Parma Ham No. One 2011

Ready for our New Years Eve Menu!

The culinary team begun preparation for this ham more than three month ago. Potawatomi Bingo Casino was the winning bidder for the champion breed barrow at the 2011 Wisconsin State Fairs Governors Auction and weighted in at 261 pounds. Both legs of the animals were processed into prosciutto (Italian type cured and air dried ham) for use at the New Years Eve menus here.

For centuries, Parma Ham has been prized for its enticing aroma and incomparable flavor. By law this famous ham can be made and cured only in the gently rolling countryside near Parma, Italy.

Four ingredients are essential to the production of Prosciutto di Parma®: Italian pigs, salt, air and time. Prosciutto di Parma® is an all-natural ham--additives such as sugar, spices, smoke, water and nitrites are prohibited.

Making a Parma Ham is a long and painstaking process. The curing is controlled carefully so that the ham absorbs only enough salt to preserve it. By the end, a trimmed ham will have lost more than a quarter of its weight through moisture loss, helping to concentrate the flavor. The meat becomes tender and the distinctive aroma and flavor of Prosciutto di Parma® emerge.
 Prosciutto is made from either a pig's or a wild boar's ham (hind leg or thigh). The process of making prosciutto can take anywhere from three months to two years, depending on the size of the ham.

http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/dining/area-chefs-set-their-sights-on-the-new-year-k23ivoe-136379008.html