Jamón de Teruel
Jamón de Teruel is a DOP ham from the province of Teruel in Aragón, Spain. The protected hams come from farms registered with the Regulating Body and situated in the production area. The raw material, slaughter, processing and curing is carried out under Regulating Body controls.
The hams are elongated, trimmed, have rounded edges, and weigh 8-9 kg. The colour is red, shiny when cut, with fat infiltrating the muscle. The flavour is delicate, not too salty and they have glistening fat, and a pleasant aroma and flavour.
Suitable pigs for production of the ham are Landrace-Large White-Duroc crossbreeds. Live weight at slaughter is 115-130 kg The carcass is aired at a temperature no higher than 10C for at least 4 hours at 95-85% humidity. Salting, washing, curing and drying take at least 8 months. They are then left to mature in curing rooms or cellars for at least 12 months.
The pigs are fattened on natural feed, and carefully monitored from birth, are selected to provide excellent raw material for this product. The curing process takes place in favourable climatic conditions (mean altitude above 800 m and a dry, cold climate) yielding a product with characteristic aroma and flavour.