Original Spanish Serrano ham from traditional manufacturing

Spanish Serrano ham - traditionally of the best Spanish quality

The Spanish Jamón Serrano ham is one of the most famous hams in the world. It is an air-dried Spanish ham that is obtained from the lean ham of the white or light-colored domestic pig. Its traditional production and composition have been protected as a "Guaranteed Traditional Specialty" since November 1999.

The name Serrano comes from the word "Sierra" and means "mountain range". The Serrano gets its name from the original production process, because the ham matured in the fresh mountain air.
 

The Jamón and its production

After the slaughter of the white domestic pig, which takes its name from its light skin, the maturation of this wonderful ham begins.
During its ripening period, which can last between 12 months and 3 years, the ham goes through four phases:
 

Salting and washing

The Jabugo, as the ham is also called in one piece, goes through the salting phase after washing.
The ham is completely buried in the salt. The salt used is sea salt, an unrefined natural raw material.
 

Resting phase

The resting phase of the ham lasts about 90 days. During this time, the ham is stored in a well-chilled room.
 

Dry and ripening phase

The ham begins to mature, which lasts at least 12 months, but can last up to 3 years in the case of high-quality ham.
The ham spends this time in the bodega, a well-cooled and ventilated large cellar room.
During this phase, the ham matures to its perfect taste and aroma and optimal structure.
 

Basement

During the cellar, the ham master, el Maestro Jamonero, regularly monitors the degree of ripeness of the ham.
He not only monitors the degree of ripeness, but also actively controls the quality of the Serrano during the entire production process.
The decisive factors for this are the slow increase in temperature. Starting at 3 ° C, the temperature is slowly increased to 14 ° C throughout the ripening phase.
The ham begins to "sweat" in the course of the process, which causes the fat to mix with the meat.
This gives the ham its slightly shiny surface and its charismatic unique taste.
 

Difference between Serrano, Ibérico and Bellota

Spanish Serrano is made from domestic white pigs, while Iberian pork is used to make Ibérico and Bellota ham.
The Iberian pig is dark, which is where the name "pata negra" (black paw) comes from.
The pata negra is the front or rear ham of the pig, i.e. the front shoulder (paleta) or the back leg (jamón).
The color of the pig has a direct effect on the color of the ham - the Serrano is lighter, while the Iberian ham has a full, dark red tint.

But not only the breed of the pig plays an important role in the quality of a ham, but also the feeding.
Here we come to the difference between Iberian ham and Bellota ham:

The Iberian pig, which is fattened with a mixture of grain and acorns, will later throw off the Iberian ham.
The quality feature Bellota is only allowed to carry ham that is obtained exclusively from acorn-fed Iberian pigs.

But not all Ibérico is the same, and Bellota is not the same as Bellota!
Differences in quality within the Iberian ham and within the Bellota ham are, like a good wine, due to the length of time it has matured.
This lasts between 12 and 36 months, with some high-quality Bellotas even up to 60 months.

Finally, a few words about Duroc:
The Duroc pig is an older domestic pig that was bred between the red New Jersey pig and the dark Iberian pig.
The meat of the Duroc pig is considered to be very tender, its processing is extremely popular with gourmets around the world.
Despite the unique, almost comparable taste with a Jamón from Iberian pork, a Duroc ham is priced in the good middle range between Serrano and Ibérico.