Jamon Iberico - buying a whole one

[omniflow]

I am seriously contemplating buying a whole Iberico ham to be consumed over the Xmas period, but the range of options (and prices) is pretty staggering.

The variables I've managed to identify are:

Leg or Shoulder - easy one - it needs to be a leg
Breed - 100% Iberico, 50% Iberico or 75% Iberico - this makes a big difference to price and I'm leaning towards 50%

The other variables appear to be brand / producer and age - these I have absolutely zero idea about.

I have acquired a suitable knife, but practice will be required. I am quite happy to eat the evidence of my early efforts. From what I've read, once you start on a leg you've got about 6 weeks to use it before it will be too dried out. I think I can make that work.

Has anyone done this?

[QuartzDad]

Out of interest how much is a 50% roughly? The only one I've ever seen is this - love their food hall.

https://www.houseofbruar.com/iberico-ham-whole-6kg...

[fat80b]

omniflow said:

I have acquired a suitable knife, but practice will be required. I am quite happy to eat the evidence of my early efforts. From what I've read, once you start on a leg you've got about 6 weeks to use it before it will be too dried out. I think I can make that work.

Has anyone done this?

Yes - A couple of times - I had a cheap one form amazon first time round which was OK and the last one I ordered came from jamon.co.uk - It was £140 and certainly looked the part - Not sure if I can say it was "worth it" but I personally like having one in the house over Christmas etc.

I keep all the fatty bits for cooking, and used a slice of the fat to "protect" the cut area while it's out and it easily lasts 6 weeks.

Once it gets too hard, then you can hack it into pieces and use the remnants for cooking - Carbonara etc.

[Fitz666]

We used to do this every year, until we got a dog, it drove him mad with it in the kitchen. The difference it a bit like whisky, all depends on your palate how expensive you go. We too have had the Aldi one and it was really good. Well worth getting one as a starting point. To make it festive we put some tinsel around the hoof.

[fourstardan]

I can't say I'd want the aggro of this, Lidl the best supermarket option.

Or find an artisan place online?

Also don't you need the stand?

[Fitz666]

Ours came with the stand. It is very basic but functional

[Zolvaro]

I've done it and to be honest you get really bored of it after a couple of weeks and it becomes a chore to eat it!

[MarkJS]

https://www.ibericafood.com/shop/488-iberico-cebo-...

[omniflow]

nuyorican said:

I’m sure we had one from Lidl one year. Must’ve been at least ten years ago now though.

Edit: found a photo online. Is this what you mean? Seem to remember it being about £30.

Edited by nuyorican on Wednesday 10th July 09:29

Nope - that's not what I mean at all - that's a Serrano ham - nowhere close to Iberico

[omniflow]

QuartzDad said:

Out of interest how much is a 50% roughly? The only one I've ever seen is this - love their food hall.

https://www.houseofbruar.com/iberico-ham-whole-6kg...

From what I've managed to work out, 50% is roughly 1/2 the price of the 100%

[Djtemeka]

Zolvaro said:

I've done it and to be honest you get really bored of it after a couple of weeks and it becomes a chore to eat it!

Yup! Also, I get the smaller 2kg one now as the larger full legs Lidl used to do would last too long. I’d end up throwing a lot away

[omniflow]

fourstardan said:

I can't say I'd want the aggro of this, Lidl the best supermarket option.

Or find an artisan place online?

Also don't you need the stand?

Is that a recommendation based on your experience?

BTW - the stand is very cheap - although expensive ones are available.

[omniflow]

MarkJS said:

https://www.ibericafood.com/shop/488-iberico-cebo-...

That one's shoulder - i.e. front leg. I want a ham, which is the back leg.

I have just come across one more distinction - Cebo vs. Cebo de Campo. Cebo de Campo looks like the equivalent of "Free Range", or possibly even "Organic Free Range".

[MisanoPayments]

The trouble I have with having any ham, Serrano or Iberico, is that when stood there carving it, only one in five slices end up on the plate as opposed to in my mouth.

Tricky!

[MarkJS]

omniflow said:

MarkJS said:

https://www.ibericafood.com/shop/488-iberico-cebo-...

That one's shoulder - i.e. front leg. I want a ham, which is the back leg.

I have just come across one more distinction - Cebo vs. Cebo de Campo. Cebo de Campo looks like the equivalent of "Free Range", or possibly even "Organic Free Range".

Beg your pardon. From the same supplier:

https://www.ibericafood.com/shop/487-50-iberico-ha...

[omniflow]

nuyorican said:

omniflow said:

Nope - that's not what I mean at all - that's a Serrano ham - nowhere close to Iberico

Profoundly sorry. What a damned fool I was for getting my hams mixed up whilst attempting to help a person on the internet. And in the process, wasting your precious ham-sourcing (Iberico) time by having to type out a pompous correction.

But I’ve learned something new today. I’ve seen these legs/hams on bars in Spain over the years and assumed they were all the same. What an absolute fking idiot I have been all these years. Unforgivable really.

Apologies, I thought I was posting in the Food and Drink sub-forum where I had assumed people would have a certain level of interest in the topic of food and drink. It would appear not.

[Arkose]

Zolvaro said:

... bored of it after a couple of weeks...

[isaldiri]

omniflow said:

I am seriously contemplating buying a whole Iberico ham to be consumed over the Xmas period, but the range of options (and prices) is pretty staggering.

The variables I've managed to identify are:

Leg or Shoulder - easy one - it needs to be a leg
Breed - 100% Iberico, 50% Iberico or 75% Iberico - this makes a big difference to price and I'm leaning towards 50%

The other variables appear to be brand / producer and age - these I have absolutely zero idea about.

I have acquired a suitable knife, but practice will be required. I am quite happy to eat the evidence of my early efforts. From what I've read, once you start on a leg you've got about 6 weeks to use it before it will be too dried out. I think I can make that work.

Has anyone done this?

I wouldn't discount the paleta tbh as it's usually much smaller so unless you think you'd be eating a heap, it's got most of the flavour of the jamon and a decent clip cheaper. it is missing somewhat on the texture being less fine and probably more difficult to cut clean slices (depending on how handy you are with a knife tbh) tbf but I'd for example get a 'better' quality paleta over a 'lesser' jamon fwiw personally.

It should last longer than 6 weeks as well tbh I'd reckon if you are able to keep it properly (again why I've favoured the smaller shoulder). There's quite a lot of subtle differences in reions/brands tbh so that's kind of something you'd have to figure out for yourself which you prefer - my go to has been one of the DO Guijuelo ones typically which tends to be 75%-100% iberico. While a little bit more than some of the raza 50% iberico ones, if buying the whole thing it's a lot less than the small packs anyway so reckon I can treat myself for that... Enjoy anyway, it's mostly all rather damned nice anyway!

[21TonyK]

Arkose said:

Zolvaro said:

... bored of it after a couple of weeks...

Seriously. After god knows how many legs coming back every year I just gave up. Half gets eaten. Some gets hacked up and put in other dishes and long before you have used anywhere near all of it you make the excuse of using the bone with the remaining third still on it.

[JKRolling]

I’ve used this company before and they have been excellent. Never bought a leg though.

https://theblackhoof.co.uk/product/8-kg-free-range...

This company was also excellent. I’ve only purchased packs of pre sliced from both (plus other bits).

https://www.bascofinefoods.com/buy-spanish-foods/i...

Edited by JKRolling on Wednesday 10th July 18:43