***
-I got the pigs. They’re really good quality black pigs, too. If you want to watch the butchering process, you’re welcome to come.
After bringing 20 pigs from the pasture in the west, I received a message from Gerry two days later.
‘Watch the butchering process…’
I was strangely intrigued.
Hae-jun had only ever eaten pork that had already been butchered and sold.
The only parts of a pig he knew were the pork belly, the neck, and the trotters.
‘Ah! There’s also the pig’s head and intestines. Boiled pig’s head and stir-fried intestines are delicious too. Anyway, it’ll be fun.’
He hurriedly finished his work in the field and headed to the village.
As he walked around the back of the barn, he saw a row of whole pigs hanging from the ceiling. Next to them, Gerry was sharpening his knives.
It was somehow scary, like a scene from a gangster movie.
Was he like a shady killer taking care of a traitor?
Thinking such strange thoughts, he felt goosebumps all over his body.
“G, Gerry.”
“Oh, you’re here.”
When Hae-jun greeted him with a trembling voice, Gerry greeted him with a hearty smile.
“I was just about to start working. You came at the perfect time.”
“Is this all the meat I gave you?”
“This is half of it. We don’t have enough space to work, so we left half of it outside for now.”
“That’s a lot.”
“It’s a huge amount.”
Not only were there many pigs hanging from the ceiling, but there were also several sharp knives on the work table.
From a large knife like the ones used to cut through jungles to a thin, sharp knife like an awl.
When Hae-jun looked at them curiously, he kindly explained them.
“These are all the knives we need for butchering. This is a butcher knife.”
He showed him a curved, sharp knife.
He said that the butcher knife was used to cut through bones and cartilage, and the skin and tough muscles.
It looked quite heavy, even at a glance.
“And this is a boning knife. It’s thin and pointed, so it’s perfect for removing meat.”
There was more than one boning knife.
There were five boning knives of slightly different sizes and shapes.
The knives looked as old and delicate as Gerry’s career.
“That’s enough of the knife introduction. Shall we start butchering in earnest?”
Gerry, holding a boning knife, said as he stood in front of the pig.
He held the knife upside down so that the blade was facing his little finger and stabbed it deep into the pig’s hind leg.
Swish-swish-
Slice-slice-
An eerie sound echoed in the quiet space.
The flesh was cut, following the grain, and the wrist was bent.
Creak- swish-swish-swish-
Thud-
In an instant, the front and hind legs were separated from the torso.
The precious hams that Neri would use to make jamón.
“Wow~ The color is amazing. The fat is just right, and the muscles are firm because it exercised a lot. Did you raise it free-range?”
“Yes. There’s a pasture(grassland) on the west side of the farm, so I raised it there.”
“I’d like to see it sometime. What do you feed it?”
“Well, they gather around and eat acorns, and I also give them some olives separately. I didn’t want them to invade the fields that I worked hard to cultivate. Haha… They eat a lot.”
A huge appetite and fertility.
That was their characteristic.
Hae-jun didn’t have to do anything. They ran around the pasture, ate well, and grew up strong.
“Really?”
Gerry’s eyes sparkled.
‘Neri, you’re really lucky, aren’t you?’
Gerry smiled strangely after hearing Hae-jun’s answer.
Jamón is very complicated and delicate to make.
If even one condition is not met, the taste and flavor will change.
In addition to the process, the breed and the environment in which it was raised are also very important factors in determining the taste.
The best is a black pig with black fur and hooves that has been raised on a pasture eating only acorns and olives. This is because the fat content of pigs that eat acorns is different from that of regular pigs.
“It’s the perfect pig for making jamón.”
“Is it that good?”
“Of course. I only get to touch something of this quality once a year. And I got an order for 20 of them. Anyway, this will take a load off of Neri. I’ll lose some money this year, but if I make jamón with these pigs, I’ll make up for the loss in two years. Now, let’s prepare the pig you’re going to give me.”
Gerry’s hands moved skillfully once again.
