IDENTIFICATION OF THE PIECES ACCORDING TO THE RING
The Jamón can be quickly identified by the label on the hoof. There are four colors:
- Black Ring: for 100% Iberian acorn-fed Jamón: The black label on the ham indicates that it is 100% Iberian breed and that during the fattening months it has been fed on acorns and grass in a free-range pasture. Its parents will be 100% Iberian and must be registered in the Genealogical Book of the Iberian pig breed.
- Red Ring: for Iberian acorn-fed Jamón: These are hams that come from pigs that are between 50 and 75% Iberian breed and that have been fed on acorns and grass in a free-range pasture during the fattening months.
- Green Ring: for Iberian Field Bait Jamón: These are hams that come from specimens that are between 50 and 100% Iberian breed, however, they have not been fed on acorns in the pasture, only with feed and natural resources in freedom.
- White Ring: for Iberian Bait Jamón: These hams also come from Iberian specimens, with a percentage between 50 and 100%, however, they have not been raised in the field. They have been fed with feed in farms.
PROTECTED DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN (PDO)
It constitutes the system used in our country to recognize differentiated quality, resulting from specific and differential characteristics, due to the geographical environment in which the raw materials are produced, the products are made, and the influence of the human factor that participates in them.
The producer who adheres to a PDO commits to follow the defined rules to maintain quality at high standards.
In addition, there must be a public body that regulates it and monitors compliance with the rules. And in the case of Spanish PDOs, they are protected by European regulations.
What are PDOs used for?
For the consumer, mainly to guarantee specific characteristics and a high and constant level of quality.
And for the manufacturer, it protects them against the production of similar products in other areas and helps them reach new markets, supported by the quality of the PDO.
How is the breeding of the Iberian pig?
Our 100% Iberian breed pigs are born in the field, they are breastfed by their mothers until they are old enough to fend for themselves and start feeding on the resources of the pasture. Those piglets born in the fall will be able to enjoy their first acorns during this weaning phase, although most of them will be reserved for their older siblings, who were born a year earlier and reach the fattening phase during the montanera, going from 90-100 kg in weight to 170-180 kg solely based on acorns, grass, and other natural resources of the pasture (mushrooms, roots, tubers, ...).
What do the pigs eat before the fattening phase?
They feed on the resources of the pasture, however, in the summer when resources are scarce, they are usually fed with natural feeds composed mainly of cereals and legumes. The farmers in the society sow these cereals and legumes (chickpeas, fava beans, vetch, oats, ...) so that when summer comes, the pigs can feed on them ad libitum, that is, freely in the same area, without the need to harvest them.
Temperature, humidity, and maturation time of hams and shoulders.
The process of making our hams and shoulders has several phases. The first one, salting, is done at very low temperature and high humidity. This phase lasts about 2 weeks depending on the weight of the piece and then, after settling in chambers with controlled temperature and humidity, they will move to natural cellars, where the temperature will range from 18-20 degrees in summer to 10-12 degrees in winter, a slow curing process that ensures a long and optimal maturation, over 30 months, achieving aromas that an accelerated process would never obtain.
