Can Iberian ham be frozen?

The answer is categorical and affirmative: Yes, Iberian ham can be frozen.
When we talk about freezing ham, we must differentiate between two options.
In this article we will tell you about the existing types of freezing and the differences between the two.

Types of Iberian ham freezing

When talking about freezing, the logical thing to think about is when can we freeze a leg?
The answer is simple, as it can be frozen during the production process or frozen on the finished product.

Fresh freezing prior to the curing process

Freezing fresh ham is not part of the tradition in the production of cured ham.
However, scientific studies have shown that a low temperature on a fresh leg is important to avoid bacteriological contamination.

Freezing of cured ham

Freezing a cured ham with leg makes no sense and is not recommended.

It is quite another thing to keep the boned and polished Iberian ham at a temperature that is almost freezing.
This is quite normal and has a production reason.

All industrial machine slicing of ham is done with “formatted” blocks of ham.

The process would be as follows: We take an Iberian ham already cured and with leg.
It is deboned and the block of ham already deboned is pressed to give it a shape similar to a uniform cube.
Subsequently, this cube can be divided into smaller formats of the size we are interested in for the slice.

When slicing at the industrial level, the speed of the blades in friction with the ham is such that the temperature of the ham rises.
If the ham is not very cold, the slice will fall apart.
For this reason, it is these blocks of boneless, almost frozen ham that are introduced into the slicing machine.

Why is Iberian ham frozen fresh and what are its benefits?

The freezing of a fresh leg has its economic and scientific explanation.
It is very important to make it clear that not all producers freeze the piece fresh.

As we always say, making hams is not the same as making screws.
The “montanera” takes place on specific dates and the slaughter of acorn-fed animals must always take place before March 31st.
This is an important conditioning factor because if the Iberian pig is ready to be slaughtered, it should not be left in the “montanera” for more days.

Dryers have limited salting capacity.
If during peak production periods more legs arrive from the slaughterhouse than you can process, you will have to freeze the surplus and proceed to salting after a few days.

Some producers freeze their hams directly for several days in order to obtain more tender and juicy final cuts. How? Freezing allows some of the enzymes that are still active in the meat, after the recent slaughter, to carry out their proteolytic work, that is to say, to break down proteins. By breaking down the meat proteins that make up the muscle fibers of the meat, we achieve less toughness of the meat and also, by releasing amino acids and peptides, it will increase the flavor.

Think of the “matured” veal cutlets that you eat.
When we speak of meat matured for several days, it is to achieve that this protein breakdown gives you a more tender meat.

Finally, fresh freezing significantly reduces the risk of the presence of pathogenic bacteria or the proliferation of microorganisms.

Does freezing a fresh ham affect the quality of the product?

For the scientific reasons explained above, we can affirm that the final quality of the ham, if affected, would be affected to improve the final product.

Can I freeze the ham I have at home?

The answer is simple, yes.
Of course you can freeze it, but the other thing is that it is just as tasty as when you eat it freshly sliced.
We certainly do NOT recommend that you freeze a ham with a leg.
Another thing is that you are going to buy iberian ham on sale in Ibericomio and you want to freeze it because you will not have time to consume it quickly.

Is it true that freezing ham prevents Toxoplasmosis?

As far as we have consulted, there is scientific evidence that freezing at temperatures below -12 ºC acts negatively on the viability of Toxoplasma, but there is no 100% guarantee.
It is also known that in hams with a long curing process, such as Iberian ham, the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii is very difficult.

How does freezing affect the quality of Iberian ham?

Of course, the quality of a cured ham is affected when it is frozen.
In the freezing process, although little water remains in a cured ham, water crystals always form.
If the ham was tender when frozen, too many crystals will be generated and the ham may have an unpleasant texture after freezing.

In addition, freezing increases oxidation and therefore the ham may taste rancid more easily.

Tips for properly freezing Iberian ham

To freeze it, it is best if it is vacuum-packed.
This way we avoid that the cold “burns” the external surfaces of the slices.

As with all frozen products, thawing should be done in the refrigerator and without haste for 24-48 hours.

After all this information, we can affirm that yes, it is possible to freeze Iberian ham.