11/23/2009

Test Tuesday

• Nutrition • Food Safety • Retail Marketing • Food Defense • •

Hams City

• An American Icon • Wet cured ham • We’ve all had ham in • Pumped with a one way or another “brine” • Tradition – Water, salt, sweetener, – Christmas Ham phosphate, nitrite, sodium erythorbate, – Easter Ham spices and seasonings • “City” Ham • or Dry- cured Ham

Ways of brining a ham Tumbling Hams

• Needle injectors • Tumble or • Stitch pumps Massaging • Artery injection • Diffuse brine • Cover brine throughout the ham • • Goal to distribute Increase binding brine evenly – Develops protein exudate to aid throughout the ham binding • Avoid “Tiger • Increase Stripes”; uncured tenderization spots

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Types of Hams Other Types of Ham • Get what you pay for!!! • Ham with Natural Juices • Canned Hams – 18.5% Protein • Boiled Ham – Very little water added – Boiled in water – No more than an 8% gain in weight from green • Spiral Sliced Ham weight • Semi-boneless Ham • Ham with Water Added – Usually contains femur – 17% Protein bone – 10% added ingredients • Bone-in Ham – No more than an 8% gain • Shank and butt halves • Ham and Water Product • Boneless Ham – 17% Protein • Pit Ham – Water labeled as % added

Country Ham The Ham Belt

• Dry cured ham • Regions of the world were dry cured, • Salt, Sweetener, country-type hams are produced Spices, Nitrate (can • Not all dry cured hams are called make without) country hams • Box cured = 1”/ • These countries have climates that are week optimal for the production of dry cured • Bag cured = 2 d/ lb meats • 90 – 100 days to • Mild winters and springs, hot humid several months summers

Central and Southern Virginia Europe North Carolina West Virginia Kentucky Georgia Tennessee Missouri

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Kentucky National Numbers Country Ham • Over 35 Country Ham Curers nationally Producers Finchville Farms • UK Meat’s Lab Cure 5 – 10% of the ham supply Meacham’s Country Hams • Top Ham Producers Fathers Country Hams Colonel Newsome Penn’s Country Hams Scott’s Hams 1.) Smithfield Hams, North Carolina Harper’s Country Hams Clifty Farms, Scottsville Plant 2.) Burgers’ Ozark Country Cured

Broadbents B & B Foods Hams, INC, Missouri Miller’s Country Hams 3.) Clifty Farms, Tennessee and Kentucky

Germany Italy • (aka Parma • and Hams) • Two Main Types: • Westphalian ham are – Prosciutto de Parma from pigs fed acorns – Prosciutto de San Danielle from the Westphalian • Yorkshire pigs fed grain, Forest parsnips and whey from – Smoked over Beech parmesan cheese wood and Juniper • Aitch bone removed Branches – Combination of dry and • Flattened to ~2” immersion curing • Aged for a year or more – Aged for a month • Culatello Ham • Black Forest are dipped – Expensive and difficult to find in beef blood to in US produce the – Butt portion cured with salt, characteristic black pepper, garlic, and dry wine surface

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Spain China • Jamon Iberico Ham – Most expensive ham • Ham – Not imported into US, but – Named for the city its have been cleared for made in import in 2008 – Making hams for over – Black pigs are fed acorns 900 years – 24+ months old – Aged over 9 months • Jamon Serrano (mountain – Sun Dried ham) • Yunnan Ham – 18+ months old – Far western corner of – White pigs fed acorns China Can be purchased in the – – Very rare US

France England • York Ham • • True York Hams • Wine cured are cured within • Slightly smoked and 2 miles of York air-dried England • Covered with pork • Smoked over oak fat and flour chips (Pannage) • Large White Pigs • 9 to 10 months old

How do I make a Country Ham? Curing

• Performed during the Winter months • Important to get enough cure in the (December and January) hock and around the aitch bone • • Coolers Bone sour is one of the most common problems • Salt and sugar will penetrate the ham • Allow enough time for the cure to • Other seasoning (black & red pepper) penetrate the ham typically do not penetrate the ham • Most moisture loss • After curing hams are sometimes washed, before salt equalization

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Salt Equalization

• Usually 10 - 20° F warmer than curing temperature • Spring time temperatures • 2 to 3 weeks • Allow the salt to equilibrate throughout the ham

Smoking Hams Aging

• Smoking occurs • aka “Summer Sweat” after salt • Develop flavor and equalization aroma • Cold Smoke • Proteolysis and – 12 hours to 7 days lipolysis of the protein • Cannot let the and fat contribute to the temperature get flavor and aroma above 90° F • 50 to 60% Relative Humidity – Kill the enzymes responsible for flavor and aroma

The Law Problems that occur

• To be labeled a • Mold Growth Country Ham – Common – Penicillium • Insect damage • Must have lost 18% – Larder Beetles, Red- of its green weight legged Ham Beetles, Cheese Skippers, Ham Mites • Contain at least 4% • Avoid PSE and DFD salt hams • White specks – tyrosine

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Question

• Why is a country ham shelf stable?

Hurdle Technology Industry Averages

• A way of using several, effective • Average preservation technologies to create safe, well preserved foods – Aw = 0.88 • Add Salt • Range 0.74 – – Effective bacteriostat and aids in water removal 0.93 • pH – Salt content = Cannot get it low enough to create shelf stability – 6.5% • Not vacuum packaged • • Water Activity (Aw) Range 4 – 9.7% – Need to reduce the Aw enough to create shelf – ph = 6.1 stability – Below 0.90

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