Costco's $100 Ham Leg Is Actually A Steal - Here's Why

A $100 Spanish serrano ham is a big deal in several ways. For one, that's a wildly affordable price tag and it's major news. And second, the way Costco does it, the ham is also physically very, very big. The NOEL Jamón Serrano Bone-In Ham Leg is aged for 12 months and clocks in at a whopping 14 pounds. At $100, that shakes out to roughly $7 per pound of dry-cured, ready-to-eat serrano ham packed with pungent flavor, no cooking necessary. 

For reference, at a Walmart in New York, a mere 3 ounces of sliced, packaged jamón serrano costs $14.99. Also, the exact same NOEL brand Spanish ham boxed set can be found on Amazon for $184. Costco's vacuum-sealed ham also comes with a heavy-duty wooden stand for easy slicing, as well as a large steel knife — bringing that $7 per pound price down even further. Serrano ham is a type of ham that's designed for snacking, with foodies grazing over long periods of time by shaving or carving individual bites from the leg. 

Serrano hams are dry-cured, salted, and hung (in this case for 12 months), but still kept melt-in-your-mouth soft thanks to the rich marbling of intramuscular fat. According to the Costco website, this Spanish import is "cured in the Pyrenees with Mediterranean sea salt," is 100% natural with no added coloring, preservatives, nitrates, or nitrites, and is "guaranteed by the Spanish Serrano Ham Consortium seal of quality." The ham itself comes from a specialized breed of white pig, a crossbreeding that includes the Landrace, Duroc-Jersey, Large White, and Blanco Belga species.

Costco's affordable ham kit is creating online buzz. One Costco shopper took to Reddit to rave about the $100 jamón serrano, posting that it "tastes exactly like the good stuff from Madrid." The majority of the comments on the post marvel at the low price tag. "I would have thought it was easily twice that," writes one foodie. Multiple ostensible longtime Costco shoppers mention that the bulk grocer has carried the specialty serrano ham for several years now (along with a much pricier Iberico leg set), and that, ever since it was first offered in 2019, it has remained true to its $100 price tag year after year.

The rest of comments come from shoppers who have bought the serrano ham and found it somewhat difficult to tame. From hands-on carving to fridge-dominating storage to figuring out how to eat such a large quantity of ham before it goes bad, Costco's serrano ham is truly better-suited to feed a crowd than to overwhelm a small gathering. Once purchasers carve off the thick layer of fat encasing the ham using the included knife, that serrano ham is ready to eat. 

It's a great Costco option for entertaining at holiday parties, or arriving with a last-minute, unforgettable dish to share. On its website, Costco recommends serving the serrano ham in thin slices at room temperature, paired with bread and wine. You could even save the bone and use it to make a smoky, flavorful split pea soup. For optimal storage, wrap the serrano ham in a breathable cloth rather than plastic wrap to prevent molding.