Clank- clank-
He cut from the neck to the tail in one go, moving the knife in a zigzag motion.
In an instant, he folded the 1-meter-long bone, which had been separated from the flesh, in half and threw it on the table.
“You’re fast.”
“I’ve been butchering for 30 years. Isn’t that obvious? I left the meat thick on purpose. It’s good for making soup.”
“Thank you.”
In reality, this would be the part that would become a refreshing hangover soup.
Here, it seemed that they boiled the backbone to make soup.
After separating the backbone, he continued to butcher the pig, explaining each part.
According to Gerry, there are five main parts of a pig when it is butchered: the tenderloin, the sirloin, the ribs, the front and hind legs, and other parts.
The hind legs of the pig are used to make jamón, and the front legs are used to make paleta, so they are consumed quite a bit. Gerry’s younger brother, Neri, was said to make and sell these. Jamón was also James’ favorite wine snack.
The part that the villagers mainly consumed was the ribs. He said that the other parts were collected and used to make sausages.
Hae-jun, who had heard the story, didn’t understand it right away.
He couldn’t understand why there were only five parts of a pig to begin with.
As a Korean, wasn’t a core part missing?
‘What about the pork belly?’
That important pork belly was not included.
The pork belly, the soul food of Koreans, is the part of the abdomen below the ribs, where the meat and fat form a three-layered membrane.
‘Surely… They throw away the pork belly here?!’
Gulping-
Hae-jun’s mouth watered just thinking about pork belly.
Waiting for the griddle to heat up, he would put it on and it would sizzle- a pleasant sound, and the pork belly would be cooked golden brown.
The irresistible meaty aroma of the fat as it cooked would make his hands move involuntarily, and he would put garlic, peppers, grilled kimchi, and ssamjang on the lettuce as he liked, fold it up, and put it in his mouth…
Gulping-
Pork belly is the truth.
In the real world, it was the most popular and expensive part of all.
But here?
“What about pork belly? There’s pork belly, right?”
“Who would eat that fatty part? They won’t even eat it if you give it to them.”
Somehow, the concept of important parts of pork was different from reality.
The ribs were commonly liked, but the villagers of the Dimensional Farm Village only liked the leg parts, and the rest were all cheap.
“Pork belly fat is bad for your body. The taste is not that great either.”
How on earth did you eat pork belly to say such nonsense!
‘If you cook it on a pot lid and drain the fat, it’s delicious… I don’t think you consume that much fat.’
Hae-jun’s expression hardened for a moment as his pork belly was downgraded.
Anyone from Korea would have felt the same way.
“I prefer ribs to pork belly.”
“Doesn’t it depend on how you eat it?”
“Well, I’ve never had delicious pork belly.”
I felt resentful for no reason.
I wanted to show him the true nature of pork belly when I had the chance and make him pay for insulting the pork belly god.
While Hae-jun was feeling angry (?), half of the pig was quickly dismantled.
“Well, that’s it.”
“I enjoyed watching.”
“I had a good time too. If you want to see it again later, you’re welcome to come.”
The butchering tour was quite a good experience, and he thought it would be helpful someday, so he carefully wrote it down in his recipe notebook.
Gerry, who had finished the demonstration, quickly began to dismantle the hams. Twice as fast as before. It seemed that he had been working slowly for Hae-jun’s sake.
Neri entered the workshop just as he was finishing preparing the hams.
He too was impressed by the bright red hams, just like Gerry. He was overjoyed, saying that he had gotten good meat after a long time. He seemed to have completely forgotten about the fact that he had recently lost a large amount of jamón.
“While you’re here, do you want to watch how jamón is made?”
“Yes, I will. I’ll be back. I’ll finish butchering in the meantime.”
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
Hae-jun helped Neri carry the hams to his workshop.
In fact, the reason he had come to the barn was to see the jamón-making process and the finished product in person, rather than to watch the butchering.
The jamón that was visible as soon as he entered was impressive. The jamón was lined up in rows, facing the stove.
“Follow me to the back.”
