You've been given a ham: what to do with it, step by step

Every January we get the same visit at the shop: someone with a ham under their arm, a gift from their company or family, who tells us “it's the first time I've had a whole one at home”. It's a wonderful gift and there's no mystery to it, but the first decisions matter. This is the guide we give them at the counter.

First things first: check what you've been given

• Whole, bone-in piece (ham of 7 to 9 kg or shoulder of 4 to 6 kg): it keeps well unopened, so there's no rush. This is the one that needs a ham stand and a knife.
• Boneless, vacuum-packed piece: it can be cut with an ordinary knife or a slicing machine, no technique required. Keep it in the fridge while it is unopened.
• Vacuum-packed sliced packs: nothing to prepare. In a cool place or in the fridge they keep for several months unopened.

Where to keep the whole piece until you start it

In a cool, dry, well-ventilated place, hanging or on the ham stand, away from radiators and direct sunlight. Remove the plastic wrapping if it has any: the piece needs to breathe. Avoid sealed plastic and, if you can, the fridge too. The best decision is to start it when you're going to have people round or when you know you'll be cutting it almost daily: a ham that is cut regularly keeps better than one that is opened and forgotten.

What you need to cut it

• A ham stand that holds the piece firmly. It's the only essential: without one, cutting is poor and risky.
• A ham knife, long, narrow and flexible, for cutting the slices.
• A short, rigid knife for removing the rind and working around the bone.
• A clean cotton cloth or a ham cover to protect the piece between cuttings.

Two safety rules that are not negotiable: the hand that isn't cutting always stays above and behind the blade, never in front of it; and the knife moves slowly, without force. If you have to press, it's time to sharpen it.

Where to start

It depends on how quickly you're going to eat it. If the ham won't last long (a celebration, a house full of people), place it hoof upwards and start with the maza, the widest and juiciest part. If it's going to last for weeks, place it hoof downwards and start with the babilla, the narrowest part, which is the first to dry out. In both cases, remove the rind and outer fat only from the area you're going to cut that day, not from the whole ham, and cut thin, small slices, the kind that fit in a single bite.

Don't throw away the white fat you remove at the start: keep a couple of clean strips. You'll need them to keep the ham in good condition.

How to store it once started

When you've finished cutting, cover the cut surface with strips of its own fat and cover the ham with the cotton cloth. This way it won't dry out or oxidise. Leave it where it was: in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place. If one day the cut surface has dried a little, simply remove that first thin slice; underneath, the ham is perfect.

From a ham you get around half of its weight in slices; from a shoulder, somewhat less, close to 40 %. The rest is bone, rind and trimmed fat, and that isn't wasted either: the bone is the base for stock all winter long (it is cut up with a saw, or the shop can cut it for you; never with the knife).

And if you don't want to carve it?

It happens more often than you'd think, and there's a solution. At our workshop in Sant Andreu, Barcelona, we bone and slice your ham and hand it back to you in vacuum-packed packs, ready to store and enjoy for months. We slice it to the thickness you prefer (thin, regular or thicker) and, as well as the packs, we give you the bones cut and vacuum-packed for stock, and small cubes from the parts that can no longer be sliced. It doesn't matter where the ham was bought: we also work with hams from elsewhere, and it's one of the services we're asked for most after Christmas.

When you open a pack, take it out about ten minutes before serving so that the ham reaches room temperature and recovers its full aroma. Once opened, keep it in the fridge and eat it within two or three days.