Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Jamon Iberico


Dryden

Recommended Posts

Despana now has iberico bellota paletilla (shoulder); apparently the curing process is the same as for the bellota jamon, only shorter. It's phenomenal. I actually don't think it has quite the intensity of flavor of the Fermin iberico jamon; there isn't such an intense cheesy funk. But the texture and appearance are spot-on for bellota jamon. It glistens to a far greater extent than the regular jamon, the fat melts much more readily at room temp, and it's more tender. $120/lb.

Iberico is spreading. I spotted the Fermin today at Essex Market (at Formaggio Essex).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Got some more iberico bellota paleta from Despana yesterday. It's really shocking how much better this is than the Fermin iberico jamon. It has that amazing sheen that only the bellota products have, and the fat liquifies almost immediately on human contact.

In my experience, though, it does degrade pretty quickly after being sliced. We consumed a fair amount of it in the car while illegally parked in front of Despana, and by the end of a drive to Philly it wasn't quite the same.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can anyone comment on the shelf life of sliced product? Ideal Cheese sells minimum 1/2 lb., but I sure as heck can't each that much. Would the flavor degrade significantly if I put it in the fridge for a day or two?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can anyone comment on the shelf life of sliced product?  Ideal Cheese sells minimum 1/2 lb., but I sure as heck can't each that much.  Would the flavor degrade significantly if I put it in the fridge for a day or two?

If well-packed, it should be no problem. But you'd be surprised how fast 2 people can go through a 1/2 lbs... :wacko:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ideal Cheese also has the Belotta for $100 a pound 1/2lb minimum. But I would be a little concerned about how the product was packaged and whether it would degrade during shipping. Silly question, but can you just walk into the store and buy a quarter pound?

"There's nothing like a pork belly to steady the nerves."

Fergus Henderson

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mario Batali's new restaurant in the Palazzo, CarneVino, in Las Vegas (attached to the Venetian) has bellota on the menu. I didn't have a chance to stop by to see if it were in; L'Atelier might have had it. I did not see it at L'Atelier...

Edited by Reignking (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just to clarify (it's a little confusing when we say that some place has "the bellota"):

bellota jamon still not available in the US. Won't be available until around July 2008.

But other iberico bellota products are available. The iberico bellota paleta (shoulder) just recently became available, and iberico bellota salchichon, chorizo, and lomo have been available for some time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
Just to clarify (it's a little confusing when we say that some place has "the bellota"):

bellota jamon still not available in the US. Won't be available until around July 2008.

But other iberico bellota products are available. The iberico bellota paleta (shoulder) just recently became available, and iberico bellota salchichon, chorizo, and lomo have been available for some time.

The jamon de bellota paleta is available now because it is a smaller ham which takes less curing time. The "mack daddy" jamon bellota will not be available until the summer. Tienda.com has 4 oz. packages of bellota paleta for $34 mailorder. I happen to know quite a bit about these jamones so feel free to ask any questions....

Lvg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just to clarify (it's a little confusing when we say that some place has "the bellota"):

I happen to know quite a bit about these jamones so feel free to ask any questions....

Lvg

Thanks for the information offer, Lvg. If I were in Manhattan later this week and wanted to get a taste of good Iberico to familiarize myself with it, where should I go? Is there a reliable place where I can buy a quarter pound or so?

Kathleen Purvis, food editor, The Charlotte (NC) Observer

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

If Ideal Cheese had a 1/2 lb minimum on bellota before, they don't now -- we picked up a 1/4 lb of iberico bellota paleta for $25 this weekend. They also had the non-paleta jamon (the "mack daddy" referred to earlier?), but the fat vs. meat ratio looked the same and the price was $45 instead of $25, so... shoulder was plenty tasty enough.

We discussed whether there might be such a thing as iberico bellota lardo. The guess was that it would be possible, but if it cut into the supply of existing/known cuts (such as the jamon), they wouldn't bother.

Cooking and writing and writing about cooking at the SIMMER blog

Pop culture commentary at Intrepid Media

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

There is a restaurant that I ate at recently here in Paris called Bellota Bellota. they specialize in this incredible ham. definitely not cheap but there are 3 different types of bellota ham to try, they also have nice pork plates like a really good braised pork cheeks and plates featuring spanish items like great olive oil and white asparagus.

The best is what they call a 'Vulcan' which is a vulcano of bellota ham, with a candle in the middle. the candle heats the surface that the ham is resting and slowly heats and slightly melts the fat so you have the warm melty fat when you eat the ham. Even if you've had a lot of this bellota ham, still leaves me speechless everytime.

236792733_56f49a2e45_o.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is a restaurant that I ate at recently here in Paris called Bellota Bellota. they specialize in this incredible ham. definitely not cheap but there are 3 different types of bellota ham to try, they also have nice pork plates like a really good braised pork cheeks and plates featuring spanish items like great olive oil and white asparagus.

The best is what they call a 'Vulcan' which is a vulcano of bellota ham, with a candle in the middle. the candle heats the surface that the ham is resting and slowly heats and slightly melts the fat so you have the warm melty fat when you eat the ham. Even if you've had a lot of this bellota ham, still leaves me speechless everytime.

236792733_56f49a2e45_o.jpg

LOL! I was just at Galleries Lafayette yesterday and grabbed a Jamon Iberico sandwhich for 7 Euros (God, it was good), but I saw some people eating the volcano and wondered what it was. Next time I'm in Paris I will have to stop in and try this, it sounds horribly delicious.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...