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Hams• An American Icon• We’ve all had ham in
one way or another• Tradition
– Christmas Ham– Easter Ham
• “City” Ham• Country Ham or Dry-
cured Ham
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City Ham• Wet cured ham• Pumped with a
“brine”– Water, salt, sweetener,
phosphate, nitrite, sodium erythorbate, spices and seasonings
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Ways of brining a ham• Needle injectors• Stitch pumps• Artery injection• Cover brine• Goal to distribute
brine evenly throughout the ham
• Avoid “Tiger Stripes”; uncured spots
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Tumbling Hams• Tumble or
Massaging• Diffuse brine
throughout the ham• Increase binding
– Develops protein exudate to aid binding
• Increase tenderization
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Types of Hams• Get what you pay for!!!• Ham with Natural Juices
– 18.5% Protein– Very little water added– No more than an 8% gain in weight from green
weight• Ham with Water Added
– 17% Protein– 10% added ingredients– No more than an 8% gain
• Ham and Water Product– 17% Protein– Water labeled as % added
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Other Types of Ham• Canned Hams• Boiled Ham
– Boiled in water• Spiral Sliced Ham• Semi-boneless Ham
– Usually contains femur bone
• Bone-in Ham• Shank and butt halves• Boneless Ham• Pit Ham
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Country Ham• Dry cured ham • Salt, Sweetener,
Spices, Nitrate (can make without)
• Box cured = 1”/ week
• Bag cured = 2 d/ lb• 90 – 100 days to
several months
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The Ham Belt• Regions of the world were dry cured,
country-type hams are produced• Not all dry cured hams are called
country hams• These countries have climates that are
optimal for the production of dry cured meats
• Mild winters and springs, hot humid summers
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VirginiaNorth CarolinaWest VirginiaKentuckyGeorgiaTennesseeMissouri
Central and Southern Europe
China
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Harper’s Country Hams
Meacham’s Country HamsFathers Country Hams
Scott’s HamsPenn’s Country Hams
Finchville FarmsUK Meat’s Lab
Miller’s Country HamsBroadbents B & B Foods
Clifty Farms, Scottsville Plant
Kentucky Country Ham Producers
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National Numbers
• Over 35 Country Ham Curers nationally• Cure 5 – 10% of the ham supply• Top Ham Producers
1.) Smithfield Hams, North Carolina2.) Burgers’ Ozark Country Cured Hams, INC, Missouri3.) Clifty Farms, Tennessee and Kentucky
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Germany• Westphalian Ham and
Black Forest Ham• Westphalian ham are
from pigs fed acorns from the Westphalian Forest– Smoked over Beech
wood and Juniper Branches
– Combination of dry and immersion curing
– Aged for a month• Black Forest are dipped
in beef blood to produce the characteristic black surface
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Italy• Prosciutto (aka Parma
Hams)• Two Main Types:
– Prosciutto de Parma– Prosciutto de San Danielle
• Yorkshire pigs fed grain, parsnips and whey from parmesan cheese
• Aitch bone removed • Flattened to ~2”• Aged for a year or more • Culatello Ham
– Expensive and difficult to find in US
– Butt portion cured with salt, pepper, garlic, and dry wine
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Spain• Jamon Iberico Ham
– Most expensive ham– Not imported into US, but
have been cleared for import in 2008
– Black pigs are fed acorns– 24+ months old
• Jamon Serrano (mountain ham) – 18+ months old– White pigs fed acorns– Can be purchased in the
US
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China• Jinhua Ham
– Named for the city its made in
– Making hams for over 900 years
– Aged over 9 months– Sun Dried
• Yunnan Ham– Far western corner of
China– Very rare
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France
• Bayonne Ham• Wine cured• Slightly smoked and
air-dried• Covered with pork
fat and flour (Pannage)
• 9 to 10 months old
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England• York Ham• True York Hams
are cured within 2 miles of York England
• Smoked over oak chips
• Large White Pigs
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How do I make a Country Ham?
• Performed during the Winter months (December and January)
• Coolers• Salt and sugar will penetrate the ham• Other seasoning (black & red pepper)
typically do not penetrate the ham
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Curing• Important to get enough cure in the
hock and around the aitch bone• Bone sour is one of the most common
problems• Allow enough time for the cure to
penetrate the ham• Most moisture loss • After curing hams are sometimes
washed, before salt equalization
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Salt Equalization• Usually 10 - 20° F
warmer than curing temperature
• Spring time temperatures
• 2 to 3 weeks• Allow the salt to
equilibrate throughout the ham
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Smoking Hams• Smoking occurs
after salt equalization
• Cold Smoke– 12 hours to 7 days
• Cannot let the temperature get above 90° F– Kill the enzymes
responsible for flavor and aroma
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Aging• aka “Summer Sweat”• Develop flavor and
aroma • Proteolysis and
lipolysis of the protein and fat contribute to the flavor and aroma
• 50 to 60% Relative Humidity
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The Law• To be labeled a
Country Ham
• Must have lost 18% of its green weight
• Contain at least 4% salt
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Problems that occur• Mold Growth
– Common– Penicillium
• Insect damage– Larder Beetles, Red-
legged Ham Beetles, Cheese Skippers, Ham Mites
• Avoid PSE and DFD hams
• White specks – tyrosine
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Question
• Why is a country ham shelf stable?
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Hurdle Technology• A way of using several, effective
preservation technologies to create safe, well preserved foods
• Add Salt– Effective bacteriostat and aids in water removal
• pH – Cannot get it low enough to create shelf stability
• Not vacuum packaged• Water Activity (Aw)
– Need to reduce the Aw enough to create shelf stability
– Below 0.90
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Industry Averages• Average
– Aw = 0.88• Range 0.74 –
0.93– Salt content =
6.5%• Range 4 – 9.7%
– ph = 6.1