Jamón ibérico / serrano: how to buy, carve and serve it

Jamón is not cooked - it is cured for between 12 and 48 months - so this recipe is really a serving guide, because most of what makes it sublime happens at the deli counter and on the carving board.

Ingredients

• Jamón serrano: the everyday ham, from white pigs, cured 12-18 months
• Jamón ibérico de cebo: from ibérico pigs, cured 24-36 months
• Jamón ibérico de bellota: acorn-fed, cured 36-48 months - the summit, with fat that melts at room temperature
• A sharp, long, flexible ham knife (jamonero) and a ham stand if buying a whole leg

Method

1. Buying sliced: ask for it cut to order, not pre-packed. Machine-sliced packs are fine for cooking; hand-cut is what you want for eating as is.
2. Serving temperature matters more than anything: take it out of the fridge 30-45 minutes before eating so the fat softens and the aroma opens up.
3. On a whole leg: start on the maza (the widest part) with the hoof pointing up, slice thin, almost translucent pieces the size of a credit card, mixing lean meat with a little fat in each serving.
4. Plate it in a single loose layer on a warm plate. Bread, tomato bread or picos on the side; never straight from the fridge onto cold ceramic.

Tips

• Pair with fino or manzanilla sherry, cava or a young red - never anything oaky or sweet.
• Leftover slices going dry? Revive them on warm pan con tomate or draped over fried eggs (huevos rotos).