Meaning, if you like jamón that is, do you buy a whole leg or shoulder, do you buy only ready sliced as and when you want it, do you buy portions and slice it up yourself. I have not yet made the jump to buying a whole jamón but was tempted the other day with a whole leg at about € 150 together with a bunch of freebies including half a cured lomo, a chorizo and salchichon said to be worth nearly € 50 as a gift. That was an offer in El Corté but as I have tried a few different portions and seek out the special reserve if and when it is stocked, a whole leg is a large chunk of meat if it is only mediocre quality. Looking at the jamones on sale behind the counter they varied from 25 odd euros to 150 odd euros per kilo for the 5J jabugo jamón. Unfortunately the deli seems to sell by the brand name and the portions are sold by their category of serrano or reserva or special reserva so it is rather difficult to compare.

Something else I discovered is when you get the jamón portions and slice your way through the softer side, you are left with a hard piece at the end which will rehydrate if cubed and put in water in the fridge for a few days.

Ive never had the bottle to buy a whole leg either ,mainly because I was told you need to eat it in 10-14 days Theres only 2 1/2 in our house so thats a lot of jamon per day!!

Rgds

Rotor

No, it keeps for ages just hanging up. You need to keep the flies off and maybe throw away the first cut. A good tip is to take the first layer of fat off in one piece and stick that back onto the cut flesh when you hang it up. You could put it in the fridge but the "Jamon PC brigade" will be after you!

It's lovely stuff but the good stuff is so expensive you need to be very sure you like it before you buy a whole leg. You could always try a shoulder - that's smaller and cheaper.

I was given a very good shoulder for a charity buffet/paella party I was doing for 50 people. I was amazed how much fat it had on it (you are supposed to eat that!) and how difficult it was to remove the really hard skin before you could get a knife to it. Luckily I found a You Tube video of how to do it so it worked out OK.

I find the cheap packet stuff a bit bland but it's hardly surprising when you look at the price compared to the "proper" ones. Probably the best way of buying it is to find a small specialist shop (or market stall) who have a decent range and buy maybe only 50gm to try it.

Although very different, I did find a pack of Bavarian smoked ham in Lidl for the same price as their cheap Jamon. If you like a smoky taste then try that. It certainly makes a change.

Don't forget you poor folks can order the front leg of the piggy While ham is the hind leg of the pig, paletilla is the front leg. In other words… it’s not correct to say ham to a paletilla. Nevertheless, a paletilla can have an excellent taste and the same processes of ham-making apply. The difference? A paletilla is smaller and has more fat, therefore it’s cheaper. If you can’t afford a Jamón Iberico de Bellota, ask for a Paletilla Iberica de Bellota! Whilst on the subject of piggy I furnished Mucky Donna with my presence this morning, I always use the meat counter not the off the shelf packet stuff . I got a kilo of fantastic back bacon for just under five euros and Pure Irish cheddar medio kilo for Four Euros Fifty Cents. Now that's good value and great taste. I will not be attending for the rest of August too many French/German Tourists. Not a lot of Brits about I am pleased to say. I think they are all heading Mitzys way


If you would like a pen picture of the wonderful world of hams click below.




http://www.jamon.com/iberico.html

I don't know which is worse... the thought of you shopping in Mercadona, or that jamon has its own web site!!

If you dont know how to cut the ham properly there will be so much waste that is will not be worth it. Also if it is cut badly you will not be able to chew certain bits. I have had some of these bad cuts in the past and it is like eating your own wellies. We stick to the nice thin slices off the meat counter.

Carving a jamon is not a concern, the time it would take for us to get through it is. I learned to carve as a sous-chef nearly 40 yrs ago. Smoked salmon almost transparent slice by gorgeous slice. I suppose the only way is to have a few hundred grams carved off the deli of the same jamon you would choose to buy. I was also told to lay the fat back on the cut meat and then cover with a towel to keep it "fresh".

they closed the deli counter in one of ours (we have 2 in town) a few weeks ago! It's the branch most used by tourists, so perhaps it's a summer thing - but they didn't do it in previous years.
I have heard rumours that they are planning to close all of the deli coounters.........and the fresh fish counters

how can they tell you 10 to 14 days.After they dig it up they hang it in the open for a few years.I know people who belive that with cheese and even frow it away after a week.I think its all sell by date brain washing.

I do all the shopping re food in our family I love the different food shops and market stalls if it doesn't sell Mulberry/Todd handbags Mrs P is not interested.
I always round my shopping adventure off with a nice coffee brandy and a nice cigar.I don't know the area of Spain you live but if the Non Spanish are buying pre packed from the shelves maybe in those outlets they may be little point in keeping a freezer/cooler dept at the back of store to maintain the Deli/Fish Counter. I know here in my part of Catalonia the women would be up in arms if their fish and fresh meats were taken away. I love the big indoor markets in Tortosa and Amposta they always make me smile as I walk in and I think yes this is one of the reasons I came here. The hanging Hams just add to the ambiance of the place........................ Notice how I slipped back onto thread there

they closed the fresh meat counters a couple of years ago, and it's all pre-packed now

I can't imagine they'd close the fish counters, because a lot of the fish is fresh straight of the fishing boats - but I guess you never know

As far as I understand fish can be described as fresh even if it was caught a year ago but frozen then defrosted to sell

They are hardly going to advertise manky old fish are they.

they proberly have to in the UK when trading standards have paid a visit

It can be misleading though, when you see a sign saying fresh fish its not unreasonable to think just caught fish,guess its best to buy the little buggers that are still flapping and crawling around on the counter

To be fair, fish freezes very well and fish caught out at sea and frozen immediately is in a better condition than fish kept just cooled til docking, market and fish counter. And its one thing Spanish consumers would not tolerate, the quality on the fish counter is good. Just about the only fish not frozen will be that which is farmed and trucked straight to the supermarket.