[Dryden]

Picked some up this past weekend - it's steeply priced, though - $90/lb for machine sliced and $99 by hand. But it is totally amazing...

[docsconz]

Was the brand Fermin? I believe that was recently reintroduced at Jaleo in DC.

[Daniel]

Seems pretty cheap for a Jamon Iberico Bellota.

[Beto]

docsconz, on Dec 10 2007, 12:15 PM, said:

Was the brand Fermin? I believe that was recently reintroduced at Jaleo in DC.

According to this article, Fermin is the only company that can import jamón ibérico to the U.S.

[Daniel]

A fermin Iberico Bellota is like in the $150's, $160 per lbs I thought..

[kathryn]

Grub Street says it is free-range Iberico, not bellota.

[BryanZ]

It's probably not bellota. Just the "normal" Iberico, which is still pretty sick.

ETA: Haven't the Atelier(s) Joel Robuchon been claiming to serve Iberico for a while now? How is that possible? The whole Iberico-in-the-US thing is great, but confusing.

ETA redux: Via Grub Street, "Intriago assures us that more hams are on the way, but if you’re going to blow money on a pound of the stuff, keep in mind it’s the free-range ibérico and not the top-shelf “bellota,” which is made from pigs that are fed on acorns for the last four months of their lives. That variety, which we taste-tested a while back, will be available in July of next year."

This post has been edited by BryanZ: 10 December 2007 - 10:37 AM

[Curlz]

According to Grub Street, it's being served at Mercat, for a mere $14/plate--but will likely double in price next week.

ETA: "...it’s the free-range ibérico and not the top-shelf “bellota,” which is made from pigs that are fed on acorns for the last four months of their lives. That variety, which we taste-tested a while back, will be available in July of next year."

This post has been edited by Curlz: 10 December 2007 - 10:36 AM

[kathryn]

Jinx!

(I hope it will rear its head at Ssam Bar soon.)

[Vinotas]

Ate and drank my way through Madrid a few weeks ago, and had Jamon Iberico every morning, noon and night, so pretty much at every opportunity.

I even brought home about a pound of the stuff, but I don't think I paid nearly that much. In fact, I know I paid about $30 for it. Can't wait to open it...

Still, I'm happy to see it's finally in the US. That stuff is proof that God exists.
Cheers!

[Dryden]

It isn't the bellota, it's just the straight iberico. They say the bellota will be available around March-April.

This post has been edited by Dryden: 10 December 2007 - 10:41 AM

[Daniel]

I question when the Bellota is arriving.. It has been pushed back a few times.. The last I heard it was for December.. I had a deposit down for a whole leg and have since gotten it back.

[Nathan]

I had the free range iberico last year while traveling...darn good.

can't even imagine what the bellota will taste like.

[Kent Wang]

Fermin was introduced about a year ago but a few months after supply ran out, due to a USDA inspection -- according to Central Market. So I take it is now available and I should run down to Central Market to badger them to pick it up again.

[kathryn]

Update from Grub Street:

"Commenter Cla Lll points out that Bellota is actually available at Dean and DeLuca at the moment. We checked and they do have thirty USDA-approved hams, guest residents admitted to our shores by the USDA as a preview of hams to come. The price is a cool $75 per pound."

I might run down after work and get some...

This post has been edited by kathryn: 10 December 2007 - 03:07 PM

[Swicks]

Can anyone describe how the flavor differs from other types of ham or good prociutto?

[BryanZ]

Much, much silkier and richer. It tastes of salt and ham, yes, but there's much more complexity. It's cliche, but there's a distinct unctuous nuttiness that works its way through the fat.

[kathryn]

It's very sweet, nutty, tender, and dark (wild?). That last part could just be my imagination though. It's not very salty at all. The fatty part is very tender (falls apart if you look at it sideways) and melts in your mouth.

It's delicious. We polished off 1/4 lb. in about five minutes, paired with some toasted Tom Cat baguette.

This post has been edited by kathryn: 10 December 2007 - 08:15 PM

[Reignking]

I'm salivating...I had ibericos at Jaleo in DC last Christmas, actually, so I know that has been around. Jose Andres has a few connections, anyway ;)

[docsconz]

Reignking, on Dec 10 2007, 09:37 PM, said:

I'm salivating...I had ibericos at Jaleo in DC last Christmas, actually, so I know that has been around.  Jose Andres has a few connections, anyway ;)

Jose has actually been instrumental in working with Embutidos Fermin to get the product over here.

