Hand-sliced jamón ibérico de bellota from Joselito, one of the oldest and most respected producers of Iberian ham in Spain. Joselito has been curing ham in Guijuelo, Salamanca, since 1868 — six generations of the same family, working with the same breed, the same dehesa landscape, and the same unhurried approach to production.

This is Gran Reserva grade, which means an extended cure — typically upwards of 36 months, and in Joselito's case often considerably longer. The pigs are pure-bred Ibérico, raised on the dehesa pastures of western Spain and finished on acorns (bellotas) during the montanera, the annual autumn mast season when the oak forests fruit. The acorn diet is what drives the distinctive fat profile: Ibérico pigs have a genetic predisposition to infiltrate fat into the muscle tissue, and when that fat is composed largely of oleic acid from the acorns, the result is an intramuscular marbling that is aromatic, fluid, and melts at close to room temperature.

The slices are elongated and finely cut, with a colour that ranges from deep pink to purple-red, laced with glossy, translucent fat. The flavour is intense and layered — savoury and nutty at first, with a sweetness that builds and a long, clean finish. The fat dissolves on the tongue almost immediately, which is the hallmark of a well-cured bellota ham and the characteristic that separates it from lesser grades.

Joselito controls every stage of production — breeding, rearing, slaughter, salting, and curing — which is unusual even among premium Ibérico producers. The hams are cured in their own secaderos in Guijuelo, where the altitude and dry continental climate provide the natural conditions for a slow, even cure.

Producer: Joselito, Guijuelo, Salamanca, Spain. Established 1868.

Ingredients: Iberian ham leg, sea salt.