Meaty Treats

Spanish jamón Serrano (Serrano ham) and chorizo of all kinds represent the backbone and heart of Spanish cooking. While each is often enjoyed unadorned they also provide flavor to many Spanish classics like cocido, paella and fabadas (bean stews). What makes each of these meaty treats special is important for all of us interested in Spanish food and cooking. In this issue, we cover Serrano ham and in our next issue, chorizo will be our focus.

Serrano Ham
Many of the great hams of the world, such as Spanish Serrano ham, French Bayone ham and Italian Prosciutto di Parma, begin as very similar products, basically pork legs and salt, yet they are transformed into meats with very unique flavors, aromas and textures. While these qualities may be partly attributed to different breeds of pork and different feeding regimens and growth conditions, those factors cannot sufficiently explain such variations in taste and texture. In fact, both Serrano ham and Italian prosciutto use some of the same breeds, such as Large White, Landrace and Duroc, and breed cannot explain the differences between the hams. When comparing Serrano ham to other European hams, the diversity in their flavors and textures are due to variations in temperature, humidity and length of time of the curing and aging process. To understand these variations, it’s helpful to learn how Serrano ham is made.

First, raw trimmed pork legs are covered with salt mixed with curing salts (sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite) and piled into large stainless steel vats. They remain in salt about 2 days per kilo or 14-20 days depending on the leg size and in a high humidity (85-95%) refrigerator. Next, the salt is washed off and the hams are allowed to rest, which allows for the salt to fully penetrate, equilibrate, and for moisture to be lost and the meat to firm. This can take 1 to 2 months.

The drying and aging period that follows is meant to mimic the yearly mountain weather conditions from which Serrano hams originated (jamón Serrano means mountain ham).

Because of warmer conditions in Spain compared to other European ham producing areas the aging rooms can be allowed to go as high as 90ºF+ and range from 65-90ºF+. These warmer conditions encourage different microbial growth and enzymatic and chemical changes in the fat and muscle of Serrano ham and results also in hams with less moisture than typical Prosciutto di Parma and other fine European hams.

The result is the complex aroma and flavor profile of Serrano ham. Some hams are then moved to a cool room kept at between 45-68ºF and allowed to age further, sometimes to a total age of 2 years.

Right now, there are multiple brands of Serrano ham on the market. The whole bonein hams of Redondo Iglesias are 18-20 months old when shipped to the U.S. according to marketing representative Kate Whittum. Whole boneless hams are 12-14 months old and pre-sliced packages are cut from 12-month aged hams.

A word about quality. There are about two thousand Serrano producers in Spain but some of the finest have come together to form a consortium to ensure high quality ham that meets their highly controlled requirements. They have an “S” in the shape of a ham, which is branded on the skin. Redondo Iglesias and Campofrio are members of the consortium (Consorcio de Jamón Serrano, www.consorcioserrano.com) and are therefore a very good quality.

Some Serrano style hams are produced in the U.S. but are not required to be produced with the exact procedures as Spanish Serrano ham.

Bruce Aidells is a cookbook author, journalist and television personality, with particular expertise in sausages and meats.

Serrano Ham Serving and Cooking Ideas

Cold * Wrapped around stick-shaped vegetables such as asparagus, leeks or endive * Wrapped around fruits such as figs, peaches and melon * Served with Spanish cheeses such as Manchego * Cut into julienne to garnish salads * Wrapped around hard boiled eggs * Used in salads with avocado and/or tomato Cooked * Diced and used to flavor scrambled eggs, baked eggs or fried eggs * Diced and used to flavor vegetables such as peas, fava beans, artichokes, Brussels sprouts, sweet peppers and mushrooms * Fried in thin slices to garnish salads, sautéed veal or pork scallops

* Used to flavor rice dishes such as paella * Used to flavor pasta dishes * Used to flavor dried beans, lentils, fava beans and black-eyed peas * Wrapped around shrimp, scallops or fish and grilled * To stuff squid * As a flavoring in Spanish tortilla * Rolled with pork to make fried pork rolls * To flavor soups especially the bone, skin and shank * To flavor cocido, especially bone or hank * Flavoring in croquettes * Used to stuff pork tenderloin * Used to stuff peppers such as piquillo * Shaped into a cup as a holder for vegetables such as peas or fresh fava beans or eggs

via: Foods from Spain news