Milperra smallgoods boutique Sunshine Meats wins prize for best ham in NSW
JOE PEREIRA reckons he might just be the first smallgoods artisan in Sydney to make ham using duck. The beauty of the new creation, just in time for Christmas, is in the flavour, he says.
The Express
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JOE PEREIRA reckons he might just be the first smallgoods artisan in Sydney to make ham using duck.
At least, that’s what he’s called the unusual take on cured pork.
Mr Pereira’s “smoking duck” ham isn’t the cut which won his business, Sunshine Meats, an Australian Ham Award, but the new creation will be a good experiment as Christmas approaches.
“The beauty of this is the flavour. It’s much sweeter,” he said.
“This is something that is a little bit different. Last year we started doing duck breast and nine out of 10 people said they didn’t like duck, so now I’m doing this mini ham to see what sort of interest there is.”
The duck ham is made by removing part of the leg bone, cramming breast and thigh in the middle and leaving a layer of fat on the outside. It is then tightly sealed.
Experiments aside, the Milperra boutique smallgoods supplier is better known for its more traditional maple-infused double-smoked ham. So much so, that the family has taken home trophies from the Australian Ham Awards three years in a row. This year it was first place for NSW in the boneless category.
But it hasn’t been without hard work for Mr Pereira.
The Portuguese-born migrant arrived in Australia in the late 1980s with just $500 in his pocket and a limited grasp on English.
He slaved as a waiter, before he was hired by a small butcher in Redfern and eventually took it over.
Drawing on the fragrant spices of his homeland, Mr Pereira spent hours experimenting with different flavour combinations.
Mr Pereira, wife Maria and daughter Celina moved to a purpose-built manufacturing plant in Milperra in 2011. At the front is a deli and cafe, popular with locals.
The secret to good ham was trial and error.
“There is nothing worse than someone eating your product and leaving half the plate so here we have direct feedback of how it is.”
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