IDENTIFICATION OF PIECES ACCORDING TO THE BRIDLE
The Ham can be quickly identified by the label it presents on the hoof. There are four colors:
- Black Bridle: for 100% Iberian acorn-fed Ham: 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 Bridle: for Iberian acorn-fed Ham: These are hams that come from pigs with 50 to 75% Iberian breed and that during the fattening months have been fed on acorns and grass in a free-range pasture.
- Green Bridle: for Iberian Free-Range Feed Ham: These are hams that come from specimens with 50 to 100% Iberian breed, however, they have not been fed on acorns in the pasture, only with feed and natural resources in freedom.
- White Bridle: for Iberian Feed Ham: 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 on farms.
PROTECTED DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN (PDO)
They constitute the system used in our country for the recognition of differentiated quality, resulting from their own 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.
There must also 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 consumers, mainly to guarantee specific characteristics and a high and consistent level of quality.
And for the manufacturer, it protects against the production of similar products in other areas and helps to reach new markets, supported by the quality of the PDO.
What is the breeding of Iberian pigs like?
Our 100% Iberian breed pigs are born in the field, they are nursed 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 autumn 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 in 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 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 breeders of the company sow these cereals and legumes (chickpeas, broad beans, vetch, oats, ...) so that when summer comes, the pigs can feed on them ad libitum, that is, directly in the same field 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 go to natural cellars, where the temperature will fluctuate between 18-20 degrees in summer to 10-12 degrees in winter, a slow curing that ensures a long and optimal maturation, exceeding 30 months, achieving the awakening of aromas that an accelerated process would never obtain.
