The end of the longest holidays of the year has arrived and that not only means going back to work, but you also have to say what to do with that piece of Iberian ham bone, which has not been finished. We are going to show you how to even take advantage of the ham bone. The ham bone is no nonsense. As you know, this great product of the white or Iberian pig, outside of Spain, is a highly appreciated product, especially for chefs and stove lovers.
In this article we are going to explain how you can take advantage of that piece of Christmas ham bone that the company gifted you, the same one you proudly walked home with. Don’t tell that this year they gave you an Iberian ham, mister?
First of all, let me tell you that if your brother-in-law was quicker and you still haven’t started the Serrano ham you gifted your parents, the best option you have, if you are not very skilled with a knife, is to take it to a delicatessen. There, they will debone the ham, slice it and vacuum pack it in 100 or 200 gram sachets of Serrano ham or cut it with a knife and then vacuum pack it. Also do not forget to ask for the ham bones and the crusts, since you can take advantage of them at home in a very simple way.
If this is not your case and you have a half-eaten Serrano ham and now, after all the family and friends have left, you find yourself unable to finish it by yourself or with your family, ideally, if you have knife skill, you should spend 40 minutes on it and finish cutting all the ham to later vacuum it.
What type of ham bone to use for cooking?
In this world there are two types of people, those who throw unfinished ham in the trash or those who throw away a ham bone that looks like it was given to a hungry dog.
The ham bone that we will use to cook is that of the knuckle, located under the hoof. In this area, a lot of the ham meat accumulates, but it cannot be cut with a knife due to its own morphology. The pig is a strong and large animal, so its bones, especially those of the limbs, are also strong. It’s best to cut it with an electric saw or a kitchen axe. Logically, very few people have such kitchen utensils at home, so it is bet to go to the butcher or deli you trust and ask to have it cut. They will have it done in an instant and you will have a very good ham bone to make some exquisite dishes.
The rest of the ham bones are not worth using. If you gave not cut the serrano ham well, it is worth reviewing it with the knife, no matter if it comes out in fat chunks. For those of you who live in Spain, a Serrano ham bone can mean everything. Even so, in Gastronomic Spain we have a great variety of hams in different formats: whole, in mace and sliced.
In what Spanish recipes can we use ham bone?
The bone of the cured is used mainly for stews and soups. Covering it with water can help release all its juices and flavours. Lentils with ham, a good Madrid stew or a homemade ham broth are some recipe examples. You can remove the crust and scrape off all the ham for some croquettes or for a mince. Honestly, it’s a lot of work for what you’re going to get. Although, it is easier to remove the ham from the rest of the bones until they are bare. With that leftover ham you can make everything, from macaroni with ham ‘till a Serrana bechamel or some good fried torreznos.
If it is the first time that you are going to cut Iberian ham with a knife directly from the ham leg; And your sister, who was in charge of cutting it for the whole family, has already left; the best thing is that you debone it and remove the Iberian ham from the bone. It is not that complicated. If you follow the bone line from top to bottom, it will come off without problem. It does not matter if it is on one or two or three ham pieces.
How to take advantage of the ham bone after Christmas?
Then we are going to completely leave bare the bone, scratching any pieces of meat that we see. This chopped ham is very juicy and is ideal both for stews and to make a sauteed ham appetizer or even mixed with some broken eggs. Although it is very common to Serrano ham at Mercadona, a Spanish supermarket, don’t try to have the ham deboned or vacuum packed, since they don’t do that there. You will have to go to a butcher or to the neighbourhood delicatessen.
The pieces of ham that we have obtained can be directly vacuum packed with our domestic packaging machine or filleted with a knife on a wooden board. Now It will be much easier for you to cut the ham. Make sure to have the flattest surface facing down to prevent the ham from moving around, to use a very sharp knife and to cut the slices as thin as possible.
Don’t get complicated with the ham bone. The only ham bone of worth is the knuckle. Take it to the butcher shop and have cut into a couple of pieces with the electric slicer. In another article we will talk about ham bone recipes so that you can see how useful they are and the flavour they add to the different dishes.
If the Iberian ham was good, which it surely was, vacuum-packing it will maintain its flavour and texture. If, on the other hand, what you want is to debone a shoulder, a delicatessen might not do that unless bought there. This means that you will have to do it yourself. The shoulder bone is different from the ham bone, since they are more complicated and that is why it is unusual to cut Iberian shoulder with a knife.
If you are looking for the best ham shoulders and the cheapest spices of ham, I encourage you to visit gastronomic Spain. FREE shipping throughout Europe. Check the conditions. You are going to get an excellent Serrano ham bone from any of the pieces found in our online shop.
