“AT this time of year the hams are going silly.”
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Ballarat Meat Company’s Daniel Beaumont tries to make sure he’s ahead of the Christmas rush.
This festive season the Ballarat butcher has prepared thousands of boneless and bone-on ham legs.
Only a few hundred can still be bought.
“We have bone-on ham and boneless leg ham,” he said. “We also have those varieties in shoulder ham.”
Lamb ham, otherwise known as mutton ham, is also for sale.
“It was considered a poor man’s ham,” he said.
The prominent pork wholesaler also uses a special kind of cure on its hams.
But Mr Beaumont is remaining tight-lipped on the secret ingredient.
“We also naturally smoke our hams, instead of using a liquid smoke,” he said. “It doesn’t taste smoky or overly salty.”
Mr Beaumont has owned the wholesale business for 22 years and has grown his clientele year on year.
The company also processes Eagle Smallgoods products on-site.
Mr Beaumont said customers preferred buying fresh meat.
“We have about 12 people working out the back, working five days a week,” he said.
“For the last three months we have been preparing hams.”
Ballarat Meat Company won a regional accolade at the Australian Meat Industry Council awards for its ham last year.
kara.irving@fairfaxmedia.com.au
