How to cut ham
With the arrival of the ham (we are going to invoke that Iberian or, failing that, Iberian shoulder), we face this great problem every year: how do you cut a ham? And a palette? We spoke with a ham speaker, a master cutter, a Golden Knife, an internationally known champion of Spain and with two Guinness (the last awarded in Japan) under his arm, who has cut ham for kings and other celebrities: Nico Jimenez.
We spoke with him during one of the events that commemorates the fifth anniversary of the International School of Hospitality and Tourism, Vatel Spain, where he participates. Nico Jiménez (Extreme from Mérida, how could it be otherwise) he has been cutting ham all his life and, among the merits that he treasures, is that of getting a second Guinness award before an audience of more than 40 million Japanese people who watched it on television. What did he do? He managed to cut a slice of 13.35 meters without interruptions in continuity (eye, it took him an hour and a half very concentrated).
Nico Jiménez in full swing
Nico has witnessed great atrocities committed against this product , sometimes discredited by North Americans, Japanese or Chinese, partly because they do not know how to handle a leg of Iberian ham: “The perfect slice must be 4 centimeters long and almost transparent” , explains Nico, determined to spread a certain world-wide ham culture so that everyone can enjoy a product very much from his land.
Although it must be recognized that we all have friends who stab the ham or the shoulder instead of cutting it, this teacher has seen horrible things, especially outside our borders. "It happens, especially in the United States, for whom the leg of ham is a dead bug," he says. " In Los Angeles I witnessed how they put ketchup and mustard on slices and in China, more than one has asked me how this animal was cooked”.
Ham cutters, artists on the rise
But thanks to ham speakers like him, the ham culture is finally taking hold. It is being understood that to enjoy this natural and healthy product where it exists, you have to know how to handle it **(the cut is essential to enjoy it 100%) **. So for those of us who every year stab the ham or shoulder, it is dedicated this essential guide:
1) CHOOSE A GOOD PRODUCT (IF WE DO NOT ENJOY A HAM BASKET):
That the cane is as thin as possible (sign of purity). That they have rounded hooves (if they are long nails it is a sign that they do not walk in the field). That the leg is elongated and stylized (also a sign of purity). That the bacon cover is so unctuous and gelatinous that it melts when touched with the fingers.
2) BEFORE YOU BEGIN...
It is convenient to have a bit of ham culture. Who is the Iberian pig? It is necessary to review the anatomy of the ham –and its bones– so that we better understand the cut. If we want to be master ham makers you will have to delve into the world of the 7 hidden tastes of ham or take a course with Nico Jiménez, for example.
3) HAVE A GOOD TOOL:
Essential: a ham knife (**30 centimeters with a flexible blade) **, a ham holder and a shorter knife to make deep incisions.
Live!
4) TO THE POINT: THIS IS HOW YOU HAVE TO CUT IT
- Ham or shoulder?
The first is the back leg of the Iberian pig, and the second, the front leg (for those who had not noticed). The only difference in the cut is the bone, but the technique to be used is the same.
Placement in the ham holder:
If you are going to consume it little by little, better to start with the driest part, the babilla or contramaza , and thus you will prevent it from being dry for future tapas. This position is with the hoof down in the ham holder. But if, on the contrary, you are going to get lukewarm or those friends have come to call the Iberian ham, begin to cut it by the mace (the top of the ham with more meat) and the position will be with the hoof up . Either one will not affect the cutting method.
Nico Jiménez, winning the Guinness
Paw cleaning or peeling:
Make a deep cut perpendicular to the bone at the height of the shank to clean it. Remove the rind and the rancid yellow part of the bacon so there is no bitter taste in your cut (as the ham goes down in horizontal planes, you will have to clean the sides of the rind and yellow bacon so that the bitter taste does not sneak in) . Then make an incision at the end of the hock, where the meatiest part begins and the bone ends. This incision is made so that, when cutting the slices, they come out clean and it is easier. Be careful not to over-clean the fat and rind of the ham that protects it, if not, it will be consumed whole this day. Remember to reserve some slices of bacon that will help you preserve the ham by putting them on top of it before covering it with a cloth on top.
to the mess:
The cut should be as straight as possible . A perfect slice must combine the different tastes of the ham (including bacon). It will be the width of the ham (so that it carries all the flavors) and 4 centimeters long. Thickness? The minimum, as transparent as possible, and only a layer of slices and with the bacon facing the center (so the diner will get less dirty hands with bacon fat).
Note that the slices will stick to the plate (unmistakable sign that it is Iberian ham). Avoid cutting with your hand in the air (that is, the left hand must always be supported on the hip of the ham to transmit force to the right hand that carries the knife). The force used in the right hand is very similar to that printed playing tennis. The movement of the knife for cutting is zig zag and parallel to the surface. The left hand should always be out of the way of the knife (if you estimate your fingers).
The Paradise
The ham goes down flat... and oh!... the bone!
When we get to the femur, don't let the cunic panda: l and we turn the ham . With a wide-blade knife if we have one, we make a deep cut in the cane. We remove the rind and the yellowish bacon and begin again to cut slices the width of the surface. Again another bone appears, this time the hip bone. A cut is made around it with a short knife, in the style of a lace, in order to separate it from the ham to cut the clean slices and we continue cutting horizontally. The parts closest to the bone, we will make better use of them if we cut them into small blocks that can be used for broths and delicious stews (just like the bones). If you have more questions, there are dozens of video tutorials on the web to cut it step by step.
The perfect slice has to be 4 centimeters long