This is what hams can look like after they have sat in salt (sodium chloride) for 3.5 weeks. During that time they lost close to 14% of their weights as serum moved from the flash into the embedding salt. As I write they are sitting in the refrigerator for a “burning off” period (1 week) during which the concentration of salt will equalize throughout the muscle.
By Friday they should be ready to wrap and hang for at least one year.
Because the foot has been cut off, I will also coat the end of the shank with lard to prevent infection by bacteria and fungus.
Filed under: charcuterie, slow food |
A Hunger Aritist (Redux) 
Do you have a separate area to hang them in or will your kitchen do?
Do you cure for bresaola too?
I know some people that make guanciale in their home kitchen. A bit inconvenient due to lack of space but it works. I'm too lazy for curing.
Jessika
We hang all the meat in the cheese aging room. It's not ideal because the level of humidity is difficult to control, but it's better than any of the alternatives available to us now.
And yes, I do make bresaola: much faster and easier to make than prosciutto, for sure.