Have you ever bought a ham, taken it home and found that somehow it doesn’t taste quite as good as it does in a restaurant?
It may simply be because you haven’t followed these easy storage tips, which can be adapted to virtually any home, space or temperature.
In this article, we answer some of the most common questions we receive about how to store and care for a whole Ibérico ham or shoulder.
How should you store your ham before opening it?
Perhaps you’ve been given a ham as a gift and want to save it for a special occasion—a meal with friends, a birthday or even to impress your father-in-law when he comes over for lunch.
If so, you should know that a whole ham can be stored for around 2 to 3 months before it begins to lose some of its quality. This is because when you order a whole piece from us, we send it to you at its optimum stage of maturation.
All you need to do is keep it in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. It couldn’t be easier, but we do have one extra recommendation: if your ham arrives in a cloth cover or other wrapping, we recommend removing it. This allows the ham to breathe and helps prevent mould from developing.
Ideally, the ham should also be hung up to allow air to circulate around it. If you would like us to include string for hanging your ham with your order, simply let us know in the comments.
How should you store it once you’ve started carving?
And now for the best part: enjoying it. Just follow these four simple steps:
- Place your ham securely in a ham holder.
- When you begin trimming the ham, set aside 5 or 6 pieces of the outer fat.
- Continue trimming until you reach the meat—then start carving and enjoy.
- If you somehow manage not to finish the entire ham, place the pieces of fat you saved earlier over the exposed surface to help protect it.
Coming soon to the blog: more tips on carving your ham at home—and why “I don’t have enough room for a whole ham” really isn’t a good excuse!