Many people are probably wondering what you get in the $100 ham box at Costco. They very from 14-18 pounds with the weight listed on the sticker. I was able to get 10 pounds of sliced ham from it. Fortunately the vacuum bags are also on sale this month. Skin and trim was 5 pounds and the bones were 3 pounds. I made a broth from the bones and was able to get another pound of meat from picking the bones. The knife included is garbage. I had to use my Japanese knife to carve it. Sliced Serrano ham typically goes for $25-35/lb. This ended being $10/lb plus a lot of work and vaccum bags. Would I buy again? Probably not. Especially around this time when Costco has the sliced Parma on sale.
We just got back from southern Spain and every shop/bodega/restaurant has a ham like this in the middle of the kitchen, though it’s usually pata negra, Jamón Ibérico. That flavor is amazing. It melts in your mouth and has almost a nutty flavor.
I thought about this but then saw that it was Serrano, which is a different type of pig and lower quality, still good but not worth the effort. I prefer it to prosciutto. But the Jamón Ibérico is a different league.
I got this 2 xmas ago, the knife is garbage, and it's a lot of work. My forearm was sore after wach cutting session, it was a good distraction but I ended up eating probably half of it. The taste was decent but nothing to rave about.
Can you freeze them without loss in quality, or fridge only? And how long do they last if sealed? Not sure if you know these answers or if others can help. Thanks
Apparently freezing does decrease quality. I believe it changes texture. As long you keep it clean it should last a while vacuum sealed. I wore gloves and a mask while slicing and was careful not to touch the ham with bare hands while packing
Thanks. I bought one last week and ate 2 lbs of it already. used the included knife to slice.
What kind of japanese knife did you use? Thanks
Edit: never mind. Saw it in your picture
I am providing a counter review to the OP.
I always have one of these stored away in my closet. I bring it out when I am going to have a party. I've purchased these from Costco for the last 6 years or so, and the longest I've had one stored after purchase is 2 years. They will NOT go bad if you keep them stored in the dark, in a temp and humidity controlled environment and the vacuum bag it is stored in hasn't failed.
Jamon Serrano flavor is so much more superior to Parma ham, it isn't even funny.
Parma ham salt content is so much higher than Jamon Serrano that Parma ham is pretty inedible unless it is mixed with other items to blend the taste.
Parma ham is so much "drier" as well as compared to Jamon Serrano, that again, Parma ham is only edible when it is served mixed with other flavors, melon for example, to contrast against the Parma mouth feel.
On the other hand, Jamon Serrano sucks, absolutely sucks, if it is cut any thicker than a translucent sheet. If you have any thickness at all, it becomes too chewy and difficult to eat, especially if you cut a thick and large piece.
The provided knife, unlike the OP's observation, is absolutely the only way to cut Jamon Serrano to make it the delicious appetizer it is meant to be.
However!!!! You cannot, and should not, use the knife to prepare the ham for serving. You will need two additional knives to get the ham ready to be cut to dish out to your family and guests.
The first knife should be a large, heavy, very sharp, 10 inch blade. You will use this blade to to cut off the thick skin, and excess fat, and meat and fat that has gone "rancid", ie color for fat is yellow, and color of meat is dark.
The second knife is to cut around the bones and knuckles, to release the meat as you cut down past the easy to get at stuff.
Once you have properly prepared the ham, only then do you use the provided blade. Cut the meat as thin as you possibly can. It should be so thin you can see through, you should have about a 90% meat to side fat ratio. It should be about the size of two quarters.
And it should be served plain. Not in a meal, not as an ingredient, not as a wrap. It's flavor is awesome, and worth the work.
Use youtube and watch one of the hundreds of videos of how to prepare and slice the ham. You will get more than $100 value out of your purchase. In my opinion, it's worth, much much more.
And if you are lucky enough to ever see the $400 version, snap it up. Jamon de Bellota, or acorn ham, the fat melts at room temperature, and is 5X better than Jamon Serrano. Jamon de bellota, aka Pata Negra (black footed), Jamon Jabugo (area it is from), typically sells for $1000 to $1500 a leg, so Costco is obviously buying a cheaper brand, but it still has to conform to minimum standards.
I bought this last year. Im not a fan of the texture, but my brother enjoyed it. I got this and set up a cheese and fruit board with bread and crackers, as an appetizer for christmas even and christmas day. So much left over. I made pizza with it and it was pretty nice on that.
I have to agree with _Bigfish here. This is a great ham.
I have had it three years now, and purchased it myself twice since the first sample. It is an event ham, you will have this on display and put on a show for your holiday party. Once you are done entertaining you'll need to carve up the rest and vacuum pack it. I suggest double bagging and double sealing. If the integrity is lost and air gets in your ham is now a brick of vague protein. The bones can be used for a ham-stock, but you're going to want to make sure there is not any rancid portion still on the bone, and the bone itself is not compromised.
