Iberian Ham (Jamon Iberico) in Toronto?

[anonymousmark]

I'm looking to track down some Iberian Ham in Toronto. Does anyone know of any specialty grocers or butchers that might have it in stock? I've already tried Whole Foods with no luck.

Thanks in advance,
Mark

[jl_1978]

If someone wants to splurge for Christmas:
http://www.costco.ca/Bone-in-Jam%C3%B...

[Charles Yu]

Awesome!!!! Thanks!! Wonder if the stand comes with the Ham?!

[TorontoJo]

Yes, it does!

Features:
8 kg (17.6 lb.) Bone-in Jamón Ibérico dry-cured 24 months
Wood stand
Carving knife
Shipped in an insulated box with ice-pack

[elvisahmed]

Charles knowing a bit about you from what you post here I think you would want to go for the 36 months aged one here :)
http://www.costco.ca/Bone-in-Jam%C3%B...

It was a part of the tasting menu at E' by Jose Andreas in Vegas (I don't eat pork) but my friend who tried it still raves about it.

[Charles Yu]

Ha!Ha! For that price, I might as well grab a JetBlue flight to NYC for Can$99, eat the ham to my heart's content at some of those gorgeous tapas bar and have enough money left for a couple of Michelin 3* meals!!!

[PoppiYYZ]

Ha ha,

Meet you at Despaña ?

[Charles Yu]

Bravo! You read my mind!!

[Flexitarian]

For that price Costco should send a carver to your house to carve it for you too!

[auberginegal]

wow, who knew?! now if only i could convince several people to chip in to split the costs...

[1sweetpea]

Um, host a chowhounders' potluck party but charge a small fee to help pay for the Jamon Iberico and a server/dishwasher. Guests can bring a dish of their own plus a bottle of wine or other spirits.

On a separate note, I'm pretty sure I've seen pre-packaged Jamon Iberico slices at Bruno's (Yonge and Heath St.). I don't recall the price, but it was enough to deter me that day.

[butterfly]

¡Dios mío! I'm going hug my jamón in Madrid a little harder after seeing those prices. This 24-month ham isn't even a "bellota" ham--the pigs were fed regular feed. On the plus side, under the right atmospheric conditions, a ham keeps for at least six months.

[PoppiYYZ]

Bought some Jamon Iberico in a vac-pac from McEwans this week. Package says Fermin is the first Iberico producer to meet USDA standards.

Tasty but not worth the $17 for 4 slices.

[gegtik]

I had bought some at the Fresh&Wild at the corner of King+Spadina

[Kagemusha]

As I mentioned WAAAAY back in this thread, Spanish pork products like Serrano and other hams are in wide circulation, even more so now, so don't sucker for the boutique con and pay a jacked price--supermarkets carry it now!

[Charles Yu]

McEwan has a whole leg on display!

[PoppiYYZ]

Bump.

Has McEwan sliced into it yet ? ;-)

Seriously though, are there any other good Jamon Iberico source(s) available ? Got me a craving for some good cured pig...

[flying101]

Famu in J-town (they even have imberico bacon!)

also I think Easton's Charcuterie was planning on ordering some in too.

[herbs go karts]

I believe Cheese Boutique has had Iberico in the past...

[childofthestorm]

Scheffler's in SLM had a leg of pata negra not long ago. I had a $20 breakfast of it one morning on one of the picnic tables outside.

[vinh8464]

Hey all,
I found Jamon Iberico, I'm pretty sure its not bellota. But it is Iberico.

MEDIUM RARE
5241 Dundas St. West, Etobicoke, ON M9B 1A5
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

[millygirl]

Summerhill Market sells Serrano Jamon imported from Spain, vacumn packed. It's about $9 for 7 or 8 slices. I have some in my fridge right now.

[erly]

Estufarian is correct.
I too, have seen the label.
Possibly you did have a different ham when you were there, but they have the "real" thing.

[MichelinStarChaser]

Yes, I have seen it on the menu at Chiado, and tried to order it recently but they were out of it that night. And better not to ask them to explain to you how they come by it... ;)
As you'll see in my previous postings, if you speak to the guys who import Spanish ham/charcuterie into Toronto, they'll rightfully explain to you that true Jamon Iberico is not officially available here yet. I'm American, so I know our food importation rules are different than Canada's, but last I checked, as Estufarian stated, the best varieties are still not available in the US -- that's why I always hear stories of friends at the US border getting "busted" for trying to smuggle cured meats in their suitcases -- heck, it even happened to my grandmother last time she went to Italy! Will check again when I'm home for Xmas.

