Cutting a ham is not as simple as taking a knife and making any cut. Rather, it is an action in which you have to pay attention to the smallest detail. It can even be considered an
Índice
- What you need before you start cutting
- What you should know to cut ham
- Steps to cut ham
- The trick for impeccable slices
Cutting a ham is not as simple as taking a knife and making any cut. Rather, it is an action in which you have to pay attention to the smallest detail. It can even be considered an art. To savor and enjoy it, you have to know how to cut a ham step by step.
In Your Spanish Shop we teach you in this post how to do it so that you can take advantage of all the qualities of its flavor. You just have to have a quality product. In our store, you can find a wide catalog to buy ham online. Pay attention to your taste and start cutting!
What you need before you start cutting
Regardless of whether you need to cut an Iberian, acorn-fed, or serrano ham, you need to have certain tools at home to slice the ham as it should be. These are:
* A ham holder
* A well-sharpened ham knife.
* Boning knife or lace.
* Grinder.
* A tweezers or a fork to remove the cuts.
What you should know to cut ham
To start cutting ham, the first thing you have to do is place the piece perfectly in the ham holder. There are two ways, with the hoof up, whereby the cut begins in the area of the mace, or with the hoof down, which is known as a stifle. Either way is effective to appreciate its flavor.
Rather, the placement of the piece will depend on the taste of each one. For example, in restaurants they are usually placed with the hoof upwards to serve the area of the mace, which is the most tender meat of the ham, leaving the rib for last. As a tip to cut it at home, if you are two or three people, it is best to do it for the mace that has the juiciest meat. But if there are more of you, you can start with the stifle, preventing it from over-curing, and leave the mace to enjoy the meat from start to finish.
Now, it's time to open the ham. To do this, it has a well-sharpened ham knife and another with a wide blade to remove the rind, which you can discard because it no longer fulfills its function.
With a ham knife in hand, you will have to laminate little by little in a horizontal position, starting with the area closest to the hoof and ending with the area closest to you. It is important that you place your free hand behind the knife to avoid possible cuts.
Steps to cut ham
1.- Once the ham is placed and you have verified that it is completely attached to the ham holder, you have to look for a small protuberance known as the “hock”. Below this, make the first cut in the upper part of the cane, with the knife inclined, a deep cut and perpendicular to the leg. And below that cut, a few fingers away, make another wedge-shaped cut to remove the tendons and fat that accumulates.
2.- The next step is debarking. The rind and yellow fat are removed slowly, removing only the part you intended to cut so that the piece does not dry out and the meat remains tender.
3.- It is time to cut the ham into slices. Following the direction marked by the palette, slide the ham knife from the hoof to the tip of the ham.
4.- When making the cuts, you will run into the hip bone. In this case, you have to delicately surround it with a very sharp knife and, if possible, a specific one for boning. In fact, it is advisable to mark the bones that you find with the knife, so that you can easily remove the slices when you reach the area closest to the bone. In this way, you manage to maintain the horizontal cut and obtain a greater yield from the ham. And as you progress with the cuts, you have to make sure that you leave the areas clean of bacon and rind so that the highest quality of the ham is maintained.
5.- In the case of coming across the fibula bone and the ball of the femur, to treat this area correctly, the best way is to make a step-shaped cut, leaving a mark on the ham one finger from the bone. Use the stepped cut only in this area, since the side of the club and the hip must be kept with the horizontal cut.
6.- When you finish cutting the part of the mace, turn the ham over and start with the stifle. In this you will find the bone of the patella and the stifle, which you also have to surround carefully. After surrounding them, cut the ham into thin slices.
7.- And if you want to take full advantage of the ham, when you can no longer cut the slices, make cubes with the meat that is more difficult to slice. In this way, you enjoy the flavor of the meat from start to finish. And even more so if you use this cut for incredible recipes or for the faithful snack, which never fails, with some good Spanish sausages.
The trick for impeccable slices
Cutting ham is a painstaking task. It is even considered a discipline and there are competitions for ham cutters. Therefore, getting the perfect slices can be a little more difficult than you imagined. But not impossible, because, like everything in this life, there are some tricks that help you get what you want and, moreover, in a fairly simple way. Information is power.
And what is the trick for perfect slices of ham? Well, according to expert ham cutters, the key is to let the knife be seen behind the blade, feel the blade while you are making the cut. Thus, you get enough thickness to fully appreciate its flavor, but it is thin enough so that the oil melts in the mouth when it comes into contact with the heat of the palate. And there you have it, the most pleasant moment of knowing how to cut a good ham.
At this point, we know that your mouth is watering, and so are we. Therefore, do not wait any longer, you now know how to cut a good ham step by step and all you have to do is enjoy it as you deserve. Visit our online store to choose the product that you like the most and surrender to the pleasure of eating ham.