[LPShanet]

Dropped by Despana today for a 1/4 pound of the Iberico. To confirm, it is the free range stuff, not bellota, and it's quite good, though not nearly of the level of the best that I've had in Spain (various bellotas, notably Joselito Gran Reserva). They sell it machine-sliced for $90 a pound or hand sliced for $99. If you care about slicing method, make sure to say so, or they will default to machine slicing, sometimes without asking. Serious ham geeks say machine slicing raises the temperature of the ham, which isn't desirable, though it could be argued how much this is perceptible.

They told me that Despana would be getting some bellota in the spring some time. Still, it's worth knowing that the really elite hams won't make it to the States any time soon, as the Gran Reservas and other really desirable Joselito hams are spoken for even before they are made...kind of like buying wine futures.

[kathryn]

What I got from Dean and Deluca last night was labeled as Bellota, though. $75/lb. Grub Street verified this with their corporate folks:

"[Grub Street] checked and they do have thirty USDA-approved [Bellota] hams, guest residents admitted to our shores by the USDA as a preview of hams to come."

[docsconz]

kathryn, on Dec 11 2007, 10:09 AM, said:

What I got from Dean and Deluca last night was labeled as Bellota, though. $75/lb. Grub Street verified this with their corporate folks:

"[Grub Street] checked and they do have thirty USDA-approved [Bellota] hams, guest residents admitted to our shores by the USDA as a preview of hams to come."

That is a relative bargain that is, I suspect, priced as such to whet people's appetites for more when it comes in

[erha2]

BryanZ, on Dec 10 2007, 01:34 PM, said:

It's probably not bellota.  Just the "normal" Iberico, which is still pretty sick.

ETA:  Haven't the Atelier(s) Joel Robuchon been claiming to serve Iberico for a while now?  How is that possible?  The whole Iberico-in-the-US thing is great, but confusing.

i believe you are right...i know that the l'atelier in tokyo (roppongi) had it and i had a long conversation with my server about how I couldn't get it in the US. in the end, my server insisted that they had it at the NYC l'atelier.

[chefboy24]

Dryden, on Dec 10 2007, 11:55 AM, said:

Picked some up this past weekend - it's steeply priced, though - $90/lb for machine sliced and $99 by hand.  But it is totally amazing...

WAAAAAAAAAAAAT

on my way, now

[LPShanet]

kathryn, on Dec 11 2007, 09:09 AM, said:

What I got from Dean and Deluca last night was labeled as Bellota, though. $75/lb. Grub Street verified this with their corporate folks:

"[Grub Street] checked and they do have thirty USDA-approved [Bellota] hams, guest residents admitted to our shores by the USDA as a preview of hams to come."

It may well be bellota that Dean and Deluca has. I was only speaking about the Despana stuff, as I haven't checked out Dean and Deluca's product. One caveat, though: like with many DO (controlled region of origin) products, there are specific rules, and also many attempts to circumvent them by clever labeling. So it's also possible that this is not the real stuff. You'd want to read the label and look for a few other signs to make sure that it said the right magic words:) Either way, as long as it's real Iberico, it's bound to be pretty good. Were they hand slicing?

[kathryn]

Yes, they were handslicing at D&D (rather awkwardly as I had some slices that were just a little too thick). There was a giant ham with the bone in, clearly labelled as Bellota and "new" on display. It's right past the cheeses in the Soho location, Prince & Broadway.

This post has been edited by kathryn: 11 December 2007 - 10:24 AM

[Swicks]

Man i'm drooling at that picture...

Ham futures...GENIUS.

Would there be a reasonable facimile avaliable at a specialty food store, say a whole foods?

[Dryden]

Just got some of the bellota @ dean & deluca. It's better than the stuff at Despana (and cheaper, too!), though probably not sliced as expertly...

The "regular" iberico at Despana has a nuttiness to the fat that is delicious. The bellota tastes like an entire toasted hazelnut forest is hiding in the fat. When they start importing this regularly, I may end up broke eating it... but I'll be really, really happy.

[Greystreet]

:Drool: