The pig and the Iberian ham
The Iberian ham
Health and Environment
The Iberian pig
Types of hams
Consumption
Recipes
How to cut the ham
How to preserve the ham
Curing ham
Identify a good ham
The environment
Iberian breeds
HOW TO PRESERVE THE HAMsubir

 
HAM WITH BONE

Way to preserve it.

If the whole piece is not consumed in one go, the part exposed to the air must be covered with the remaining bacon, and with a transpiring cloth on top of it.

The ham must be placed in a dry environment but with enough ventilation and a stable temperature, away from extreme outside cold or heat

HAM WITHOUT BONE

Way to preserve it.
Cut only the slices that are to be consumed. Throw away the first slice in case it has been exposed to the air for a long while. When starting the cut, the piece is taken out of its vacuum-pack. Therefore, every time the cutting process is finished, the uncovered side of the ham should be covered with kitchen plastic. This ham should always be preserved in between 2 and 10 degrees centigrade

HOW TO CUT A HAMsubir

corte

  • It is very important to cut the ham in very thin slices, transparent. Without a good knife, specially prepared for ham cutting, this cannot be done properly (it must be a long, thin and very sharp). It is so important to know how to cut the ham properly, that there is an enormous difference in taste depending on the cut.
  • Ham should not be eaten cold (it looses its taste) and should not be kept in the fridge.
  • It must be cut at the beginning with the hoof facing down, as this is the thickest part, and when this part is ended, the other should be used.
  • The crust should be taken off gradually, to avoid drying. The cut should be always protected by bacon or kitchen paper.
  • You should never cut more ham that the one that will be consumed immediately.

 

Advices for cutting boned ham


This is the most common way of ham consumption in Spain, which requires a correct hand cut, in order to obtain very thin slices, almost transparent. It is recommended to use a special device to hold the ham while cutting, named “jamonero” or “jamonera”, because holding it with the hand while cutting is reserved to the authentic specialists.

Cut should be undertaken with a very sharp knife, of narrow and long leave, in the following order:
jamonjamonero 1. The piece should be cleaned beforehand, taking away the skin and the excess of bacon, in such a way that cutting could be started without any difficulty. The pieces of bacon rejected should be preserved in order to cover the part of the ham that remains exposed to the air once the cutting is finished. This will provide an optimal preservation.

 

limpieza  2. CONTRAMAZA

It is the part exposed when the hoof is facing down. It is narrow, as the bone is soon met. It has less bacon covering, although particularly tasty.
punta  3. PUNTA

It is the area opposed to the hoof and the extreme part of the piece. It requires a short hand cutting from which small slices are usually obtained. It is usually the most appreciated part in sampling.
maza  4. MAZA

It is exposed when the hoof is facing up. It is the widest and juicier part, and with a biggest bacon covering. Also, it offers a big cutting surface, which allows obtaining out of it a bigger usable part. 

Cut should be undertaken smoothly, but with firm pulse, downwards, following the direction of the muscle fibres and paying attention in placing the hand which is not holding the knife behind it.

Advices for cutting the non boned ham

jamonsinhueso It is the most common way for exporting outside Spain, due mainly to the easy machine cutting. This ham is elaborated in the same way that the boned ham. However, at the end of the ripening process and before its packing, the bone has been striped of.
desgrasado  1. SKINING AND DEGREASING

If the ham is not already skinned and degreased, it is advisable to do so as a previous step to its mechanical cut. Degreasing should be superficial in such a way that there should always be a remaining bacon layer so the lean does not remain unprotected
preparacion  2. PREPARATON FOR THE CUT

Before placing the ham in the cutting machine, the piece should be divided. There are two ways to undertake the cut:

    • Longwise, from the trotter to the end, or the other way around.
    • Transversely, from the “maza” to the end (see picture).
loncheado  3. SLICENING

Before placing the piece in the cutting machine, the blade must be adjusted. Afterwards, ham should be cut trying to obtain very thin slices.

 

subir