Stop Serving Huge Slices of Prosciutto
Giant fluttering prosciutto petals may look impressive on a charcuterie board, but this is the last time they will look so majestic. Ten minutes later, your friends are still trying to tear the slices apart with their hands, and you’re left with clumps of fibrous fat. Avoid this and cut the prosciutto first. It looks neater, and it’s easier for guests to break into pieces, and you won’t be left with a stringy piece of meat stuck in your teeth. The best part (especially if you’re hosting a party on a budget)? You can actually stretch those five slices that came in one (expensive) package.
Now, we all know that you should be stacking charcuterie, but unlike salami and other meats that have been minced or processed, prosciutto is cured and sliced from the undamaged portion of the muscle. That’s why it can feel gooey when you bite into it. It is also sold in fairly massive slices, so you have to bite into it. As much as I love it, an eight-by-three-inch piece of meat won’t fit on my cracker, no matter how you fold it. For easier crackers, cut the prosciutto horizontally with a sharp chef’s knife. Be sure to press firmly, as any strands of ham that come together will stretch and become stringy. I usually get three or four equal cuts of meat from one slice of prosciutto. Once they are cut all the way through, fold them once and place them on a serving platter in alternating order so they don’t stick to each other.
I deal with this quickly by laying out all my prosciutto on a cutting board, stacking them in a stack, and cutting them all at once, two or three times. If yours was packaged with thin plastic or paper dividers between the slices, there is no need to remove them before cutting with a knife. Cut through the meat and plastic with a strong push, then cut into chunks and discard the plastic before putting your fancy ham on a plate.