1. Selection of materials
Choose pig hind legs with thin skin, plump legs, clean serum hair and fresh meat, and let them cool thoroughly before curing. The weight of fresh legs is generally about 5-8 kg. The appearance of fresh legs should be trimmed, and the fat meat on both sides should be scraped off to make them into bamboo leaves.
2. Pickling
It is advisable to spread a ham flat in a large porcelain basin, and put several clean bamboo slices on the bottom of the dish, with the skin facing down and the meat face up, so that the leg skin can't touch the bottom of the dish, and salt it for 3-6 times. The amount of salt added for the first time accounts for 1/5-1/6 of the total amount of salt. After 2-3 days, the surface layer will be salinized, and some blood flowing from the bottom of the dish should be removed in time. The amount of salt added for the second time accounts for 1/2-3/5 of the total amount of salt. More salt should be added to the fat and exposed bones, and the skin should be rubbed repeatedly. After 8-9 days, the salt gradually melts and infiltrates, and the salt is supplemented for the third and fourth times until all the salt is used up. The curing will be finished in about ten days. The total curing time is 2-35 days, and the total salt content accounts for 7-1% of the fresh leg weight, depending on the temperature.
3. Washing and drying
Soak the marinated meat leg in clean water to remove salt and stains on the surface with a soft brush, and hang it in the sun to dry. In winter, it usually lasts for 3-5 days until the skin is oily, and the lean meat is slightly rose red.
4. Fermentation
Put the sun-dried ham leg in a ventilated and dry place. With the temperature rising, the ham surface will naturally ferment, and green or green-gray-yellow colonies will grow on the ham surface. This is a natural phenomenon with good mellow, so it is not necessary to wipe it off. At this time, the ham will begin to produce a special, mellow and fresh flavor. During the whole curing and fermentation process, insects and flies are prevented from biting, so as to avoid laying eggs and producing insects.