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Whole or sliced? If you are planning to buy an Iberian ham this Christmas you may be wondering whether to buy a whole 'jamón' or ask for it to be sliced and served in a vacuum-sealed wrapping.
The OCU, Spain's leading, independent consumer organisation, has carried out an analysis of online sales prices of Iberian ham legs and ham shoulders and has reached a conclusion as to which is most advantageous for our bank balance.
Firstly, the differences between the two: the traditional Spanish 'jamón' is the hind leg of a pig, so they are larger than the second option (weighing between 7 and 9 kilos), meatier (approximately 50% of the leg is discarded when cleaning and boning), they have more fat and their flavour is smoother and more complex, with a richer texture and aroma than the shoulder cut has, and so their price is higher. The 'paletilla' (shoulder), on the other hand, is the top of the front leg of a pig, so paletillas are smaller in size, usually weighing between 4 and 5 kilos, less meaty (around 60% is discarded during preparation), they have less fat than a full rear leg and their flavour is more intense but less nuanced with a more uniform aroma and texture, and their price is also lower.
According to the price analysis carried out by the OCU, the cheapest Iberian ham leg, the cebo ibérico (from mixed breed pigs: half Duroc, half Iberian), which is identified with a white label, costs on average 65 euros per kilo sliced compared to 64 euros per kilo for the sliced shoulder. If a whole piece, then its price once cleaned and boned, drops to 37 euros per kilo for the ham leg and 27 euros for a kilo of shoulder.
Iberian cebo de campo (free-range) ham, which is identified with a green label, costs an average of 104 euros per kilo sliced, compared to 89 euros for a kilo of sliced shoulder. For a whole piece the price - cleaned off the bone - is around 51 euros for the ham leg and 33 euros per kilo for the shoulder.
Iberian bellota ham, which must be at least 50% or up to 75% Iberian-bred, reared free-range and fed with acorns and natural feed from the 'dehesa' (mountain pastures), is identified with a red label and costs around 136 euros per kilo on average compared to 117 euros for a kilo of sliced shoulder. A whole piece cleaned and boned drops to 69 euros per kilo for the leg and 41 for the shoulder.
Finally, the most expensive is the 100% pure-bred, Iberian bellota ham, totally free-range and fed on a natural diet of acorns (hence 'bellota'), chestnuts, grass and whatever they can graze on in the pastures. This dry-cured meat is identified with a black label and sells sliced for around 219 euros per kilo on average compared to 178 euros for a kilo of sliced shoulder. A whole piece cleaned off the bone drops to 103 euros per kilo for the leg and 84 euros for a kilo of shoulder.
Despite these prices and the extra cost involved in buying these products sliced and vacuum-packed, the OCU concluded that if the Iberian ham being purchased weighs at least 5 kilos or the shoulder 4 kilos, buying it already sliced and vacuum-packed is actually the best option. The consumer watchdog argues that, even adding the cost of having it cut and prepared, which ranges between 30 and 50 euros for the whole piece, and even after removing the waste (the bone and the rind), which represents 50% of the weight for a ham leg and 60% for a ham shoulder, "the final price will barely be half that if you buy it bit by bit already sliced."
In addition, if you buy a whole piece, you will need a 'jamonero' ham holder and suitable knives to cut it, as well as some skill and practice in cutting and slicing, as a bad cut can affect its flavour.
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