Text 8375, 112 rader
Skriven 2008-06-04 23:16:00 av JIM WELLER (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av DAVE SACERDOTE
Ärende: Re: Investing in the Futu
=================================
-=> Quoting Dave Sacerdote to All <=-

 DS> phase 1 of our micro-orchard.

 DS> Though we won't see much fruit this year or next, in five or six
 DS> years we should have berries and fruit all summer.

"The best time to plant a tree is 80 years ago; the second best:
today."

MMMMM-----Meal-Master - formatted by MMCONV  2.10

     Title: Prosciutto Apartment-Style Dry Cured Ham
Categories: Italian, Ham, Info
  Servings: 15 pounds

     20 lb FRESH good quality ham
           (Berkshire or the like) with
           the hock on up to and
           including the gambrel
      8 lb fine sea salt or
           additive-free Kosher
    1/4 c  pink salt (Instacure #1)
      1 lg Wood wine box or Plastic bus
           tub storage container
      1    ham sized wood or plastic
           board or lid
     20 lb weight (a cinder block in a
           plastic bag is good)
      1    rolling pin, t-ball bat or
           equivalent

Remove the piece of pelvis bone still attached to the hip socket at
the meat end of the ham. It's vaguely comma-shaped and you need
simply to cut closely around it and free it from the socket. Don't
panic, you can't really screw this up too bad.

Next step you just need to trim the skin, fat and meat around the
end of the ham until it looks, you know, hammy. What you're trying
to do here is just remove some skin and fat so the salt has more
contact with the meat.

Ready for this? Now take your t-ball bat and give your ham about 20
good whacks all over on each side to the soft tissue areas. Don't
hit the bones as this will tend to infect the meat and don't get
crazy just some nice firm whacks. Done? Now take the bat and use it
like a rolling pin on the ham moving from the foot end to the socket
end to squeeze out whatever blood is left inside.

Now mix up a couple of pounds of salt with your pink salt and rub
this mixture into all the nooks and grannies of the ham and bone.
This prevents it from going yucky on you and also keep your meat
inside pink.

Done? Now line the bottom of the box you got with 3-4 inches of
salt. The more the better as this will be soaking up the water
removed from the ham as the salt does it's thing. Place the ham in
the salt and then cover it COMPLETELY with salt so that it has at
least 1 inch of snowy white covering it.

Place your lid on top and place your weight on top of that and store
in the coolest place in your house. I recommend doing this during
the Winter and putting in that cold drafty corner by the leaky
window. Leave in this place for 25 days. Don't forget about it!
After 25 days check on the ham and make sure it is firm all over. If
it is not replace in the salt and leave in another 5 or so days.

Phase Two: Making Time

For this you will need an airy place like a fire escape, some
cheesecloth or other light breathable cloth like a worn out cheap
pillowcase and some hefty string.

First things first: before you hang it you must wash it. Wash or
wipe the clinging salt off the ham and then rub it down with high
acid white wine or white wine vinegar. Be thorough! This is to keep
out the bad stuff.

Now cover in cloth, tie up the top through the gambrel (that's the
hamstring which will already be punctured by the slaughter house)
with your string and hang somewhere with good ventilation and where
rats or a similar beasty can't get to it. The A-train made me build
a Metro-Shelf in our drafty corner to hold it and to keep it away
from eye contact with her and most house guests.

What now? Wait. A long time.

How long? depends on your ham and how you want it to turn out. If
you want it soft and sweet like a Parma ham you can age it 6-9
months or until it is firm but yielding to a gentle squeeze. If you
want more of a Jamon Serrano you will want to hang it for a year or
more until it is hard.

Variations on the curing process are covering the cut meaty face of
the ham with warm lard that has been blended with rice flour and
either crushed black pepper or fresh resinous herbs like thyme or
rosemary.

Soak it in water for a week before smoking it for an Easter ham.

http://groceryguy.blogspot.com/
           
MMMMM-------------------------------------------------

Cheers

YK Jim


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