PRODUCTION OF SPANISH HAM

Hogging the glory!

Spanish ham comes from one of two different kinds of hogs – the Iberian hog and the White Hog (Landrace or Duroc strains of hog). The highest quality Spanish ham comes from the Iberian Hog, though this only makes up for 5% of all jamón serrano.

The feeding conditions of the hogs are just as important as the kinds of hogs used. Iberian hogs are long legged, range fed and eat up to twenty pounds of acorns/day. “Jamón de Bellota” is “ham from acorns.” At this pace, the hogs gain about two pounds of fat/day but maintain a healthy lifestyle, living free range, not cooped up in tiny shacks or pens. The combination of a high fat, acorn diet, with a free-range lifestyle gives the hams that special, nutty taste. The majority of Iberian hogs are raised in Southern Spain near Portugal.

Jamón de Bellota, then, is a slow and very costly process. This is why there may be up to a two-year wait from certain farms for a good ham. (Keep in mind, this is only the feeding and raising process. We haven’t even begun to talk about production and curing!)
The majority of Spanish ham, then, comes from “white hogs.” White hogs aren’t fed only acorns, and they have a faster growth and production rate.

A Four Step Process:
Serrano means “from the mountains.” In the past, all Spanish hams were taken to the cool mountains for curing. Now Spanish hams are cured en masse in highly controlled factories.
Spanish ham can be cured anywhere from eight months to three years! Let’s take a look at the production process step-by-step.

 

1.	The hogs are sacrificed, trimmed and cleaned. The hogs, then, are stacked and covered with salt. This sponges off all the extra moisture and prevents the ham from spoiling. The first step of the production process takes approximately two weeks.
2.	When the salt is washed off, the hams are hung to dry and commence the first curing process. In this first process, the fat begins to break down. This first process takes approximately six months.
3.	From six to eighteen months, the hams are hung in a cool, dry place. In the past, this was in the mountains in drying sheds called secadoras. Now, as I said before, the hams dry in a highly controlled environment. During this time, the flavors and aromas of Jamón Serrano develop.
4.	At this time, some fungi grows in the exterior part of the ham. This also adds to its unique aroma and flavor. When the ham is ready to leave the bodega where it’s being cured, it is marked with a DO (Denominacion de Origin) much like you see in wine or olive oil. When the hams are being cured, they lose between 30 – 40% of their body weight!