Jamón Jamón

Seems like such a short time ago when we were excitedly telling you how we were to thrilled to find decent prosciutto. And now we find that available right here in Sydney nothing short of genuine (imported) Jamón ibérico - the most prized cured ham in the world.

Jamón ibérico is only exported in very small amounts from it's native Spain and is made from the cerdo negro or black iberico pig which feed on bellota acorns in the South and South West of the country.

But happily the first commercial shipment ever has found it's way here and it's beginning to find it's way onto menus at top spots such as Rockpool and Marque (and even more happily, to our table!).

With a little nudge in the right direction from Gourmet Traveller we went to Terry Wright's Gourmet Meats in Randwick to procure a taste over the past weekend.

It was steep, we paid a touch over $30 for a touch over 100gms but an incredible treat. Eaten with the fingers naturally.

Speaking in Gourmet Traveller, Mark Best describes Jamón ibérico this way:

"It has some of the attributes of foie gras - not the taste but the intensity...I've had this brand Joselito before - they have it at Ducasse and Robuchon in Paris - and it makes prosciutto look like soccerball ham."

Comments

[emily]

$30 for a 100gms !?! that's very very steep. I've yet to try a good ham before so I guess I probably don't know what I'm missing.

[Sean]

it's so worth every cent though....you'll have to try it to believe it. And if you do report back....love to know your impressions.

[Anna]

i've never been a big jamón fan – it’s always seemed a little too dry for me, like they’ve pre-cut it. never had it in spain though, only in other european countries who have imported it.

i've always preferred italy's prosciutto crudo, but then i lived in rome for a spell so i carry a lot of bias.

looking forward to trying this jamón. from the photo it has wonderful marbling and an absolutely glistening, delicious fat content. looks divine!

[Rob]

If you can afford it, get it.
It's simply the best. Proscuitto San Danielo is good, very good, but jamon iberico de bellota is just in a league of its own. Go to Terry Wright and try some. He always has a tasting platter on top of the counter. Buy 50 or 100 grams shaved and just have it as an appetizer. Eat it as-is, or prepare it as the Spanish do, with bread and tomato. Slice a small French Stick lengthways, and cut into 8-10cm long pieces. Peel 2-3 tomatoes and remove the seeds. Put in a bowl and mash them up, with a few drops of (Spanish) olive oil. Put one small spoonful of the tomato pulp on a slice of bread, put some jamon on top and enjoy. A nice Tempranillo (preferably Rioja) will go well with it and enhances the nutty flavors of the jamon.
By the way, don't call it ham... that's an insult.

[Jose Maria]

The best spanish hams can get very expensive, indeed. Choosing a good ham can be pretty tricky though, and you may easily end up paying for something that is not the real thing (probably what happened to Sean).
Look for the following keywords:
- ibérico (this is the race of the pig)
- bellota (means that the pig has been fed exclusively with acorns during its finishing period)
Good "iberico de bellota" ham should display stripes of marbled fat intertwined within the meat. It should not be dry at all; actually it should be very juicy.
It is safer to rely on a Denomination of Origin rather than on a brand, if you want to have a guarantee of the quality of the ham. Amongst the D.O.s, Dehesa de Extremadura is considered the one that enforces stricter quality controls.
And yes, be ready to pay big for some of the best spanish hams.
Just an example here:
http://www.ibergour.com/en/productos/ficha_producto?id_prod=jmalq

[Sean]

Jose Maria,

I'm not sure what would lead you to believe that we paid for something that wasn't the real thing??

We had Joselito an excellent maker of Jamon Iberico de Bellota by anyone's measure.