A whole jamón Ibérico de Bellota is clearly the ultimate centerpiece for any feast. For those thinking about bringing one home for a special occasion, the holiday season, or just because, we’ve rounded up our best how-to on how to treat it once it lands on your kitchen counter.
So you purchased a whole bone-in Jamón Ibérico de Bellota from Cúrate at Home. Now what!?
First thing’s first!
- STORAGE | To properly conserve and extend the ham shelf life, store in a cool, dry place (ideally 57-64º F), and serve between 64-72º F.
- TOOLS | To carve, you will need a stand (jamonero) and jamón slicing knife (cuchillo jamonero), included in each Jamón Ibérico de Bellota purchase from Cúrate at Home, as well as a common chef’s knife or boning knife (not included):
- CARVING | Carving the jamón is an art, but don’t be intimidated – you can learn as you go! The Cinco Jotas team produced a video that’s helpful to get started.
How To Slice A Cinco Jotas Jamón Ibérico de Bellota
- If you would like, the Cúrate culinary team is happy to “clean” the jamón before delivery. This includes removing the outer layers, as shown in the video, so it is ready to slice.
- If you would like the jamón cleaned AND presented in the bag, we can wrap it very well in plastic. Once you remove the plastic for slicing, do not use the bag again, but rather keep it on the included stand.
Tips from the chef…
A few tips as you begin you begin your journey with Jamón Ibérico de Bellota:
- Jamón is a cured and aged meat product. It’s natural for your jamón to have the occasional bit of mold or crusty salt on the exterior.
- Sometime the jamón surface appears slightly iridescent – this does not impact quality.
- Trim fat as you slice, making sure to leave the beautiful white fat, as it contains tons of flavor.
- Jamón should be stored and served at room temperature or warmed as part of a dish; the texture and flavor is better when it has not been refrigerated.
- Only trim the rind on the area that you’re planning to consume, taking away too much at a time will cause drying.
- Keep the first trimmings of fat once you’re past the rind. You can keep these to layer back onto the open jamón for storage.
- Each slice should be thin enough to be almost transparent. Don’t press down, let the knife do the work..
- Try and keep the slicing surface level – avoid a u-shaped carving surface.