Storing and Eating your Jamón Serrano

Some families in Spain go through a 7-kilo ham every two weeks. Most, though, have to store their ham a little bit longer than that! Here are some tips for storing and serving your Spanish ham.

	Do not refrigerate your ham! It needs to be stored at room temperature – hopefully in a cool dry place. Ideally in a temperature between 10 and 15 degrees C. To store it, hang it (without covering it) from a hook from the ceiling. A pantry is the ideal storage place for ham.
	If a mold forms on the joint, don’t worry. It’s quite normal. Remove it by washing with hot water.
	Never slice ham with a knife that has a serrated edge.
	When you’re ready to serve your ham, don’t cut it in chunks, but instead, in paper-thin slices. (You should be able to see the knife through the ham; it’s that transparent.) Slice just before serving.. moments before, not minutes or hours! Keep in mind that one kilo (2.2 lbs.) of ham should give you approximately 100 slices of ham (yes, it’s that thinly sliced!).
	If you eat the ham daily, cover the cut part with a dry cloth.
	If you don’t eat the ham daily and need to store it for some time, cover the cut part with a layer of fat (saved from the ham) or some olive oil. Then put on transparent paper or aluminum foil.
	If you haven’t eaten the ham for quite some time, it’s wise to discard the first slice.
	For a delicious treat, serve your sliced ham on warm plates.
	You can probably store your ham for approximately 1 year – if stored in the conditioned we mentioned above.
	If your ham is getting tough, you can cut it in chunks and add it to a variety of dishes, soups, broth, and even gazpacho (the Spaniards call this salmorejo). Add chunks to salads or sauté it with veggies. Spice up your eggs with fried chunks of the flavorful ham. There are so many ways to incorporate ham into your daily diet!

“Buen provecho!”