[Kitchen Cottage]

Not sure if the best place is here or in the section on preserving.

I'd like to have a go at Parma Ham but don't want to waste a leg if it goes wrong... there is a stage in the river cottage method that requires 70% humidity and a constant temperature and I'm not sure that my two bedroom cottage can accommodate that.

Would one of Charlotte's legs (7 year old sow going to slaughter) be too old for parma ham?

I air dried some meat last year but over cured it and it was so salty it was inedible, but I'd like to have another go.

Any views?

[oaklandspigs]

Lots of people have success with dry cures, we never have so we wet cure, much more certain, and ham is still fantastic.
 
I always view it that Parma ham is good because it comes from Parma, where humidity and temperature work 
 
Personally I'd probably not do a 7 year old, I'd still expect it to be stringy and tough, but not having done one, could not say for certain.  If you try it, make sure you let us know what it turns out like !
 
 
 
 
 
 

[Tamsaddle]

All my attempts at curing sow meat have not been that successful.   Edible, but usually too salty, and always very hard, dark coloured, and a very odd, tangy flavour.   We have one leg salted and air dried from December, but we haven't opened it up yet so still to discover what that will be like.

I tried a wet cured gammon recently, but it was difficult working out curing and cooking times just by multiplying the weight when you are dealing with an 11 kg lump of meat, quite apart from fitting it in any saucepan for the simmering part of cooking it.   Whatever else you do, do NOT use Hugh's salt concentrations - they are far far too salty, even if you are doing a normal sized leg.   There are loads of posts on here, several years back now, discussing better salt levels/timings.