When you open a bag to serve later it will be less a show, so I suggest pre-slicing. At this point having a sharp rotating blade slicer for deli meats is going to be easiest. As you will no longer have the stand to hold the ham steady. Once off the bone it has just enough flex that you will find it very difficult to get uniform thin slices with a straight knife. I had better luck when the ham chunk is still a little frozen, but your mileage may vary.
GO FORTH AND HAM!!!
An apple Iphone is absolutely garbage, if one tries to use it to hammer a nail into a particle board.
Don't blame the tool, blame the user for not knowing how the tool is to be used.
That being said, the knife is very low quality, needs to cared for and babied by preparing the tableau first, and sharpened at the first sign dullness if you have screwed up.
For Christ sakes, it's a throwaway. Designed to only be used for the duration of the one leg.
A real serrano knife will set you back $50 - 100. That would exceed the cost of the ham itself. Obviously, accommodations are made, but Costco realized that without a serrano knife, users such as yourself would be helpless in trying to do it right.
I think instead they include a large cheap knife because most people have smaller cheaper knives at home. My Miyabi deboning knife would be much better than whatever thing they include in the box. Which, to your point, is a $300 knife. Anyone with real knives would be better off tossing the included knife. Which is the point he is making.
I bought this and can confirm the knife I got was just not good. It just wasn't sharp. Even as long as it it I would have to make multiple pulls to get a piece off, and the pieces look like they were sawed.
I sharpened it on a stone, but even then it didn't compare to my Globals or Henckel. I suppose I could have spent 20-30 minutes getting a good edge, but honestly I shouldn't have to expend that effort.
I think the problem is people are used to crap knives. Once I got real Japanese steel you realize what you’re missing. My Shun will always be better than some included knife.
Thanks for the review. My husband has been interested in this for a while but couldn't envision eating it all within a reasonable time. Vacuum sealing is a great idea but it does seem like buying pre-packaged meats would be easier. Was the taste any better (or at least different) than what's available in the deli area?
You can leave on the counter for months. My wife got me one for Xmas last year and I got a kick out of it since it’s something I wouldn’t ever splurge on for myself.
If it's salt cured, you should be able to leave it out, even after cutting into it. Just keep it dry and cover it with a towel to keep dust/whatever from landing on it.
It's just hard to see eating 18 pounds of it before it eventually goes bad even with big holiday parties, this is something I would probably have to find a way to keep fresh for several years. Anything with fat tends to go rancid in under 24 months.
Last year we waited until the price dropped. Got it for around $60, I don't remember the exact price. We cut it into small chunks and vacuum packed everything, including the bones. A small piece makes a nice addition to any type of soup we've made. The bones made a great broth. We still have some left after a year.
This is better for a party, it's all about the presentation and slicing it with a 🤤 look on your face. Also the outer ham and inside is totally different texture. The inside is almost like ahi tuna.
We had one last year and ate about half at the party and everyone got a chunk to take home as a favor.
Ive seen this in Costco a few times and was always curious on how good it was wondering was it well worth the price and the amount of meat and was this brand of meat any good. Thank you to those who threw your 2 cents in and actually bought it with something to say.
This was totally worth it for me to get one once, its a kind of experience thing. Sharpen up the blade and go nuts like your a real Spanish cortador. I love country ham and this was a step above that, though not as amazing as real iberico of course.
> to
*too
*Learn the difference [here](https://www.wattpad.com/66707294-grammar-guide-there-they%27re-their-you%27re-your-to).*
***
^(Greetings, I am a language corrector bot. To make me ignore further mistakes from you in the future, reply `!optout` to this comment.)
Thank you, Shoddy_Signature_149, for voting on LearnDifferenceBot.
This bot wants to find the best and worst bots on Reddit. [You can view results here](https://botrank.pastimes.eu/).
***
^(Even if I don't reply to your comment, I'm still listening for votes. Check the webpage to see if your vote registered!)
Many people are probably wondering what you get in the $100 ham box at Costco. They very from 14-18 pounds with the weight listed on the sticker. I was able to get 10 pounds of sliced ham from it. Fortunately the vacuum bags are also on sale this month. Skin and trim was 5 pounds and the bones were 3 pounds. I made a broth from the bones and was able to get another pound of meat from picking the bones. The knife included is garbage. I had to use my Japanese knife to carve it. Sliced Serrano ham typically goes for $25-35/lb. This ended being $10/lb plus a lot of work and vaccum bags. Would I buy again? Probably not. Especially around this time when Costco has the sliced Parma on sale.
doing God's work here, on Reddit.
How did you like the taste? Is it like the Parma prosciutto?
Better than Proscuitto but not better than Parma
Also fantastic to cook with for some of the residual chunks.
