How do you take a sick pig to the hospital?
In a hambulance!
What did the pig say when he was sick?
"Call the hambulance!"
Okay, I’m not talkin’ ‘bout that kind of ham. The ham
that I’m speakin’ of is of the cured pork persuasion. Savory, salty and useful
in a wide range of culinary applications from sandwiches to appetizers to side
dishes to main courses all the way back to simply being a seasoning agent. Not
all things pork today but simply just the cured hind quarters that is known as
ham.
The Basic Ham
I’m sure that everyone is familiar with your basic ham
found in the supermarket that either came from a can or sealed in shrink wrap
in the chill case. Most of these do originate from the hind leg of the pig
though some hams originate from the fore leg or shoulder of the pig and are
usually labeled as picnic hams. Hams can be considered fresh if they are
uncured or can also be found cured and uncooked in the case of country hams.
Sometimes they are smoked and sometimes they are simply flavored with
artificial smoke flavor. And they often are cured with a sweetening agent such
as brown sugar or honey to cover some of saltiness from the brining solution.
And when it comes to your gourmet hams, they are often spiral sliced so that
all you need is a single knife stroke to create perfect slices for your guests.
As a child, I never really cared for the supermarket
variety of ham mainly because I found them too salty and often when prepped
improperly, a bit dry. Most of my ham consumption was in the form Hawaii’s
favorite SPiced hAM, Spam which really isn’t ham at all and
is a multi-page dissertation unto itself. The other ham routinely consumed was
provided by Oscar Meyer in the form of deli-sliced cold cuts in sandwiches. And
then I sampled a Honey Baked Ham from Geary Boulevard and said “Whoa”! Sweet,
savory, not too salty, not too smoky but juuuust right!
Of course, since then I’ve also discovered the joys of
slow cooked ham that simply shreds after hours of low heat cooking. Spiced with
brown sugar, maple syrup, a touch of pineapple juice and mustard then stuffed
into a soft potato roll… It certainly rivals that smoked, pulled pork and slaw
sandwich!
The Other Ham
About 25 years ago, the USDA finally relented and allowed
that luscious Italian ham, prosciutto back into the US. Like all hams,
prosciutto originates from the hind leg of the pig but unlike other hams the
only ingredient other than the pig itself is sea salt. And Adriatic breezes.
And time. After the salted leg is rested in refrigerated cells for 2 months to
lose excess moisture, the excess salt is washed off and the ham begins a 1 to 3
year process of aging in the Adriatic breezes to produce either Prosciutto di Parma
in central Italy or Prosciutto San Daniele in northern Italy. The resulting ham
is usually sliced paper thin and wrapped over fresh melon or figs or simply
served as is with hard cheeses and Balsamico. They have a velvety, silky
texture and are sweeter than your basic ham with just a touch of game. This Old
World process is replicated domestically but the imported variety have a
silkier texture, aren’t as salty and have a better flavor than the domestic
varieties… of course they do cost a lot more but believe me, are worth the
price.
Prosciutto does also have a cousin that is revered just
as much if not more and its name is Culatello. Culatello is basically the
meatiest portion of the hind leg that is boned, cured – often with red wine –
then placed in a pig’s bladder and hung like prosciutto to age for 1 to 2
years. The resulting boneless ham is then thinly sliced and served like
prosciutto though I find that it has a richer flavor profile than prosciutto
and it’s a lot more savory. Whereas prosciutto is refined, culatello is rustic.
But it is harder to find since those health inspectors in the European Union
don’t always consider production very sanitary since the aging rooms foster the
growth of mold. But it’s these molds (like the mold covering salami or cheeses)
that remove moisture and facilitates the ageing of the ham. And the last time I
checked, I don’t believe there’s been any culatello food poisoning in the past
several hundred years.
Spanish Ham
I originally thought that Italian prosciutto was the
pinnacle of ham until I tried Jamon Serrano or dry cured Spanish ham which like
prosciutto is salt cured and air dried for 6 to 18 months and also served
sliced paper thin with an assortment of cheeses and pickled peppers. Oilier and
gamier than prosciutto and the perfect pair with Rioja wine, tasting it then
led me to Jamon Iberico or dry cured ham produced only from the black footed
Iberian pigs. Since these black footed pigs aren’t as abundant as the white
pigs used in Jamon Serrano, the cost for Jamon Iberico correspondingly is a lot
higher though the final ham has a richer flavor profile. Because the price of
Jamon Iberico is a lot more, the ham is cured with the black hoof of the animal
intact to “prove” that you’re not purchasing an imposter animal. Tasting Jamon
Iberico then led me to the crème de la crème of dry cured hams; Jamon Iberico
Bellota or free range black footed pigs that gorge themselves on nothing but
wild acorns. As rich as ham gets with fat that literally melts in your mouth.
It’s said that since acorns contain a high percentage of oleic acid (the fat in
olive oil), Iberico Bellota ham has a lower ratio of saturated to
monounsaturated fat than usual pork products. Even with great prosciutto, as I
chew the ham I can detect when I’m chewing on meat versus fat. With the Iberico
Bellota, the texture between the meat and fat on the palate is almost seamless.
I don’t know how the live Iberico Bellota animals don’t simply melt as they
graze on acorns since the finished product simply melts on the palate! But of
course this kind of quality comes with a steep price as Jamon Iberico Bellota
makes even the best prosciutto seem cheap by comparison
Other Air Cured
Hams
Between the Italian and Austrian border, the region of
Tyrol produces Speck which is a juniper and salt cured ham that’s then smoked.
Unlike prosciutto or Serrano hams, Speck comes from the pork shoulder and is
deboned before curing. And the final product often is used in the regional
cooking often in place of bacon. Because the juniper flavor (juniper is the
major spice in gin) is apparent (and gin is my favorite distilled beverage), I
simply consume it the way I would a fine prosciutto, thinly sliced with a
variety of cheeses and fruit.
There is also one distinct domestically produced ham that
is a favorite in the South. Smithfield or country ham is a cured, uncooked, air
dried ham from either the fore or hind leg and can be smoked or unsmoked. After
curing and drying, most applications call for cooking though there’s no reason
why it can’t be consumed like prosciutto or Serrano ham. It is a lot saltier
than prosciutto or Serrano ham so that may be a reason why most people don’t
consume it as is. But the salt can act like a seasoning for stewed greens and
soups but unlike plain table salt, country ham also adds porky goodness to the
dish.
Ham Applications
I usually keep one or two packages of domestic prosciutto
in my refrigerator that I use in cooking applications. Again, they not only add
salt to the finished dish but contribute that savory, porky flavor. And the
sky’s the limit! Cooked veggies. Check. Mashed potatoes. Check. Mac and cheese
or pasta sauces. Check. Crisp pan fried as a salad topping. Check. And my
neighborhood market also carries pre-diced domestic prosciutto that you can
simply open and add to any dish. No more struggling trying to separate those
paper thin slices.
Or if you really want to guild the lily, try my Green
Eggs and Ham as a substitute for the basic Eggs Benedict. Top a toasted muffin
with 4 to 5 slices of Prosciutto di Parma or Prosciutto San Daniele bunching
the thin slices to form a “well” in the middle. Gently place a poached egg in
the “well” then top with a Green Goddess dressing in place of the usual
Hollandaise sauce. Great for brunch, even better for dinner. Mangia mangia!
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