ADVICE ON HOW TO PROPERLY CUT IBERIAN "PALETA"

Needed tools
Cutting board
Knives:
Ham knife (long and flexible)
Machete (with a wide blade)
Short knife
Steel, to sharpen

1 Before placing the “Paleta” on the cutting board make a deep cut with a machete in the leg (A) on the lower part of the hock. From this incision, take out the covering skin and bacon as you cut the leg. It is good to keep some of it to cover and protect the part that has been cut. If the “Paleta” is going to be consumed all in one day, it can be completely peeled off and it is suggested to cut from different parts to mix portions of different tastes in the same plate.

2 The “Paleta” must be placed in the cutting board with the hoof upwards. Start cutting with the knife from the mace (B), the widest and juicier part. It should be a straight cut without grooves, always keeping it free of skin and superficial bacon that would turn it rancid.

3 Reaching the shoulder blade bone(C), using the short knife, remove the meat from the bone, cutting with the end of the knife. Doing so, it will be easier to cut out slices from that part. The front hock (D) is where you can get delicious small cubes of ham.

4 Turn the “Paleta” upside down to cut from the stifle (E) and from the back hock (F)

5 To end up, the bone and the meat that cannot be sliced are good ingredients for cooking.