Whole Jamon Serrano

Jamon and paleta are both aged cuts of pork. Jamon is the rear leg and has a subtle flavor, while paleta is the front leg and has a more powerful taste.

Parts of the leg:

• MAZA: The front thigh, with beautiful marbling and nutty flavor thanks to its high fat content. 
• CONTRAMAZA: The back thigh, which produces thinner strips with a higher fat content the deeper the cut. 
• PUNTA: The upper leg, which is tender and juicy with intense flavor. 

HAM HOLDER: Supports the hind leg so the jamon can be cut. 

WIDE-BLADE KNIFE: For peeling the jamon, removing the outer fat, and reaching the corners around the bone. The blade should be wide, fairly short, and stiff.

HAM SLICING KNIFE: Slices the jamon thinly and precisely. The blade should be flexible, long, narrow, and extremely sharp.

TWEEZERS: For handling the slices delicately.

Remove packaging. Place the shoulder in the ham holder with the hoof down-sided and properly secure the shoulder to start slicing.

Remove both skin and fat with the peel knife bottom-up. The depth of the cut into the skin varies depending on the desired amount of ham to be cut and consumed.

Start the cutting from the driest part of the shoulder with a straight and flat cut. This will avoid over drying the area that’s being carved, if you don’t end up cutting the entire shoulder in one day.

We recommend starting to slice the piece from the “contramaza” part of the shoulder (narrow end) as it is the driest part. The angle of the slicer knife should be straight and flat with the edge of the knife facing towards the person cutting the slice.

Continue slicing the la punta (flank) with a straight and flat angle of the blade until touching the bone of the shoulder.

As the slicing gets closer to the bone and harder to slice, turn the piece around to continue slicing the maza (thicker end).

For the contramaza (narrow end), cut through the maza (thicker end) until removing both skin and fat. After removing the top layer, it is time to slice up with the angle of the blade being flat similar to the top part of the shoulder.

The maza (thicker end) is the widest part of the shoulder, so it will yield to bigger slices. The cut should be straight down and flat with the blade cutting slowly towards you to avoid wasting the piece.

Continue slicing the maza (thicker end) until getting to the bone. Afterwards continue to slice smaller pieces across both sides of the shoulder

Clean the meat off the bone using the slicing knife.

Enjoy your delicious shoulder!