In more than one occasion, it could be Christmas, a birthday or an important event, we have found ourselves in front of a ham and will have said: How it has to be cut? The truth is that it is not a question only of one thing, there are several aspects that must be considered.

We have often heard that for a perfect slice, ham has to be cut with a knife, not with the usual machines that we can find in any deli. They say that if we cut it with a knife is the way that a more optimal qualities are obtained. Some people go further and say that the ham which is cut with a machine can even lose some properties, such as the aroma.

Apart from this, we must also remember that it is not just as “presentable” to serve the ham already cut , to your guests will see how you cut it and serve it in detail. This option is more recurrent in celebrations such as at weddings, communions etc where there is always a person in charge to cut the ham in view of all the guests. This, apart from professional, gives it a special touch and taste to the ham and to the time in which you are enjoying it. In this situation you eat ham no matter if you are hungry or not…

And well, really getting stuck in, we will see in a general way what we need and what aspects we must consider about to make a cut ham as professional as possible. The basic tools would be a ham-cutting knife and a ham support, which becomes the ideal place to put our ham. To this, we should also add a sharpener because it is the most practical way to sharpen the knife quickly , easily and securely . If we still want to add a professional touch , also we use a tea towel that serves to cover the ham and clamps that allow us to serve ham cleanly and suitable.

And now , let’s see , a roughly , the task of cutting ham. First we will place the ham in the ham support, at a height and position that is comfortable to us. Some professionals advise that if you are going to consume ham 1 or 2 days, start cutting the ham for the main area (also known as mace ) . If you are going to consume it later, then we will begin in the area of the stifle.

After placing the ham, we will peel the outer skin by removing fat until we find the meat. If the ham is consumed all at once we can peel the whole ham and if not, then we will be stripping it as we go consuming .

Once peeled ham, we begin to cut it into thin slices but not excessively long . The cuts should always be parallel and in the opposite direction to the hoof. Skin and fat from the edges have to go too slowly withdrawing. When we reach the hip bone, it is advisable to make a cut around the bone so that the slices always come out clean in that area. Some people also advise that meat that is closest to the bones must be cut having shape of cubes.

And when there is no meat in the main area? So we turn the ham in a way that the hoof is looking down. After this process, seemingly simple, we will have made a ham cut as “professional as possible” ( we say as professional as possible , because in this area there are master professional ham cutters, such as brothers Lazaro Fernandez) . Apart from that , what we do wrong  can be corrected with practice …