HELP!

[welsh wizard]

Hi I have just been given a fantastic leg of cured ham but it is like cutting concrete, fantastic flavor but still like cutting through concrete. The ham is so hard, should i massage it with some olive oil? All help needed!

Cheers WW

[NCPaul]

It sounds like you have a cured and over dried ham to me. I would first try to get it broken down into several pieces, maybe four or five if possible. Then I would put the ham in a bag with 10 % by weight of water and heat to 140 F holding for several hours. Chill and hold overnight to see if the ham re-absorbs the moisture. It may take weeks for everything to level out since it probably took months to reach this point. Good luck and let us know what you come up with.

[onewheeler]

I had a leg of (cheapish french supermarket) serrano in the kitchen on its stand for a few months and it went as hard as steel. I cut what was left from the bone in some big lumps and wrapped it in cling-film in the 'fridge, intending to use it in cooked dishes. A few weeks later it's easily sliceable and quite tasty

Martin/