I'm going to start with the biggest question when placing a ham and the easiest to solve: Is the hoof up or down? Well, it will surprise you, and you will never forget again from today, in what position you should place the Serrano ham.
If you are going to consume it very quickly, in a matter of a day, either because it is a celebration, or in a few days because at home you are inveterate addicts to eating ham, it will not matter where you start it, unless You want to start, by whim, to do it with the most tender and juicy part, the MAZA, or with the most cured and hard, the BABILLA.
How to place the ham in the ham holder
The image says it all. Although the photo is of an Iberico Ham, you can distinguish it by the black hoof (although there are pigs with a white coat that also have it), but above all by the stylized aspect of the piece; Its cane is much finer and the cut in V, unlike many Serrano hams that are more rounded and thicker cane.
If you are going to take a considerable time, a week or weeks, I recommend that you start with the stifle, the driest part, since if you do it the other way around, you run the risk that in those weeks that area will even dry out more.
Apart from the image, remembering which area each one is is very simple: Always remember the hoof; if I put it downwards, the ham shows the stifle or counter, which is narrower and drier, but not of worse quality, but usually has more subtle aromas. If I put it upwards, eg ham shows the mace, part with more fat and therefore more unctuous and with greater flavor power.
How to start carving the Spanish Ham.
Once you have decided in which position you are going to put the ham, the next thing is, with a good sharp knife with a wide blade, remove layers of fat from the flat part. If you are inexperienced, go slowly, I know of more than one who has taken half a ham in that maneuver. Then make a slight diagonal cut at the angle towards the hoof on the hock so that it looks like a wedge. Also superficially clean the fat from the ham and the crust from the sides to the level that you think you are going to consume. Now you just have to take a ham knife and start eating as if there were no tomorrow.
In the next photo you can see the cut diagonally to the bone in the hock as I mentioned before.
Next Steps
The ham knife must be very sharp so that it slides well over the ham and does not break the meat or make slices too thick when squeezing; in fact, you don't have to do almost any force, just slide it. The knife must always be flat, almost horizontal to the ham.
The hams and shoulders that you can buy at the Jamón Pasión store are so juicy that they cut themselves.
You should always cut from the hoof to the tip, except in the highest part, which you should do to the hoof, having as a stop that wedge that you made at the beginning in the hock. There the slices will be super small, bite-sized, but it is an excellent part. Never cut only the central part, which then happens what happens: those hams that look like a boat to a crescent moon. A lot of ham is wasted like this, since afterwards it is impossible to handle the knife well between those curves.
Then you will cut the tip, a very juicy area of the ham with a lot of fat infiltration. It is the area that I like the most; what a pity that there are not, as in the loaves of bread, two ends. As you can see in the photo, it is an oblique cut down and starts right where the hip bone appears.
The "Babilla"
You will almost always make this cut at home, which is where hams take the longest to consume. Do the same maneuver: Make a cut in the shank, peel and clean the superficial rancid fat. Broadly, it follows the same guidelines as in the Mace.
This area is the narrowest, the most cured (having less meat, it is cured earlier), and therefore, with less flavor power, since it does not have as much fat. It is worse? NO! My brother has been crazy about it since we were little. They are simply taste preferences.
Now you only have the cane and the hock, which are the leanest, hardest and most cured parts of the ham. Those parts are often used to make tacos. so put the ham knife aside and stick the wide blade knife in to cut good tacos and then make small cubes.
To Finish
to buy a Serrano Ham, buy an Iberico Ham or buy Cheap Spanish Ham: they are all cut the same. In the following article I will talk to you about how to cut a shoulder, since it is a little more difficult due to its anatomy; And to make matters worse, we have less meat, so we have to make good use of it.
I wait for you in our online spanish ham store. You can call me on the phone whenever you want or talk to me through the live chat we have on the web. For my team and me, it is a pleasure to be able to solve all your doubts and guide you in the process of choosing a ham or shoulder.
Good end of week!