Baleron
In Polish cuisine, baleron is a cold cut from cured and smoked boneless After ham, baleron is the second most valued cold cut in Poland.
Preparation
The Encyclopedia of Meat Sciences summarizes its preparation as follows. It is dry-cured, then immersed in the brine for 8–10 days, then drained, stuffed in a casing, smoked in warm smoke, cooked, and cooled. The cross-section of the final product is marbled meat. Polish sources describe a more complicated process.Etymology
Older Polish dictionaries derived the word from the French word paleron for chuck steak. Newer dictionaries derive it from German Ballen-rolle.Registered products
Several balerons are registered as protected traditional food by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development:- 2008: Smoked baleron from Masurian butcher shops
- 2008: Baleron nadwieprzański
- 2014: Smoked baleron from Proszówki
- 2016: Smoked baleron from Wisznice
- ::Quote: "Meat from pork neck, cured, placed in a bladder and smoked, brown in color with a shade of dark cherry, dark pink in cross-section, slightly juicy consistency, soft, salty taste. Smoked necessarily in a smokehouse fired with alder wood."
- 2019: Baleron from Płock