He passed the jamón and headed to the back of the workshop.
He washed the blood off the hind leg again and soaked it in salt.
It wasn’t just a matter of sprinkling a little bit; the hind leg was practically buried in a barrel of salt.
‘That’s more than what I saw on TV.’
He watched the process carefully with curious eyes.
“After leaving it like this for a month, I wash it with water and let it mature while maintaining the temperature and humidity. It sounds very simple when you say it like that, but it’s actually quite a difficult task.”
Neri, who had finished his work, took Hae-jun to the maturation warehouse again.
Dozens of jamóns hung upside down with their hooves facing up.
“Is there a reason why you hang them like that?”
“Yes. You have to hang them like this so that the fat accumulates in the ham area and ferments.”
The surface of the jamón, which had been fermented and matured for more than two years, was covered with white mold.
Just like doenjang or meju.
“Do you want to try it?”
“You said you don’t have enough to give to the merchant.”
“It’s not enough anyway. It’s only half of what I prepared. It doesn’t make much difference if one more piece disappears. Hahaha.”
He laughed heartily and took down the hanging jamón.
The best Iberian jamón has excellent meat color and marbling, and is characterized by its black hooves.
In addition, during the maturation process of more than a year, the fat layer spreads evenly throughout the meat, giving it a unique and distinctive flavor.
He put the ankle of the hind leg into a specially designed machine on the workbench, sliced it thinly and evenly with a long knife, and put it on a plate one by one. A deep reddish-brown piece of jamón in contrast with the white color. It is important to slice the jamón thinly, but it is also important to slice it so that the fat and meat are in the right proportion.
“First, smell the aroma.”
He said, handing Hae-jun the jamón plate.
Hae-jun carefully brought it to his nose.
It was because he was worried that it might smell like pork since it hadn’t gone through any cooking process other than maturation.
However.
“Huh?!…”
“What do you think? Isn’t it charming?”
“Yes. What is it… It smells like peanuts? Or almonds?”
“You have a surprisingly good nose. That’s right. Jamón made from pigs that eat acorns has a subtle nutty flavor. It’s good to put it on melon or serve it with garlic when you first try it, but it’s also delicious on its own. Of course, wine is a must.”
Hae-jun picked up a piece of jamón with his hand.
The fat melted smoothly due to his body temperature.
He put it in his mouth,
“!!… This is delicious.”
It was hard to believe that it was food that had been cured and matured in salt.
It had a moderately salty yet savory flavor that was fascinating, and it had a unique savory taste.
The flavor was so rich that it seemed like it would taste even better with alcohol. Only then did he understand what James had said. As a drinker, he was as knowledgeable about alcohol and snacks as he was about woodworking.
“Try this too.”
The second piece he offered had more fat than the first.
The part with more fat was richer in flavor and softer.
It felt like the fat was melting in his mouth like cheese.
It felt like he was eating food that he had only seen in documentaries, and he felt like he was on a trip to Europe.
“This is delicious too. It’s fantastic.”
“Right? This is food made by time. It’s better than any other food in the world.”
“It’s a shame. It’s a shame that I can’t eat something that took so long to make.”
“It can’t be helped. It’s my fault. I’m the one who broke the promise, even if I lose money.”
He had a complicated expression on his face as he talked about the discarded jamón.
He felt even more eager to help.
Hae-jun, who had been thinking for a while, received two hams from Neri and returned to the farm, heading to the cave under the cliff.
The temperature and humidity there were the same as in Neri’s maturation warehouse a little while ago.
‘Besides, the maturation rate is faster here, so maybe…’
He brought a lot of rock salt and cured the hams.
After studying books and watching Neri’s work process, he was able to work smoothly without any difficulty.
After about two hours, the hind legs were cured, just like the pictures in the book. He washed them thoroughly to remove the saltiness and remove any foreign substances on the surface, and hung them upside down with the hooves facing up.
“That’s it.”
Now all that was left was to trust the maturing ability of the ice cave and wait.