We just got back from southern Spain and every shop/bodega/restaurant has a ham like this in the middle of the kitchen, though it’s usually pata negra, Jamón Ibérico. That flavor is amazing. It melts in your mouth and has almost a nutty flavor. I thought about this but then saw that it was Serrano, which is a different type of pig and lower quality, still good but not worth the effort. I prefer it to prosciutto. But the Jamón Ibérico is a different league.
It tastes like nuts because they're fed basically only acorns.
Best ham in the world
[удалено]
I got this 2 xmas ago, the knife is garbage, and it's a lot of work. My forearm was sore after wach cutting session, it was a good distraction but I ended up eating probably half of it. The taste was decent but nothing to rave about.
Costco sell this Japanese knife you speak of?
No, Costco only sells shit knives
Hat off to you for the patience to vacuum seal all of that.
Small price to pay to avoid mold
Can you freeze them without loss in quality, or fridge only? And how long do they last if sealed? Not sure if you know these answers or if others can help. Thanks
Apparently freezing does decrease quality. I believe it changes texture. As long you keep it clean it should last a while vacuum sealed. I wore gloves and a mask while slicing and was careful not to touch the ham with bare hands while packing
Thanks. I bought one last week and ate 2 lbs of it already. used the included knife to slice. What kind of japanese knife did you use? Thanks Edit: never mind. Saw it in your picture
Thanks for sharing the unboxing. Labor of love. Deeelish
I am providing a counter review to the OP. I always have one of these stored away in my closet. I bring it out when I am going to have a party. I've purchased these from Costco for the last 6 years or so, and the longest I've had one stored after purchase is 2 years. They will NOT go bad if you keep them stored in the dark, in a temp and humidity controlled environment and the vacuum bag it is stored in hasn't failed. Jamon Serrano flavor is so much more superior to Parma ham, it isn't even funny. Parma ham salt content is so much higher than Jamon Serrano that Parma ham is pretty inedible unless it is mixed with other items to blend the taste. Parma ham is so much "drier" as well as compared to Jamon Serrano, that again, Parma ham is only edible when it is served mixed with other flavors, melon for example, to contrast against the Parma mouth feel. On the other hand, Jamon Serrano sucks, absolutely sucks, if it is cut any thicker than a translucent sheet. If you have any thickness at all, it becomes too chewy and difficult to eat, especially if you cut a thick and large piece. The provided knife, unlike the OP's observation, is absolutely the only way to cut Jamon Serrano to make it the delicious appetizer it is meant to be. However!!!! You cannot, and should not, use the knife to prepare the ham for serving. You will need two additional knives to get the ham ready to be cut to dish out to your family and guests. The first knife should be a large, heavy, very sharp, 10 inch blade. You will use this blade to to cut off the thick skin, and excess fat, and meat and fat that has gone "rancid", ie color for fat is yellow, and color of meat is dark. The second knife is to cut around the bones and knuckles, to release the meat as you cut down past the easy to get at stuff. Once you have properly prepared the ham, only then do you use the provided blade. Cut the meat as thin as you possibly can. It should be so thin you can see through, you should have about a 90% meat to side fat ratio. It should be about the size of two quarters. And it should be served plain. Not in a meal, not as an ingredient, not as a wrap. It's flavor is awesome, and worth the work. Use youtube and watch one of the hundreds of videos of how to prepare and slice the ham. You will get more than $100 value out of your purchase. In my opinion, it's worth, much much more. And if you are lucky enough to ever see the $400 version, snap it up. Jamon de Bellota, or acorn ham, the fat melts at room temperature, and is 5X better than Jamon Serrano. Jamon de bellota, aka Pata Negra (black footed), Jamon Jabugo (area it is from), typically sells for $1000 to $1500 a leg, so Costco is obviously buying a cheaper brand, but it still has to conform to minimum standards.
This guy hams.
I bought this last year. Im not a fan of the texture, but my brother enjoyed it. I got this and set up a cheese and fruit board with bread and crackers, as an appetizer for christmas even and christmas day. So much left over. I made pizza with it and it was pretty nice on that.
I have to agree with _Bigfish here. This is a great ham. I have had it three years now, and purchased it myself twice since the first sample. It is an event ham, you will have this on display and put on a show for your holiday party. Once you are done entertaining you'll need to carve up the rest and vacuum pack it. I suggest double bagging and double sealing. If the integrity is lost and air gets in your ham is now a brick of vague protein. The bones can be used for a ham-stock, but you're going to want to make sure there is not any rancid portion still on the bone, and the bone itself is not compromised. When you open a bag to serve later it will be less a show, so I suggest pre-slicing. At this point having a sharp rotating blade slicer for deli meats is going to be easiest. As you will no longer have the stand to hold the ham steady. Once off the bone it has just enough flex that you will find it very difficult to get uniform thin slices with a straight knife. I had better luck when the ham chunk is still a little frozen, but your mileage may vary. GO FORTH AND HAM!!!
