Anyone carry this brand of jamon iberico locally or elsewhere in the country?
They’re not USDA-approved, so presumably no.
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LA specialty has a pretty big selection of Spanish & Italian hams, so they might be worth a call. They were taking orders from the public earlier in the pandemic don’t know if they still are or not 5 jotas might be the best you can do in the states. If anyone knows it’d be @J_L though
We’ve had Joselito jamón in Madrid. Their provenance is on par with the cream of the crop as far as the jamón ibérico world is concerned (based in Jabugo, pigs ranged on the dehesa, etc.), but I found it no more transcendent than the 5Jotas branded stuff.
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thanks good to know.
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The best ham I had in Spain had no special provenance, but the chef-owner of the restaurant that served it went to the ranch and chose the individual legs himself.
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It’s pretty much a lock that it’s gonna taste better if someone who cares makes that extra effort…
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Gonna OD on Jamon by the time I finish the last slice of this 4.76lb shoulder
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Lol no such thing as OD’ing on jamon in my household. We of the admittedly old school buy the 5-6 kg paleta with bone, prop the dang thing up on a stand on the kitchen counter, stored at ROOM TEMP (an advantage over the prepackaged boneless cut, which requires refrigeration). We slap a jamon cloth on to cover it, and anyone in the house can just cut a slice (or five) for ourselves every time we happen to casually “saunter by” the jamon stand in the kitchen… We find that our paletas generally erode away to bone quite rapidly that way.
First thing Mrs. J_L remarked upon seeing the 5J video: Who would want to buy the paleta without the bone? (We usually cut down the bone remnants to slow cook the most incredible bone broth after slaying most the meat…) #IberianBoneBroth #Mottainai #CortadorSkills #LeCreusetToTheRescue
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Incredible QPR with these large formats.
What kind of shelf life can one expect leaving it out at room temps? I’m admittedly a > 3oz virgin
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A properly cured paleta should keep 2-3 months in the Southern California climate, provided that you keep a jamon cloth on it when it’s not being cut. (Keep in mind that you should invest in a good jamon stand if you should so choose to embark on this route.)
Slice into the paleta relatively regularly to ensure that the top layer doesn’t dry out too much - this prevents wastage as well. Besides enjoying it “neat”, there are lots of other delicious uses for the best ham on earth: I throw slices into the wok when stir-frying my Chinese fried rice, as a topping to my breakfast roll, stir it to my congee, drop a slice (or eight) into the hot pot broth for added umami… Jamon iberico also pairs as chinmi with sake unexpectedly well.
Pro-tip: I cut out a huge slab of the fat when I first receive the jamon, and keep using it as a “second-layer” cover underneath the jamon cloth.
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Gotcha, thanks!
I was plotting a “lap mei fan” combo using a selection of cured meats from Mow Lee Shing Kee in SF topped with some thinly sliced Xtra fatty 5J after plating for the upcoming CNY dinner
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I think a ham stored at room temperature is likely to go rancid before any sort of spoilage sets in. Though it probably won’t last that long.
The leg picker was Santiago Rivera of La Viña, of Basque cheesecake fame.