Hams ? cooked, raw or cook-before-eating ham
There are many varieties of ham: cook-before-eating,
cooked, and raw that is eaten as is. The term ham designates a meat
that comes from pork leg, sirloin tip, inside or outside round.
These cuts are taken from the three large thigh muscles of pork.
The meat is cut transversely, across the three muscles around the
thigh bone. It is then either cured or smoked and sold with or
without the bone.
Cook-before-eating ham
Ham sold as cook-before-eating has been precooked to an
internal temperature of at least 58º C (136º F) to eliminate any
trichinella spirals, small parasite worms often found in pork. As
its name indicates however, this ham requires additional cooking
before it can be eaten.
Cooked ham
Cooked ham is salted, either by soaking in or injected
with brine. It is cooked in water, in smoke rooms or steam rooms
until the meat reaches an internal temperature of at least 69º C
(156º F).
The production of ham and the process of emulsifying the muscles of
the meat are different for cooked, seasoned ham and authentic
ham.
Cooked, “seasoned” ham is obtained by a mechanical process that
churns the meat in water, brine, seasonings and other ingredients.
This technique involves mechanically mixing several pieces of meat
with other ingredients. Seasoned hams have a more uniform texture.
The meat is then pressed in a mould to give it its shape; this is
how a square ham is made!
Authentic ham has much less seasoning and is injected with a
solution of water, salt, sugar, spices and other preservatives. It
is then cooked or smoked.
Boiled ham is seasoned even less. It is therefore leaner because
less fat is added.
Finally, there is the traditional method of making ham, which takes
a lot more time. The pork meat is cured for several weeks then
smoked naturally.
Raw hams
Raw or dry hams are most often salted by repeated rubbings
then dried. They may be smoked also.
Several varieties of raw hams are identified by the region where
they are produced. The hams of Bayonne, Savoie, Lyon, Corsica,
smoked Auvergne, Westphalia, Parma, and the exceptional prosciutto
di Parma are among the best known. Names such as “Corsica”, “Parma”
and “Westphalia” are trademarks and guarantee exceptional
production quality and product flavour.
Bayonne ham has an exquisite flavour which it owes, in part, to the
natural salt used for curing.
Parma ham, prosciutto di Parma, is made from top quality meat that
is salted and lightly spiced. Air-drying over a period of 15 months
gives it its unequalled aroma!
Your METRO self-serve deli counter has excellent Irresistibles Prosciutto, which has been creating quite a stir with raw ham enthusiasts!
Brine is a mixture of water, salt, polyphosphates, nitrites and seasonings that is injected into meat. Sometimes maple syrup or liquid smoke is added to lend a specific flavour to the ham.
Except for a few dry salted hams from smaller producers, all hams sold on the market are salt-cured. Adding phosphate salts to brine increases the muscle’s capacity to absorb the liquid.
Once salted, either by soaking or by injection, the ham is cooked in water, steamed or smoked.
Ham can never be 100% protein because 70% of it is water. Fat, cartilage and mineral salts combine for another 5 or 6 percent. The remaining 24% is meat protein. Meat proteins are also diluted by the salting processes.
Irresistible Italian cooked ham, for example, contains 20% meat proteins compared to the Selection Merite shredded Black Forest ham and shredded old-fashioned cooked ham that each contain 15%.
It is also a good idea to keep an eye on the sodium and fat content of ham. The phosphate salts, the brine or the added salt can increase the sodium content of hams.
The fat content of deli products will vary from one product to the next. The Food and Drug legislation imposes a maximum sodium content of 15% to 40% depending on the product category.
Sliced ham contains 3% to 5% of fat, which is totally acceptable in a healthy diet. The perception that ham is always too fatty is wrong!