Recipe: Franco's Parma Ham Cure, how to use.

[Erikht]

Well, somebody should have seen this one coming a long time ago. Thanks to TonyE for having the guts to ask, and to Paul Kribs for taking the time to answer.

From: Paul Kribs

For best results use boned pork, for beginners we recommend starting with a small piece of meat and then progressing to full legs when more experienced. Only when you are confident should a 'bone in' full leg be cured as this requires more supervision and has a greater risk of spoilage.

Regular pack enough to cure a leg of ham approximately 6 kilos, or a selection of smaller cuts of pork.
Large pack enough to cure 20 kilos of pork i.e. 4 or 5 full legs or numerous small joints.
Use 80 grams of cure per kilo of meat.
Method
1. Chill the meat overnight
2. Rub the meat with half of the cure mixture, if using a boned joint ensure that the inner surface of the meat is properly coated, massage the cure into any crevices.
3. Wrap the meat tightly in cling film or seal in a Ziploc bag or vacuum pack.
4. Lay the meat skin side down in a non reactive container i.e. glass or plastic.
5. Leave the meat to cure in the fridge for 15 days.
6. Unwrap the meat and repeat step 2 with the remaining cure mixture.
7. Leave the meat to cure for another 15 days.
8. Unwrap the meat and leave to soak in tepid water for half an hour.
9. Hang the ham for 3 hours in a draughty cool room.
10. Smear the meat side of the ham with a mixture of lard and black pepper.
11. Hang the ham in a warm room for 3 days, (an airing cupboard is ideal).
12. Hang the ham for a minimum of 30 days at 15 degrees Celsius with a 70% relative humidity.

Ingredients: Sea salt, Demerara sugar, Ground black pepper, Dried Juniper berries, Garlic powder, Preservatives (Sodium Nitrate, Sodium Nitrite)

[Paul Kribs]

Erikht

It is obviously Franco's intention to provide guidelines via links on the homepage of the newly revamped website. Unfortunately some of the links do not appear to be working yet. No doubt they will get finalised.

I will, however, point out that the last two packs of Parma Style Cure I obtained had the directions on a label stuck to the pack. I think TonyE was just concerned the main link didn't work, and he was unaware that the packs 'do' come with the relevant instructions. Either way, it does no harm to have them on the forum for guidance.

Regards, Paul Kribs