How to cut a ham

You will need a cutting board and two types of knives: one long and with a narrow and flexible blade, like a ham knife, which will be used to cut the ham, and another with a wide and shorter blade, like a machete, which will be used to clean the ham. the ham.

Step 1

Properly place the piece in the ham holder; The only condition that this gadget must have is that it provides good fixation and comfort to the cutter.

Step 2

PEELING: consists of removing part of the bacon cover, skin and crust formed by molds and natural exudates from the process from the ham.

drying and maturation. It begins with a cut perpendicular to the leg and circular at the height of the cortex (4), then tangential cuts will be made on both sides. If the ham is going to be consumed in a short time, it will be peeled whole.

Step 3

If it is going to be consumed quickly, or you want a more attractive cut, start the piece with the main part (a), which is juicier and more infiltrated. For even slower consumption, it is advisable to start with the stifle area (B), to prevent it from becoming excessively dry in the end.

For cutting, a “ham knife” with a narrow, long and flexible blade is used. For peeling and auxiliary cuts (5) and (6), another knife with a shorter, more rigid blade is used.

Step 4

CUTS will always be parallel to each other, following the lines marked with arrows in the figure, always leaving a flat surface in sight, without grooves.

THE SLICES must be very thin, almost transparent, they will cover the width of the piece and will not be longer than 6 or 7 cm. When cutting the main package (hoof upwards) it is advisable to combine slices from the central area (A), the tip (C) and the hock (D) in each serving; The cut of this main package requires auxiliary cuts (5) and (6), the first to finish the piece well towards the knuckle and the second, which will be made with the tip of the auxiliary knife, to remove the coxal bone. On the plate, the slices are arranged in a single layer, perhaps with a slight overlap between them.

Step 5

Finally, the meat close to the bones, which cannot be cut into slices, but rather into strips and irregular pieces, are an excellent complement to numerous dishes or stews, and even to be consumed in small cubes. The bones, cut with a saw into 10 to 12 cm pieces, will be used to make exquisite broths.