Jamón del País: Peruvian Country Ham

Peruvian Country Ham - Jamón del País
Marian Blazes
Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 2 hrs 30 mins
Total: 2 hrs 55 mins
Servings: 8 to 10 servings

Peruvian jamón del país (country ham) is a specially prepared boiled and roasted ham, seasoned with aji panca chile peppers, garlic, and spices. It's delicious when sliced thin and served in sandwiches, especially the famous butifarra sandwich, where the jamón is paired with a sweet onion salsa criolla.

This ham is easy to prepare and tastes wonderful. It's traditionally made from a leg (ham), but I like to use a pork loin roast, which seems more manageable and works well.

Ingredients

  • 2-3 pound pork loin (roast)
  • Salt to taste
  • Black pepper to taste (freshly ground)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion
  • 4 cups stock (chicken)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/4 cup aji panca paste
  • 1 teaspoon salt (kosher)
  • 2 tablespoons vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 package Sazón Goya with achiote
  • 4 cloves garlic (minced)

Steps to Make It

  1. Place the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high  Brown the roast on all sides.

  2. Transfer the roast into a large cooking pot and cover with the chicken stock (adding water if necessary to cover the meat completely).

  3. Cut the onion into quarters and add to the pot, along with the bay leaf.

  4. Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer over low heat, covered, until the meat is cooked through and tender, about 1 1/2 hours depending on the size. When you cut into the meat, the juices should run clear.

  5. Remove the meat from the pot and place it in a roasting pan. Reserve 2 cups of the cooking liquid. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

  6. Mix the aji panca paste, salt, vinegar, minced garlic, cumin, turmeric, and Sazón Goya together in a small bowl. (If you can't find jarred aji panca paste, you can also use dried aji panca peppers to make your own: soak the dried peppers briefly in very hot water, then process them in a blender or food processor with some vegetable oil to make a paste).

  7. Spread the aji pepper and garlic mixture onto the pork, turning it to cover all sides. Make several deep slits in the meat to help introduce the seasoning. Add the reserved cooking liquid to the roasting pan.

  8. Roast the meat in the oven until heated through, turning the meat over once, for a total time of about 30-45 minutes.

  9. Let cool, slice thinly, and serve with salsa criolla.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
246 Calories
13g Fat
8g Carbs
24g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories 246
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 16%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 59mg 20%
Sodium 498mg 22%
Total Carbohydrate 8g 3%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Protein 24g
Calcium 56mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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