What is a paleta/shoulder and how is it made?

A paleta is the result of curing a pig's foreleg in salt. Once we have the pig's leg ready, the first thing we have to do is to prepare it for salting. The master makes a v-cut on the pork rind and decides how much external fat he wants to leave. The more fat it has, the less salt it will absorb and the sweeter it will be. Once the previous operation has been carried out, the leg is buried in salt for an average of two weeks. If the expert decides to extend this period, the shoulder will be tastier. From that moment on, depending on the type of shoulder we are going to make, the characteristics of the leg and the flavor we want to obtain, the leg will be hung in the drying room until it is optimal for consumption.

The elaboration process

A paleta/shoulder and a jamón/ham are elaborated in the same way. Each master ham maker will follow his own tradition and method for both the ham and the shoulder, but for reasons of size and weight, the production process will generally be shorter for the shoulder than for the ham, but it will always depend on the breed and feed of the pigs from which they come.

Curing time

While the processing is the same for shoulder and ham, the curing time is not. As the shoulder is smaller, it will take less time to cure than a ham, as long as they are the same type of ham, have been fed the same diet and are of the same breed.

If, for example, an Iberian country ham takes 24 months to cure, a shoulder ham takes about 18 months. And so it will be with all types and kinds of ham.

Flavor, texture and color

As we have explained, if a shoulder ham is more cured than a ham for reasons of volume and weight, its flavor will also be more intense in general. But we must always take into account the part where we cut the ham, because in both ham and shoulder ham, depending on where we cut, the flavor will be more or less intense, more or less cured.

The texture will also be somewhat juicier in the ham than in the shoulder and the color is always very similar, but the more cured the ham is, the more intense the red color will be.

How to cut

The way to cut is always using the appropriate utensils: a ham holder, a well-sharpened knife and a sharpener, and some basic knowledge of safety and how to cut before starting.

The cut is always horizontal and following any of the tutorials we have on our youtube channel. Both the ham and the shoulder are cut in the same way, you just have to take into account some different points that are determined by the anatomy of the piece itself.

Weight of a shoulder

The weight of a shoulder is approximately 4 to 5 kg. But as with ham, its yield is not 4-5 kg, but rather approximately 40% or less of clean ham, without fat or bones, and taking into account the breed and the pig's diet, the percentage can be lower, but this is also true for the jamón/ham.

The paleta/shoulder is highly valued in Spain, especially in areas such as Catalonia and the Mediterranean area. If you like your ham to be intense and cured, you will love the paleta. You also have to take into account how many of you are at home. A ham would be for example too big if there are only two of you, you would have to eat every day and invite very often. The shoulder, on the other hand, would be enough. But as everything there are choices for every taste. Try it and you will see, sure you will repeat!