What is Serrano ham?
Serrano ham is one of the most popular and loved Spanish foods all over the world. It is possibly the Spanish product most loved by Spaniards living outside Europe and the most coveted by foreigners visiting Spain.
The main characteristic of Serrano ham, as opposed to Iberian ham, is the breed of pig and its maturation. Serrano ham is characterised by the fact that it is made from the leg of a domestic white pig. In other words, all hams that do not belong to the Iberian breed and have undergone the typical natural curing process that characterises it are considered Serrano hams. The properties and peculiarities of Serrano ham depend mainly on the breed of pig, the feeding, breeding and curing of the animal.
Types of Serrano ham legs that you can buy in our shop
Sale of Spanish Serrano hams with free shipping all over Europe. White pork hams from different regions of Spain. We present them in different formats: Whole leg, cubes, boneless and sliced.
For Serrano ham lovers, one of the greatest pleasures is to have a leg of Serrano ham in one piece in the kitchen and to cut it at any time of the day.
Cutting ham with a knife is an art and it takes knowledge and experience to cut ham with a knife like a true professional. Not all consumers need to buy a whole leg of Serrano ham in the kitchen. However, apart from finding a wide variety of Serrano ham legs, we offer the same hams in other formats, adapted to the needs of each consumer. In this way, you can also find: Serrano ham cubes, diced ham and sliced by machine and knife.
Buying Serrano ham according to the breed of pig
Unlike Iberian ham, different breeds and crossbreeds of pig are used in the production of Serrano ham. These breeds are used on the basis of their ease of reproduction, fattening and breeding and their ability to adapt to the climatic conditions of the Iberian Peninsula. The most common breeds of pig used in the production of Serrano ham are: Duroc, Landrace and Large White.
Duroc Serrano ham
Of all the pig breeds, the Duroc breed is the most widely used for the production of high quality white ham. It is also the breed of pig with which the Iberian pig is crossed.
The main characteristics of this animal are: It is a breed originating in the USA and is obtained by crossing Old Duroc and Red Jersey pigs. This breed is characterised by the fact that it has a good infiltration of fat, which produces the marbling. This improves the flavour and quality of the ham as it becomes juicier and more tender.
It is a robust, large pig and has a rapid proliferation.
Serrano ham from Landrace pigs
Landrace pigs are considered a perfect maternal breed because of their gentle and docile nature. They also give more milk than other breeds and are therefore very popular as mother sows.
Serrano ham from Large white pigs
This Large white breed of pig is the preferred breed for the production of Teruel ham. Originally from the UK, it is very similar to the local variety. Both in the degree of growth and fat content of the ham and in the nature of the pigs.
Buy Serrano ham according to its curing process
The curing of Serrano ham is determined by the size of the leg and the percentage of fat it contains. In general, Serrano hams are genetically less fatty than Iberian hams.
Curing must be natural, respecting the time for salting, curing and drying. For this reason, we can classify Serrano hams according to their type of curing:
Bodega Serrano ham
Bodega serrano hams are those that have been cured for at least 9 months. Of all the Serrano hams, this is the one with the shortest curing period.
Reserve ham
The reserve ham is the one that has been cured for at least 12 months.
Gran Reserva Serrano ham
The Gran Reserva ham is the most cured Serrano ham, it is cured for at least 16 months and for this type of ham the best hind legs of the best breed, usually the Duroc breed, are usually used.
It is also the ham that is usually certified, due to its quality.
Buying Serrano ham according to its designation of origin
The care, affection, tradition, dedication and quality with which Serrano ham is produced in certain regions of Spain has led these artisans to group together to create their own designations of origin.
When it comes to Serrano ham, there are two designations of origin that stand out for the quality of the product they produce and the good brand image they have created over the years. These designations of origin are: Jamón de Teruel and Jamón de Trévelez (Granada).
The designation of origin that has been created in these two regions has the objective of guaranteeing minimum quality standards, promoting the brand and certifying that the product is covered by the designation of origin.
For this reason, Teruel ham and Trévelez ham are the only hams certified by means of a white seal or vitola (similar to the white label of Iberian ham, but clearly indicating that it is a ham from a white pig).
Where to buy Serrano ham online?
It is true that you can find Serrano ham outside Spain, but experience has shown that the Serrano ham you will find in these supermarkets is of poor quality.
Most of the time, the Serrano ham is already vacuum-packed, it is very poorly cured and is sliced so thinly by machine that you can't use a whole slice. In Gastronomic Spain you will find more than 60 different types of ham of the best quality and with FREE shipping throughout Europe.
In our online Serrano ham shop you will find the largest selection and all types of Serrano ham: whole ham, boneless ham, ham in piece format and all types of machine and knife vacuum cut.
When you think of Spanish food, the first thing that probably comes to mind is Serrano ham. If you are looking for a cheap Serrano ham, Gastronomic Spain has a wide variety of cured, Iberian and Serrano hams at an incredible price.
We also offer you a wide range of ham holders and knives to cut ham so that you can enjoy ham like a real gourmet.
Spanish Serrano ham brands
There are big brands of Serrano ham, which produce this product on a large scale, such as El Pozo hams. However, at Gastronomic Spain we are committed to local ham dryers, specialised in producing, with care, hams of the best quality.
For this reason, although we offer well-known brands such as el Pozo hams, we are committed to offering Spanish brands of Serrano ham from companies such as: Jamones Carbó, Jamones Eresma, Jamones Nieto Martín and Jamones Don Jate. These brands of Jamón Serrano are very well known in the regions, they offer hams with an optimal curing and from pigs of the best breeds.
What to accompany Serrano ham with?
