jamon" is spelled through the Latin letter j, and in local restaurants it is often called simply jam on the menu. Some tourists buy into this cut, order jam for the children and are very surprised when jerky is brought to them.
- What is the difference between a pallet and a ham?
- The pallet differs from the jamon in weight, it is smaller, which means that with equal efforts spent on manufacturing, the pallet is always cheaper than the jamon. Outwardly, it is easy enough to distinguish them. The jamon is more powerful, teardrop-shaped, and the pallet looks more modest and resembles a slice of ripe melon. Of course, many nuances affect the taste of meat: you need to take into account where the animal grew up and what breed it is. The undisputed leader is a black pig belonging to the Iberian breed. Serrano is also listed and belongs to the expensive breeds. These pigs are grown in the mountains under conditions close to natural. The difficulties do not end there, each breed - Iberico and Serrano - is divided into three categories, in which individuals fall depending on the diet.
- What do you need to feed the pigs to make the ham delicious?
- The most expensive variety is jamon de bellota (jamon de beyota). To get a tasty quality ham, piglets walking in the fresh air are fed only with acorns and fresh herbs. It is followed by the variety jamon de recebo (jamon de recebo) - not only acorns are allowed in the diet of animals, but also additional plant food.Jamon de pienso (jamon de pienso) is also not bad, but it is obtained from piglets that have grown on conventional plant feed. It is always important for a Spaniard in which province the ham was made, they are very attentive to the product they eat. Therefore, they often prefer a huge fragrant dried leg over vacuum-packed jamon.
- How to handle her?
- There are two ways - to hang your leg from the ceiling, or still get a hamonera. The second option is better: firstly, it allows you to protect children and neighbors who accidentally dropped in from shock, and secondly, it is more convenient to handle the hamonera, you can cover it with a towel. The foot is placed or suspended with the hoof up. You need to cut with a thin long knife in the direction from the hoof. The pieces should be translucent, then the jamon will melt in your mouth, and you will enjoy the taste to the fullest. Never cut for future use to stuff the remaining slices into the refrigerator. This is a surefire way to spoil a delicate product. It is best to chop exactly as much as you can eat at a time.
- What products does ham go with?
- For those who will not appreciate the combination of ham and melon, we offer ham with a mix of salads. Very well-dried pork goes well with sweet tomatoes and arugula, pasta and wild mushrooms, and lightly stewed Savoy cabbage. Jamon is a versatile product, it finds a common language with gourmet dishes and the simplest homemade food. It can be eaten just like that, unaccompanied, as a completely independent dish, it does not require any special drinks - jamon is wonderful without them.

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