THE 4 STEPS IN THE PRODUCTION OF JAMBON D'ANTAN

The company's main suppliers are breeders and abattoirs in Normandy. Private customers can also bring their own hams to be smoked. See Custom Preparation page.

During the time spent at La Chapelle-Enjuger, the ham undergoes numerous processes. Discover below the steps involved in the production of smoked ham:

Preparation

• Les Jambons d’Antan: a name worthy of the products made by this company whose manufacturing secrets respect tradition.
• From the spices to the species of wood chosen for smoking, nothing is left to chance to give the ham its suppleness and delicate flavour.
• Every week, the hams move up one level. When they reach the 12th level, after one month at a temperature of 25 °C to 30 °C, they are perfectly smoked. The operation is carried out with hot smoke and not in a smokehouse, which uses cold smoke…

Salting

• The Jambons d’Antan are first processed in sea salt in a churn for a few minutes to make the meat permeable. After being taken to the salting room, they are rubbed again by hand individually before being laid in tanks covered with salt together with a subtle blend of spices (the recipe is kept secret!).
• They will stay there for 3 weeks to absorb the regularly renewed aromas.

Smoking

• They are then smoked in a 15 metre-high chimney (not a smokehouse) covering a floor space of 4 m². 900 hams can be hanged there for 4 weeks above a log fire according to the Norman tradition.
• The ham is wrapped in a cloth during smoking to preserve its delicacy, moisture and authentic taste.

Deboning

• After these production steps, the Jambons d'Antan continue to mature on the bone in temperature-controlled rooms, for 12 to 14 weeks depending on the weight. It therefore takes 5 to 6 months of preparation before the ham can be deboned, cut and vacuum-packed in thin slices to be eaten raw or thick slices for grilling.