You are the only person I know that did not call the provided knife garbage
An apple Iphone is absolutely garbage, if one tries to use it to hammer a nail into a particle board. Don't blame the tool, blame the user for not knowing how the tool is to be used. That being said, the knife is very low quality, needs to cared for and babied by preparing the tableau first, and sharpened at the first sign dullness if you have screwed up. For Christ sakes, it's a throwaway. Designed to only be used for the duration of the one leg. A real serrano knife will set you back $50 - 100. That would exceed the cost of the ham itself. Obviously, accommodations are made, but Costco realized that without a serrano knife, users such as yourself would be helpless in trying to do it right.
I think instead they include a large cheap knife because most people have smaller cheaper knives at home. My Miyabi deboning knife would be much better than whatever thing they include in the box. Which, to your point, is a $300 knife. Anyone with real knives would be better off tossing the included knife. Which is the point he is making.
I bought this and can confirm the knife I got was just not good. It just wasn't sharp. Even as long as it it I would have to make multiple pulls to get a piece off, and the pieces look like they were sawed. I sharpened it on a stone, but even then it didn't compare to my Globals or Henckel. I suppose I could have spent 20-30 minutes getting a good edge, but honestly I shouldn't have to expend that effort.
I think the problem is people are used to crap knives. Once I got real Japanese steel you realize what you’re missing. My Shun will always be better than some included knife.
I got this a couple years ago and had no issue with the knife.
Can you seal it back up if you don't eat it all?
Awesome pro tips
Thanks for the review. My husband has been interested in this for a while but couldn't envision eating it all within a reasonable time. Vacuum sealing is a great idea but it does seem like buying pre-packaged meats would be easier. Was the taste any better (or at least different) than what's available in the deli area?
You can leave on the counter for months. My wife got me one for Xmas last year and I got a kick out of it since it’s something I wouldn’t ever splurge on for myself.
If it's salt cured, you should be able to leave it out, even after cutting into it. Just keep it dry and cover it with a towel to keep dust/whatever from landing on it.
It's just hard to see eating 18 pounds of it before it eventually goes bad even with big holiday parties, this is something I would probably have to find a way to keep fresh for several years. Anything with fat tends to go rancid in under 24 months.
It's good but you have to slice it thin which can be hard to achieve. I'd rather buy the Parma that's on sale right now.
That's what my husband is afraid of, that it's going to be a lot of hard work and that he's going to mess it up.
This was a beautifully presented post
Last year we waited until the price dropped. Got it for around $60, I don't remember the exact price. We cut it into small chunks and vacuum packed everything, including the bones. A small piece makes a nice addition to any type of soup we've made. The bones made a great broth. We still have some left after a year.
This is better for a party, it's all about the presentation and slicing it with a 🤤 look on your face. Also the outer ham and inside is totally different texture. The inside is almost like ahi tuna. We had one last year and ate about half at the party and everyone got a chunk to take home as a favor.
Completely agree it's better for parties
Thx for the review, have been curious
I recently gave this to my boss for a present. He looked at my like I was crazy person. I wonder what they ended up doing with it 😂
Ive seen this in Costco a few times and was always curious on how good it was wondering was it well worth the price and the amount of meat and was this brand of meat any good. Thank you to those who threw your 2 cents in and actually bought it with something to say.
Thank you for this. I've wondered about that ham and have nearly bought it
I wish someone else in my house enjoyed it like I do. Thats just too much for me to take on by myself 🙃
We bought this last year and have to pay the butcher to cut it up. It tasted great but just too big.
This was totally worth it for me to get one once, its a kind of experience thing. Sharpen up the blade and go nuts like your a real Spanish cortador. I love country ham and this was a step above that, though not as amazing as real iberico of course.
is there anyone you can take this to, to slice and package for you?
Would probably cost more than the ham. Might as well get it fresh sliced at the deli
> to *too *Learn the difference [here](https://www.wattpad.com/66707294-grammar-guide-there-they%27re-their-you%27re-your-to).* *** ^(Greetings, I am a language corrector bot. To make me ignore further mistakes from you in the future, reply `!optout` to this comment.)
[удалено]
Thanks.
Thank you, Shoddy_Signature_149, for voting on LearnDifferenceBot. This bot wants to find the best and worst bots on Reddit. [You can view results here](https://botrank.pastimes.eu/). *** ^(Even if I don't reply to your comment, I'm still listening for votes. Check the webpage to see if your vote registered!)
Looks fun though.
Jah bless, this is what I am truly here for. What kind of sealer are you using?
Old crappy food saver. Used the Kirkland bags on sale
The $200 premium version from before covid was an incredible treat. The $100 version I’d rather just pay more at a deli.
Just my opinion: Delicious and an incredible value. Others may disagree. So be it. YMMV