The secrets to take home the best Iberian ham

A thin slice of acorn-fed Iberian ham on the palate, marbled with that oily fat which, at room temperature, melts before our eyes, rivals the pleasure of savouring a rare Wagyu steak. It is Spain’s most exclusive product, as our dehesas are the only system in the world capable of producing it, and the alchemy required for a piece to achieve excellence is down to a multitude of factors. In fact, there are so many variables at play in the rearing, curing and maturation of an acorn-fed Iberian ham that a thorough understanding of them is now considered worthy of a university degree.

For the time being, Manuel López, ham tuner and owner of Reserva Ibérica, accompanies us with a practical guide that will help us buy a ham and captivate our table companions when a tray with those irresistible slices arrives.

 

Prior knowledge

There are four Protected Designations of Origin (PDOs) where the Iberian pigs that produce acorn-fed ham are reared: Guijuelo (Salamanca), Dehesa de Extremadura (Extremadura), Jabugo (Huelva) and Los Pedroches (Córdoba). Just these four. White pork ham has its own PDO, that of Teruel.

• An Iberian ham is not more expensive because of its D.O. but, in all likelihood, because of the marketing and positioning strategy of the person who has given it his or her seal of approval. Consumers follow the wine route – paying more attention to the name of the winemaker than to the origin of the product – but with ham it is advisable to be cautious. “When acorn-fed hams come out of the drying shed, they will all carry the same label, but no two pieces are the same,” warns Manuel López.
• The montanera, the time in which the Iberian pig feeds in the pasture, begins at the end of September. Until the time of slaughter -between the end of January and the beginning of March at the latest-, the pig eats grass and acorns with zeal, accumulating fat in preparation for a winter whose end it will not be able to see. Its genetics allow it to gain weight in a relatively short time.
• Acorn-fed ham is perfect after three years, not before. Cebo hams, lacking that amount of oleic acid, mature earlier.
• The ideal pairing is with champagne, cava, white wine or fino. For a better balance, red wine should be avoided because its tannins mask the flavor of the ham.
• A shoulder ham and an acorn-fed ham differ in weight, not in quality, and if the price of the former is lower, it is due to the lower percentage of ham obtained in terms of bone and because the ham needs more curing time, which makes the piece more expensive.
• Everyone accepts that between a young wine and a crianza or a reserva and a gran reserva there is a notable difference in price. Here it is the same. This brings us to the flanges that mark the quality of the piece.

 

The label

A 2014 Royal Decree established four categories for Iberian ham and eliminated the term “recebo”. They are identified by the colors black, red, green and white.

• 100% Iberian Acorn-fed Acorn-fed Ham ( black bridle): these are pieces that come from 100% Iberian breed pigs raised in freedom in the pastures and fed during their last fattening phase on acorns, pastures and aromatic herbs.
• Iberian Bellota Ham (red): the piece comes from a crossbred pig of the Iberian breed with Duroc , normally raised in freedom in the pastures and fed during its last fattening phase on acorns, pastures and aromatic herbs.
• Cebo de Campo Ham (green): this is also a crossbred pig (it will rarely be 100% Iberian breed) and has lived outside, feeding not only on feed but also on pasture but not on acorns.
• Cebo ham (white): the piece comes from a crossbred animal fed with feed and raised in stables or feedlots under an intensive regime. They are slaughtered before the age of one year. Pressure from the powerful industry created around it forced its inclusion in the 2014 list.

How to recognise a good acorn-fed ham

The first sense that comes into play is sight, but smell and touch are the ones that will not deceive you. We must look at the morphology of the leg. If it is thin, it is a good sign, contrary to what we may think at first glance, because it indicates that it is an animal that has been free in the field and the exercise has allowed the fat to infiltrate between its muscle fibers. Thus, normally, the white pig has a thicker shank.

Secondly, the fat: the ham ‘sweats’ oleic acid at room temperature and in the best ham it is almost transparent. It melts in the mouth. This brings us to the touch: you press with your thumb and your finger penetrates very easily. You can’t do this with a Serrano ham. By touching the fat, you can tell if it has too much or too little acorn.

“Once the minimums are exceeded, the different qualities of each piece begin. It depends not only on the animal but also on the breeder and the time you leave it in the cellar. Be careful, although time makes it gain nuances and flavor, there comes a maximum point at which the piece begins to dry out and to lower its quality. We monitor them to market them when they reach their maximum quality”, explains Manuel López.