You can find below a short description of the ham processing phases.
1. Selection and trimming of raw material
Fresh legs come from certified suppliers (slaughterhouses) from some of the geographical areas acknowledged by the PDO (Protected designation of Origin) regulation. Each leg is inspected by skilled staff in order to check for the presence of any defect or non conformity which would cause the return of the leg to the supplier. Trimming is also necessary – that is the removal of part of the fat and skin to give the leg a rounded shape.
2. Salting
Salting includes two steps: the first step lasts 7 days, at the end of this period the leg is de-salted and then salted anew with dry marine salt (the same type of salt used for the first step). 19 days after the first salting step, salt is completely removed from the leg.
3. Rest
After removal of residual salt the ham is stored for a period of 80 to 120 days in the so called ‘resting’ cells. During this phase the ham has to dry slowly avoiding excessive dehydration of the surface. The aim of this phase it to allow for a deep and even penetration of the absorbed salt inside the legs.
4. Final trimming, washing, and drying
To the end of the resting period the ham undergoes a further trimming, that is any projecting bones are cut to give the ham its typical shape. Hams are then washed to remove any salt crystals from the surface so that the skin looks clean and polished. Washing is followed by a drying phase to remove surface water residues. This phase is carried out through a gradual ventilation system in a duly prepared environment called ‘dryer’.
5. Initial curing, sugnatura (fat coating) and final curing
During the salting and resting phases hams remain in rooms at a temperature between1 and 5 °C; during initial and final curing hams drying continues at higher temperatures – from 15 up to 20°C during the last months. After about 6 months from the beginning of the production process, the uncovered meat of the leg is coated with ‘sugna’, a mixture of pork fat, rice flour, salt and ground pepper. This operation is carried out manually on each ham in order to soften the surface muscular layers to prevent an excessively rapid drying and to allow a further gradual dehydration of the product core. ‘Sugna’ is not an ingredient but a technological coadjuvant, it is a completely natural preservative-free component. Hams are hung in big rooms with opposing windows to be opened only when the climate allows for it. This arrangement allows a transversal flow of fresh air favouring the slow and natural drying of hams.
6. Testing and branding
At the end of the curing process the ham quality is tested: it is a basic smell test. Hams are pierced in several points by using a ‘tasto’, the typical horse bone needle which absorbs the ham internal flavours. The ham is smelt by skilled experts able to identify and assess the product smelling features and hence the correct production process as well as the typical sweetness of the hams. Hams are branded after 12 months in Parma e after 13 months in San Daniele. According to the product features and the client’s requirements curing can last for longer, up to 20/24 months from the beginning of the production process.
