jambon

The preservation of meat with salt and nitrate is an old practice performed in many countries around the world. Before the invention of refrigeration, preserving meat with these ingredients was a necessity of life. Nowadays, it is done to obtain the unique flavor and texture only obtainable by applying the technique of preservation.

One popular form of preserved meat in France—jambon (ham)—is now rarely cured in a traditional manner which allows it to be stored without refrigeration. The degree of curing used today is much lighter than in the old days, and the jambon can now be eaten without further treatment. (It will also spoil quicker.) An old-style jambon cured to the point where it can be stored without refrigeration usually requires soaking to remove some of the excess saltiness before it can be cooked and comfortably eaten.

Depending upon the specific method of preservation used, jambons are cured in either dry salt or a salt brine. Following curing, the jambon is either dried or cooked. Traditionally, families would hang the cured jambon high in their fireplace chimney to gently smoke for a couple of weeks. In the low temperature (less than 30 °C, or 90 °F) chimney smoke, the jambon would partially dry and take on the subtle flavor of the wood. Further drying was carried out in an area with both low temperature and humidity, often a north-facing room that was semi-open to the outside elements. Smoke dried jambons, such as jambon de Bayonne, are thinly sliced for eating and are technically still raw.

Cooked jambons are cooked either by poaching or smoking. Modern jambons are most likely to be poached after curing, such as a jambon de York. Poaching cooks the jambon thoroughly, but the meat is still moist since it is finished when the internal temperature reaches about 75 °C (165 °F). At this temperature the meat is cooked but not dry. Commercial jambons may also be smoked for flavor before poaching, although the smoky flavor may actually come from liquid smoke injected along with the brine during curing.

In today’s world of hypermarchés and fast food, French farmers rarely produce their own jambon. The process is left to local charcuteries and mass production factories. This is unfortunate since the process is both straight forward and simple. Although it takes a number of days to make a jambon at home, very little hands-on time is actually required on each of those days. The main problem for the home cook attempting to make their own jambon is space. The hind leg of a full grown pig requires more space for curing and finishing than most of us have in our homes. One solution to the lack of space is to make jambon from a cut of meat smaller than the leg. My preference is the longe, or loin. This is a long muscle that runs along the back of the pig. It works perfectly for making jambon in a small home.

To make jambons at home, the loins are cured for about three days in a brine made from salt, nitrite, and flavorings. At this point the jambon can either be poached, or dried overnight and smoked. In either case, the internal temperature of the meat is elevated just to 75 °C (165 °F) so the meat is fully cooked in the finished jambon.

The following recipes for petit jambon au torchon (a small ham cooked in a towel) and petit jambon fumé (a small smoked ham) illustrate how simple it is to prepare jambon at home. Both methods start in the same manner…

1 (about 550 grams)

boneless pork loin

for infusion (for 1 liter of brine):

50 milliliters

water

black peppercorns

1/2

fresh bay leaf

1 sprig

fresh thyme

juniper berries, crushed

1/4 teaspoon

rubbed sage

1/4 teaspoon

crushed garlic

for brine:

1 liter

water

75 grams

coarse salt

25 grams

curing salt

1. Determine how much brine to prepare by placing the loin in a non-reactive container to be used for brining. Add sufficient water to cover the loin. Remove the loin and set aside. Measure the liquid remaining to determine how much brine and infusion to prepare. Discard the water.

2. Determine the infusion-ingredient amounts based on the proportions given above, scaling the amounts to match the quantity of brine to be prepared. Place the water in a small saucepan and add the remaining infusion ingredients. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3. Determine the brine-ingredient amounts based on the proportions given above, scaling the amounts to match the quantity of brine to be prepared. Place the water in a non-reactive container and add the 2 salts. Dissolve the salts completely. Note: a stick blender is a great tool for quickly dissolving the salts.

4. Inject brine into the meat with the injection sites located about 3 cm from each other. The amount injected should not exceed about 50 ml per pound of meat.

5. Strain the infusion into the brine. Discard the infusion solids. Add the meat to the brine. If the meat is not fully submerged, place a clean plate or other weight on the meat to keep it below the surface of the brine. Cover the container and place it in a refrigerator for 3 days.

6. Each day, turn the meat in the brine and give the brine a stir.

7. On the last day of brining, remove the meat and discard the brine. Soak the meat with multiple changes of cold water over a period of about 30 minutes. Wipe dry with absorbent paper.

8. Place the meat on a rack in a refrigerator to dry overnight.

9. Hot smoke at 95 °C (200 °F), or until the internal temperature reaches 65 °C (150 °F), about 6 hours.

10. Remove the meat from the smoker and allow to cool to room temperature before refrigerating.

Yield: About 4 servings from a 550-gram loin.

Ref: Marcel Cottenceau, Jean-François Deport, Jean-Pierre Odeau, The Professional Charcuterie Series, 1991, volume I, page 299.

1 (about 550 grams)

boneless pork loin

for infusion (for 1 liter of brine):

50 milliliters

water

black peppercorns

1/2

fresh bay leaf

1 sprig

fresh thyme

juniper berries, crushed

1/4 teaspoon

rubbed sage

1/4 teaspoon

crushed garlic

for brine:

1 liter

water

75 grams

coarse salt

25 grams

curing salt

for bouillon:

water, as required

1 large

brown onion, unpeeled, cut into 6 or 8 pieces

1 large

carrot, coarsely chopped

fresh bay leaf

4. Inject brine into the meat with the injection sites located about 3 cm from each other. The amount injected should not exceed about 50 ml per pound of meat.

6. Each day, turn the meat in the brine and give the brine a stir.

7. On the last day of brining, remove the meat and discard the brine. Soak the meat with multiple changes of cold water over a period of about 30 minutes. Wipe dry with absorbent paper.

8. Cut a piece of clean cotton muslin, large enough to roll once around the loin with a couple of centimeters overlap and plenty of excess to tie the ends. Tightly roll the cloth around the loin like a sausage. Tie the ends tightly with heavy cotton string. Tie the “body” of ham with strips of muslin to force the meat into a rounder shape. Trim the excess cloth from the ends of the ham package.

9. Place the bouillon ingredients in a saucepan large enough to hold the meat. Heat the water to 80 °C (175 °F). Add the meat. Lower the heat under the saucepan to maintain the water temperature at 75 °C (165 °F). Cook the meat until its internal temperature reaches 65 °C (150 °F), about 50 minutes.

10. Remove the meat from the saucepan, drain it briefly, and place it in a refrigerator. Strain the bouillon. Discard the solids. Rapidly cool the liquid in an ice bath. When the bouillon is cool, replace the meat in it and put both in the refrigerator. Cool the meat completely.

11. When cool, drain the meat, remove the muslin covering, and wipe the surface dry.

Yield: About 4 servings from a 550-gram loin.

Ref: Marcel Cottenceau, Jean-François Deport, Jean-Pierre Odeau, The Professional Charcuterie Series, 1991, volume I, page 96.