Basque Style hams

[quietwatersfarm]

Having been prompted by DangerDan's lovely looking project I am always keen to 'lay down' some long term hams and was wondering what recipes/tips people here use for Bayonne hams.

Its not one we have done but I think they could sit nicely alongside some of my long term 'Parma' and spanish air dried hams in the cool room for a couple of years

[wheels]

I have a problem with this, Bayonne Ham is so dependant on the region rather than the process that it seems impossible to copy. If fact, just like when we make parma ham, we are really only making an English (or whatever country) dried ham - call it what we like, it isn't going to be the same.

If we look at the Bayonne PGI (The link to the spec is bottom left, FR_0005_0031_SUM_EN.pdf) we can see that it's totally reliant on pork and salt from one particular area of France - the process doesn't differ from many other air dried hams, but the end product does.

However, I will be pleased to be proved wrong.

Phil

[quietwatersfarm]

I completely agree, and much of the work we do here is about subtley adapting methods and recipes to suit our own 'terrior'. This is how I farm and feed our Pigs and also how we make anything that comes from them.

This goes deeper than trying to adapt things so that we get as near to 'genuine' finished article as possible, its actually about trying to establish a taste and texture that we can think of as our own, not better, not worse, just different but with homage paid to the source

(As it happens I do have a customer 10 miles from Felino who prefers our version to what he can get locally )

I appreciate the bayonne climate, and the river basin water and salt, but I have many similarities here in some ways, atlantic to the west, highlands to the east and widely varying humidity.

This is one of the things that has intrigued me about possibilities of a wine cured, slow drying ham with a dredge coating.

I will post details of the eventual recipe, techniques and results when they happen

[wheels]

Is it wine cured, there's no metion of this in the PGI?

Phil

[quietwatersfarm]

sorry no, thats just me thinking out loud!

[Richierich]

........ to suit our own 'terrior'...........

Are you seriously considering using the dog??

[quietwatersfarm]

When its fat enough!!!

[Richierich]

[DangerDan]

Fact is I have been studying the different mediteranian salts from costal salines or sea water. I will again attempt to try this ham, and from the sources I researched this type of ham is cured with wine.

Additionally I have Bayonnes weather forecasts saved in my favorites and will, when I re-attempt this project use these weather conditions to create my hams correct enviroment.

As far as recipe, I have only come to the conclusion that sea salt from the region is part of the drying process. I believe where I went wrong was to not create a heavy enough paste to cover the exterior portion of the ham and the small area that was infected was the beginning of something that was to come and destroying the ham in it's entirerty, or perhaps, had already done so.

My next approach will be under quite different conditions and I have a higher respect in the necessary conditions this type of ham will require.

[quietwatersfarm]

Sound sgreat dan, so glad you havent been at all put off, Let us know when you get underway and I will do the same!

We should compare notes on recipe technique and results on here

[wheels]

Dan

The official EU spec for Bayonne Ham has no mention of wine and nor does this other documentissued by the registered producers.

I have found one reference to wine on a web-page and also references to rubbing Piment d'Espelette (chilli) into the skin, but nothing from official sources or the producers themselves. I'm not saying it's not done, what I'm saying is that it isn't typical of a Bayonne Ham from what I can ascertain.

(It'd be nice to be proved wrong though - I like the sound of it!)

Phil

[wheels]

quietwatersfarm

The concept of a ham made near the Altlantic coast in SW France being copied by someone on the Altantic Coast of the SW of the UK is a real treat. Will you also use local salt like they do?

Phil

[quietwatersfarm]

We will be using salt from the lizard peninsula as this seems the closest we can literally get, geographically, to that which washes up in the Basque country!

I think mimicing the seasonal variations wont be too tricky as we share much in terms of the prevailing conditions, as long as we time things correctly.

I'm hopeful it will produce some fine hams

[wheels]

It's a super project keep us posted. Regrettably, you've missed their time for starting these hams by a couple of months though.

Phil

[quietwatersfarm]

wont happen until next autumn, we have to select the pigs and work on their diet this coming year