***
-I got the pigs. They’re really good quality black pigs, too. If you want to watch the butchering process, you’re welcome to come.
After bringing 20 pigs from the pasture in the west, I received a message from Gerry two days later.
‘Watch the butchering process…’
I was strangely intrigued.
Hae-jun had only ever eaten pork that had already been butchered and sold.
The only parts of a pig he knew were the pork belly, the neck, and the trotters.
‘Ah! There’s also the pig’s head and intestines. Boiled pig’s head and stir-fried intestines are delicious too. Anyway, it’ll be fun.’
He hurriedly finished his work in the field and headed to the village.
As he walked around the back of the barn, he saw a row of whole pigs hanging from the ceiling. Next to them, Gerry was sharpening his knives.
It was somehow scary, like a scene from a gangster movie.
Was he like a shady killer taking care of a traitor?
Thinking such strange thoughts, he felt goosebumps all over his body.
“G, Gerry.”
“Oh, you’re here.”
When Hae-jun greeted him with a trembling voice, Gerry greeted him with a hearty smile.
“I was just about to start working. You came at the perfect time.”
“Is this all the meat I gave you?”
“This is half of it. We don’t have enough space to work, so we left half of it outside for now.”
“That’s a lot.”
“It’s a huge amount.”
Not only were there many pigs hanging from the ceiling, but there were also several sharp knives on the work table.
From a large knife like the ones used to cut through jungles to a thin, sharp knife like an awl.
When Hae-jun looked at them curiously, he kindly explained them.
“These are all the knives we need for butchering. This is a butcher knife.”
He showed him a curved, sharp knife.
He said that the butcher knife was used to cut through bones and cartilage, and the skin and tough muscles.
It looked quite heavy, even at a glance.
“And this is a boning knife. It’s thin and pointed, so it’s perfect for removing meat.”
There was more than one boning knife.
There were five boning knives of slightly different sizes and shapes.
The knives looked as old and delicate as Gerry’s career.
“That’s enough of the knife introduction. Shall we start butchering in earnest?”
Gerry, holding a boning knife, said as he stood in front of the pig.
He held the knife upside down so that the blade was facing his little finger and stabbed it deep into the pig’s hind leg.
Swish-swish-
Slice-slice-
An eerie sound echoed in the quiet space.
The flesh was cut, following the grain, and the wrist was bent.
Creak- swish-swish-swish-
Thud-
In an instant, the front and hind legs were separated from the torso.
The precious hams that Neri would use to make jamón.
“Wow~ The color is amazing. The fat is just right, and the muscles are firm because it exercised a lot. Did you raise it free-range?”
“Yes. There’s a pasture(grassland) on the west side of the farm, so I raised it there.”
“I’d like to see it sometime. What do you feed it?”
“Well, they gather around and eat acorns, and I also give them some olives separately. I didn’t want them to invade the fields that I worked hard to cultivate. Haha… They eat a lot.”
A huge appetite and fertility.
That was their characteristic.
Hae-jun didn’t have to do anything. They ran around the pasture, ate well, and grew up strong.
“Really?”
Gerry’s eyes sparkled.
‘Neri, you’re really lucky, aren’t you?’
Gerry smiled strangely after hearing Hae-jun’s answer.
Jamón is very complicated and delicate to make.
If even one condition is not met, the taste and flavor will change.
In addition to the process, the breed and the environment in which it was raised are also very important factors in determining the taste.
The best is a black pig with black fur and hooves that has been raised on a pasture eating only acorns and olives. This is because the fat content of pigs that eat acorns is different from that of regular pigs.
“It’s the perfect pig for making jamón.”
“Is it that good?”
“Of course. I only get to touch something of this quality once a year. And I got an order for 20 of them. Anyway, this will take a load off of Neri. I’ll lose some money this year, but if I make jamón with these pigs, I’ll make up for the loss in two years. Now, let’s prepare the pig you’re going to give me.”
Gerry’s hands moved skillfully once again.
