Ham has already become a dish in the homes of people in both urban and rural areas and is a traditional gift for friends. Currently, there are three types of ham sold on the market: Nanleg (Jinhua Ham), Beileg (Subei Ham), and Yunleg (Rongfeng Ham), among which Jinhua Ham is the most famous. Regardless of the type of ham, its raw materials must be free of blood during slaughter, without hair, not inflated, with fresh leg meat, thin and undamaged skin, no blemishes, thin leg claws, and a full leg center. During processing, it must undergo seven procedures: trimming the leg blank, shaping the leg, curing, soaking the leg, washing and brushing, sun-drying the leg, and fermentation.
The quality requirements for ham are as follows: Best Quality: Each leg weighs about 2.5 kg to 4 kg, with neat skin, thin leg claws, a full leg center, a small fat head, no cracks, and an attractive, clean appearance of the whole leg.
First-class Leg: The leg is clean and tidy, with a small fat head.
Second-class Leg: The leg claws are thick, the skin is slightly thick, the taste is slightly inferior, and the appearance is neat.
Third-class Leg: The leg claws are thick, the processing is rough, with slight damage and a slightly off taste.
Fourth-class Leg: This refers to lower-grade ham, which has an unpleasant odor, is roughly processed, has thick skin and thick feet, with exposed bones, and a poor appearance. After understanding the grades of ham, one should also be aware of the quality of the ham and pay attention to the following aspects.
Look at the appearance: The outside of the ham should be dry, clean, and free from insect damage. The skin should be hard, and the meat should be firm. If the surface of the meat appears moist, soft, moldy, or has insect damage, and the skin has a sticky texture, it is an inferior product.
Look at the muscle: The muscle of a high-quality ham should be dense and elastic, with a cross-section that is dark red and evenly colored. If the muscle texture is soft, the cross-section color is uneven, appearing gray, brown, or black, it is an inferior product.
Look at the fat: The fat on the ham should be firm and pale yellow, indicating good quality. If the fat is soft and golden in color, it is an inferior product.
Smell the odor: A high-quality ham should not have a rancid or stale smell. If such a smell is detected, it indicates poor quality. When checking, it is best to insert a bamboo skewer deep into the muscle, then withdraw it and smell the skewer for the aforementioned odors. This method should be used to check different parts, but a new bamboo skewer must be used each time to avoid mixing odors.