Restaurant La Capella, in its constant effort to offer its customers high quality products, working for many years with the World's Best Ham (Joselito). Bought 3 years in advance, and ensuring the highest quality both in breeding and in the drying and curing of a world-renowned and known by all lovers of good food. You can taste the quality of this product in many elaborations of La Capella. Next, extracted small overview of the web. www.joselito.com Drawing from over a century of experience, JOSELITO has carefully amassed the secrets of a long-standing tradition. Five generations of professionals within the same family have worked toward one single goal: producing the best cured ham in the world. JOSELITO is a culinary gem, acclaimed by the greatest gastronomic names and the leading food critics worldwide. It is served in the most prestigious restaurants and sold in gourmet food shops in 54 countries. More than just a brand, a legend. "Joselito ham is Spain’s greatest culinary treasure and one of the finest natural products in the world. Trying Joselito is a unique and unforgettable experience". ROBERT PARKER /The Wine Advocate
JOSELITO oversees the complete cycle of the ham, starting from its proprietary Iberian pig breeding farm, fine-tuned to perfection over generations. JOSELITO pigs boast: •Long, slender hind legs •Highly-set ribcages •Long, thin snouts •Pointed ears, which tend to bend forward, covering the eyes •Meat rich in oleic acid, due to the pig's diet and genetic tradition •Tendency for intramuscular marbling of fat JOSELITO’s pigs are happy animals, as they roam freely in their natural habitats for around two years of their lives. The pigs make their home in the oak forest pasturelands, a valuable ecosystem halfway between the Mediterranean forests and the country’s grasslands, where each pig enjoys roughly three hectares of space.
Ham curing process Salting: A light salting of the meat stabilises enzymes and conserves the ham in a perfect state. JOSELITO cured hams and shoulders are low in salt, and can even be considered somewhat sweet. Post-salting : The ham is hung in drying sheds during the winter, allowing the salt to slowly penetrate throughout the meat, driving out moisture. Drying : During the spring and summer, the hams are left in the drying sheds for the “sweating” process, when the fat melts and penetrates the muscular fibres of the meat. Ageing : Come autumn, the hams are placed in natural underground cellars and allowed to age in carefully controlled temperature and moisture conditions. It is in these cellars that JOSELITO hams and shoulder pieces truly take on their complex, rich flavour. The hams are kept in the cellars for several years, until they obtain the optimal organoleptic properties. Selection : Finally, the ham is subject to a rigorous selection process, in which the taste, smell, sight and texture of each leg and shoulder piece is carefully assessed. The expert ham artisans and master carvers (maestro jamonero) select each ham by introducing a small, thin device, made from bone, into several places along the ham. This is the final stage: the ham is now ready. All that is left is to enjoy it in good company.