How to choose hams for Christmas

Hams and Christmas are inseparable friends . Choosing a good ham is complicated, because only the appearance will not clarify anything. The best way to choose hams and sausages, whether to buy or to give, is to look at the references: name, denomination and additional indications. Lately it has become fashionable to buy sliced ​​hams, because we can see, before buying, what we are going to consume. But the price will be higher and the quantity, after all, may not be enough when we are talking about a Christmas ham. If you can not distinguish a ham by its cane or its hoof, or by the hardness of its bark, no you worry. Currently the hams are sufficiently well legislated to be able to choose hams for the label without fear of wasting money. Of course, you have to know how to read it. When you want to buy hams, for Christmas or any other date of the year, follow these simple instructions to be sure that, whatever your budget, you are choosing the best ham for Christmas parties :

You will need to:
  • A ham with the label clearly visible
Steps to follow:

one

The first thing you have to keep in mind is that, the higher the quality, the higher the price . Calculate your budget and see what kind of ham you can get, and once you have chosen the type, select the one that most deserves you.

two

The main difference between hams is their breed. If the pork is white or a mixture of white and Iberian with a higher proportion of white, the ham will be serrano . If you have a majority of Iberian or pure Iberian, the ham will be Iberian .

3

If you have chosen to buy Serrano ham, you can choose between Bodega, Reserva and Gran Reserva. This indicates the healing time of the ham. Gran Reserva Serrano hams are the ones that have aged the most, and will have better quality .

4

Within Serrano hams, in Spain there are 2 geographical indications of quality : Jamón de Teruel and Jamón de Trevélez.

5

If you have chosen to buy Iberian ham, the next step is to select the ham by type of food: Iberian bait (feed), Iberian recebo (mixture) or Iberian acorn (mostly acorn). The more acorn, more tasty and less fatty .

6

Another step beyond, within the Iberian hams, is to choose hams with Denomination of Origin . There are the denominations Jamón de Guijuelo, Dehesa de Extremadura, Jamón de Huelva and Los Pedroches.

7

An example of ham's name of the highest quality is an Iberian Bellota ham from Guijuelo (one brand, Joselito). An example of ham of lower quality is a ham Serrano Winery.

Tips
  • Do not trust names without legal recognition, like the famous ones
  • Also do not trust if the ham has a hoof or black skin. There are hams that have them without being Iberian (like the races Duroc and Duroc-Jersey).
  • There is also the opposite case: there are Iberian varieties that do not have the hoof or black paw (Manchado de Jaburgo and Torbiscal breeds)