There is a restaurant in Atlanta that sells Spanish style Iberian acorn-fed pork and it's delicious. That's the cured variety that I was looking for, but I stumbled on these guys who set up an operation in Texas. They flew in purebread Iberian pigs from Spain to Texas and are now selling. the pork. It's not cured Jamon Iberico, but cuts for you to cook. Has anyone tried these guys? I'm thinking of ordering some.

https://www.acornseekers.com/

I've had the cured jamon before, never just straight up raw pork to cook. Some of their pork prices are really high ($30/lb), but perhaps it's worth it. If you order any please report back, I'm curious to hear about it. I would consider getting something in the roast category as the prices are much more reasonable. Also the belly, jowls, and fatback might be worth playing around with.

There are some high quality pork operations here in the US with imported pigs. Some of the best prosciutto I've ever had came from a place in Iowa and it rivaled what I had eaten in Italy.

Yeah, I might start with a burnt ends pork belly cook off to see if I can taste the difference. It's really pricey.

Man, when I saw your post I was excited about some cured meats. I haven't found anything here yet that rivaled what I had in Barcelona. I'm sure it's out there, I just haven't found it.

I want to go to Spain just for that. If you are ever in Atlanta, go to the restaurant called The Iberian Pig in Decatur.

If beef jerky is the cocaine of dried/cured meat, then Jamon Iberico had got to be the dilaudid/heroin. I've only had the cured meat. I'm now curious to see if being acorn fed makes a difference with the other.

Give BCN Taste and Tradition in Houston a try. One of my favorite restaurants in Houston.

Interesting article in Garden and Gun about Iberico hams:

https://gardenandgun.com/feature/on-the-iberico-trail/

It seems that Spain has different rules regarding the curing of hams:

Quote:

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While our group praises Maldonado's handiwork, Benton stands alone in the corner, figuring percentages in his head. The USDA requires him to salt a twenty-five-pound ham for fifty days before hanging it to age, but a Spanish firm can hang the same-size ham after only twelve days. Benton decides that is why the pork he tastes this morning is sweeter and less salty than what he cures back home. That taste is not new to him. It reminds him of the acorn-fattened hams his grandparents salted and hung in Virginia two generations back, before stricter governmental regulations took effect.

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Pork secreto is supposedly amazing

We've gotten a multipack of iberico fresh pork in the past from a Spanish producer via Costco and it's very tasty. The secreto is delicious cooked pink in the middle with crispy fat edges on the outside on a grill or screamin hot skillet. It has a rich red meat flavor to it that makes mass produced pork chops seem anemic.

Jamon iberico de bellota is delightful but I can't bring myself to shell out for a whole ham. We have a ham stand and carving set up and I usually buy a mangalitsa jamon Serrano once a year in the winter. Almost as good with plenty of snowy white fat sans the sticker shock!

There's an Iberico ham operation in Comfort, Texas. They sell through the Spanish foods marketer El Tienda.

Texas Iberico

We ordered some several years ago and other than the price and that we just do not each much pork, I am not sure why we have not kept ordering.

It is very delicious (in my opinion) though the nuttiness flavor does come through in the meat, which we particularly liked. Tenderness was off the charts vs any other pork we have had.

May have to order some more. I would absolutely give it a try.

For cured Iberico, the larger Specs particularly the Smith St location in Houston used to keep some variety.

For those acorn eating swine, they actually flew the starting herd over from Spain.

GeorgiAg said:

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I want to go to Spain just for that.

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Do it. We went to Bilbao (and Laguardia) and San Sebastian pre-covid.

It was an absolutely amazing trip with great wine, food, and experiences. If you're even lightly considering it, you should go.

Bilbao is one of the more underrated food and wine destinations IMO.