Clank- clank-
He cut from the neck to the tail in one go, moving the knife in a zigzag motion.
In an instant, he folded the 1-meter-long bone, which had been separated from the flesh, in half and threw it on the table.
“You’re fast.”
“I’ve been butchering for 30 years. Isn’t that obvious? I left the meat thick on purpose. It’s good for making soup.”
“Thank you.”
In reality, this would be the part that would become a refreshing hangover soup.
Here, it seemed that they boiled the backbone to make soup.
After separating the backbone, he continued to butcher the pig, explaining each part.
According to Gerry, there are five main parts of a pig when it is butchered: the tenderloin, the sirloin, the ribs, the front and hind legs, and other parts.
The hind legs of the pig are used to make jamón, and the front legs are used to make paleta, so they are consumed quite a bit. Gerry’s younger brother, Neri, was said to make and sell these. Jamón was also James’ favorite wine snack.
The part that the villagers mainly consumed was the ribs. He said that the other parts were collected and used to make sausages.
Hae-jun, who had heard the story, didn’t understand it right away.
He couldn’t understand why there were only five parts of a pig to begin with.
As a Korean, wasn’t a core part missing?
‘What about the pork belly?’
That important pork belly was not included.
The pork belly, the soul food of Koreans, is the part of the abdomen below the ribs, where the meat and fat form a three-layered membrane.
‘Surely… They throw away the pork belly here?!’
Gulping-
Hae-jun’s mouth watered just thinking about pork belly.
Waiting for the griddle to heat up, he would put it on and it would sizzle- a pleasant sound, and the pork belly would be cooked golden brown.
The irresistible meaty aroma of the fat as it cooked would make his hands move involuntarily, and he would put garlic, peppers, grilled kimchi, and ssamjang on the lettuce as he liked, fold it up, and put it in his mouth…
Gulping-
Pork belly is the truth.
In the real world, it was the most popular and expensive part of all.
But here?
“What about pork belly? There’s pork belly, right?”
“Who would eat that fatty part? They won’t even eat it if you give it to them.”
Somehow, the concept of important parts of pork was different from reality.
The ribs were commonly liked, but the villagers of the Dimensional Farm Village only liked the leg parts, and the rest were all cheap.
“Pork belly fat is bad for your body. The taste is not that great either.”
How on earth did you eat pork belly to say such nonsense!
‘If you cook it on a pot lid and drain the fat, it’s delicious… I don’t think you consume that much fat.’
Hae-jun’s expression hardened for a moment as his pork belly was downgraded.
Anyone from Korea would have felt the same way.
“I prefer ribs to pork belly.”
“Doesn’t it depend on how you eat it?”
“Well, I’ve never had delicious pork belly.”
I felt resentful for no reason.
I wanted to show him the true nature of pork belly when I had the chance and make him pay for insulting the pork belly god.
While Hae-jun was feeling angry (?), half of the pig was quickly dismantled.
“Well, that’s it.”
“I enjoyed watching.”
“I had a good time too. If you want to see it again later, you’re welcome to come.”
The butchering tour was quite a good experience, and he thought it would be helpful someday, so he carefully wrote it down in his recipe notebook.
Gerry, who had finished the demonstration, quickly began to dismantle the hams. Twice as fast as before. It seemed that he had been working slowly for Hae-jun’s sake.
Neri entered the workshop just as he was finishing preparing the hams.
He too was impressed by the bright red hams, just like Gerry. He was overjoyed, saying that he had gotten good meat after a long time. He seemed to have completely forgotten about the fact that he had recently lost a large amount of jamón.
“While you’re here, do you want to watch how jamón is made?”
“Yes, I will. I’ll be back. I’ll finish butchering in the meantime.”
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
Hae-jun helped Neri carry the hams to his workshop.
In fact, the reason he had come to the barn was to see the jamón-making process and the finished product in person, rather than to watch the butchering.
The jamón that was visible as soon as he entered was impressive. The jamón was lined up in rows, facing the stove.
“Follow me to the back.”
