Air dried ham & Xmas ham update

Well the air dried ham is doing great, had a small bit of green mold on it so I wiped it off with some vinegar, but it smells great and is well on track to be ready some time next summer. The outer layer has dried sufficiently not to allow any flies get into the meat inside but at this time of the year the flies have finally died off.

Unfortunately the Xmas ham wasn't so lucky, with the mild Autumn and the large amount of flies still around in October and November, they managed to get to the ham and when I unwrapped it to see how it was getting on I saw it had some maggots. I had it wrapped in cheese cloth but they managed to lay the eggs into it. Next year I will make a cage that I can hang a leg inside and keep the flies out. I think the cloth needs not to be in contact with the meat.

It's all a learning curve so although I was extremely disappointed at the time at least I will learn from it and hopefully it will never happen again. Luckily I have another two hams in the freezer so I should have time to get one ready for Xmas.