Once you’ve experienced its nutty-rich fats melting onto your palate, it’s hard to say no to jamón. For serious jamón eaters who buy ham by the whole leg, here’s how to go about carving it.
Someone decided to celebrate your birthday, Christmas, and New Years all at once and you’ve got yourself a whole leg of jamón. Here’s what you need to help carve this delicately fatty meat right.
Tools
- A jamonera or a clamp fixed to a wooden stand, specifically designed to hold a leg of jamón whilst it is sliced.
- A couple of knives: a cuchillo jamonero, a long and flexible bladed knife; and a puntilla, a short knife used to remove skins, bones and fats from the ham.
Storage
Store your whole, bone-in jamón in a cool, dry and ventilated place, either resting in a jamonera or hung by the rope. Before you cut into it, your jamón will easily keep for three months. Once you’ve started carving it, it’s best to finish consuming it within a month, or it’ll lose its flavour. Use fat trimmings to cover up exposed meat to keep the ham from drying up.
Slicing
Fix the jamón onto the carving stand with the hoof facing up and away from you. Use the puntilla to make a cut about 10cm from the hoof and carve away the skin and yellow layers of fat. Leave about 5mm of fat surrounding the meat. Switching to the jamonero, slice under the meat towards the hip bone and against the grain that runs up the leg. Keeping the blade flat and parallel to the femur, saw gently. Make sure you see the blade just under the meat for paper-thin slices. Use the puntilla to cut around the hip bone. Once you’ve hit the femur, flip the leg over and repeat.
Serving
Serve freshly cut jamón as soon as possible, at room temperature. A good tip to help enjoy all the flavour from the ham is to place the slices on a warm plate.
Want to learn more about jamón carving?
Sign up for a one-day-only hands-on jamón carving experience at My Little Tapas Bar (42 Club Street) on 18 October. Master Carver David Piera Felez of 10 Vetas Iberico will be in town to dish out some nifty tips. Call 6223-8048 or email contact_us@mylittletapasbar.com.sg to reserve your spot.
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