He passed the jamón and headed to the back of the workshop.
He washed the blood off the hind leg again and soaked it in salt.
It wasn’t just a matter of sprinkling a little bit; the hind leg was practically buried in a barrel of salt.
‘That’s more than what I saw on TV.’
He watched the process carefully with curious eyes.
“After leaving it like this for a month, I wash it with water and let it mature while maintaining the temperature and humidity. It sounds very simple when you say it like that, but it’s actually quite a difficult task.”
Neri, who had finished his work, took Hae-jun to the maturation warehouse again.
Dozens of jamóns hung upside down with their hooves facing up.
“Is there a reason why you hang them like that?”
“Yes. You have to hang them like this so that the fat accumulates in the ham area and ferments.”
The surface of the jamón, which had been fermented and matured for more than two years, was covered with white mold.
Just like doenjang or meju.
“Do you want to try it?”
“You said you don’t have enough to give to the merchant.”
“It’s not enough anyway. It’s only half of what I prepared. It doesn’t make much difference if one more piece disappears. Hahaha.”
He laughed heartily and took down the hanging jamón.
The best Iberian jamón has excellent meat color and marbling, and is characterized by its black hooves.
In addition, during the maturation process of more than a year, the fat layer spreads evenly throughout the meat, giving it a unique and distinctive flavor.
He put the ankle of the hind leg into a specially designed machine on the workbench, sliced it thinly and evenly with a long knife, and put it on a plate one by one. A deep reddish-brown piece of jamón in contrast with the white color. It is important to slice the jamón thinly, but it is also important to slice it so that the fat and meat are in the right proportion.
“First, smell the aroma.”
He said, handing Hae-jun the jamón plate.
Hae-jun carefully brought it to his nose.
It was because he was worried that it might smell like pork since it hadn’t gone through any cooking process other than maturation.
However.
“Huh?!…”
“What do you think? Isn’t it charming?”
“Yes. What is it… It smells like peanuts? Or almonds?”
“You have a surprisingly good nose. That’s right. Jamón made from pigs that eat acorns has a subtle nutty flavor. It’s good to put it on melon or serve it with garlic when you first try it, but it’s also delicious on its own. Of course, wine is a must.”
Hae-jun picked up a piece of jamón with his hand.
The fat melted smoothly due to his body temperature.
He put it in his mouth,
“!!… This is delicious.”
It was hard to believe that it was food that had been cured and matured in salt.
It had a moderately salty yet savory flavor that was fascinating, and it had a unique savory taste.
The flavor was so rich that it seemed like it would taste even better with alcohol. Only then did he understand what James had said. As a drinker, he was as knowledgeable about alcohol and snacks as he was about woodworking.
“Try this too.”
The second piece he offered had more fat than the first.
The part with more fat was richer in flavor and softer.
It felt like the fat was melting in his mouth like cheese.
It felt like he was eating food that he had only seen in documentaries, and he felt like he was on a trip to Europe.
“This is delicious too. It’s fantastic.”
“Right? This is food made by time. It’s better than any other food in the world.”
“It’s a shame. It’s a shame that I can’t eat something that took so long to make.”
“It can’t be helped. It’s my fault. I’m the one who broke the promise, even if I lose money.”
He had a complicated expression on his face as he talked about the discarded jamón.
He felt even more eager to help.
Hae-jun, who had been thinking for a while, received two hams from Neri and returned to the farm, heading to the cave under the cliff.
The temperature and humidity there were the same as in Neri’s maturation warehouse a little while ago.
‘Besides, the maturation rate is faster here, so maybe…’
He brought a lot of rock salt and cured the hams.
After studying books and watching Neri’s work process, he was able to work smoothly without any difficulty.
After about two hours, the hind legs were cured, just like the pictures in the book. He washed them thoroughly to remove the saltiness and remove any foreign substances on the surface, and hung them upside down with the hooves facing up.
“That’s it.”
Now all that was left was to trust the maturing ability of the ice cave and wait.