[erly]

Chaido - bar menu
You need to ask for it in the restaurant.
They will explain to you how they come by it.
Think it is about $25. per portion.
I've had it a couple of times, but it doesn't seem to be as smooth as the ham I remember in Spain.

[paul6519]

That's because they do not have the real Spanish Iberico. What they have is a cured ham that is from portugal that portugal calls Serrano. I can confirm that the only similarity is the name.

[estufarian]

Before you "confirm" check the label on the ham (it's still attached). Denominacion de Origen and Bellota are both included. And it doesn't say Serrano anywhere!

But more important - TASTE it!
If it isn't the real stuff, then I want to know where to get this.

[estufarian]

Currently reporting from Spain (Granada) so don ́t have access to my home records.
But search my previous posts - buried you will find a place to try Jamon Iberico in Toronto - I won ́t comment on how it arrived, but it ́s genuine.

[j6p]

I was just in NYC the past week and sampled Iberico products at a shop called despana that specialize in spanish gourmet products. They are now available in the US so hopefully soon in canada.

[estufarian]

Actually there are many grades (ages). The youngest has just about reached the point of being 'legal' in US. But it's going to be another year (2008) before the aged stuff is legal.

[jabugo]

its a minimum of 24 months, there are 3 kinds of the same pig though, jamon iberico bellota (100% acorn) recibo (acorn and grain) and just jamon iberico grain and grass fed, best place is 85 km from sevilla called jabugo where the air dries the ham the best according to the spanish

[aser]

a plant in spain (covap) has passed usda certification. The first shipments of Jamon Iberico is scheduled to ship in 2007. Hopefully this means it'll show up soon in Canada also.

My friend snuck some back on a trip recently, lucky bastard.

http://www.tienda.com/indepth/jamonib...

[Kagemusha]

Sorry, Starchaser, but that's doubtful and is part of the con. Imported pork products like serrano and mortadella have been legal for well over a year. It all goes back to the swine flu scare of the '60s that led to import bans in N. America. What people choose to import is another matter and has nothing to do with restrictions.

[MichelinStarChaser]

Hi Kagemusha -- I don't think there's any con going on. Of course Serrano ham is available, but there are certain types of Iberico that I believe are under import restrictions due to how they (the pigs) are grown/fed or prepared or processed (not sure of the reasons, it was explained to me but I've since forgotten -- I think I was drinking too much Spanish wine at the time!) If that weren't the case, one would be able to find Pata Negra in Toronto. I am sure the restrictions will lift eventually. Check out what an interviewer with Marc Thuet wrote in March of 2006:
"Lately he has been selling French-style saucisson (dry sausages) from Quebec (and waiting until import laws relax even further so he can get hold of French ones), as well as sliced sun-dried tomato-basil turkey."
But if you do find any of those hams about, let me know -- I'll bring the manchego and Rioja!
Cheers...

[MichelinStarChaser]

UPDATE! Just spoke to Michael at Serrano Imports (416-929-7765) and he said that if anyone has any questions about the Iberico hams and when they will be coming to Canada, they can contact him. He did say that currently it is not available, but they are working on it and hoping it will be here by 2008. Also, there is a consortium that governs the quality, when Iberico comes in, there will a seal on it saying it is Real Iberico. If it doesn't have this, it is basically "buyer beware".

[MichelinStarChaser]

Pata Negra or Jamon Iberico are fantastic, but as far I've understood (I asked them once at Cava -- more of a desperate pleading really), it is illegal to import them into Canada at this time. (But of course I guess it's possible that someone could have found a way to smuggle some in...perhaps that's why you were able to try it here!)

[anonymousmark]

Good advice, thank you :)

From what I understand, the quality of the Serrano ham depends a lot on the producer and that the lower quality Serrano ham is a little easier to find then the higher quality stuff. I've tracked down two places that at least "claim" to have the higher quality stuff: Epicure and another place down at the SLM, but if anyone in-the-know can tell me what to look for to know whether I'm getting the higher quality stuff I'd appreciate it.

Normally I wouldn't be fussy as I imagine the taste difference isn't noticable to the casual pallate, but I'm preparing the meal for a special occasion and would like to put in the extra effort.

[paul6519]

Just so you know...there is only 1 type of serrano ham beign sold right now in Canada. The brand name is Campofrio. Some places specialy some restaurants claim to have Iberico or even pata negra but that is NOT true. Campofrio is not the best Serrano ham but it is by far a much better product than proccuto.

[Tout Garni]

There is a huge difference in taste among the different kinds of ham. Pato negro is perhaps the best I've ever tasted (in Spain). I was told the pigs are fed acorns by a deli owner who had me taste pato negro vs. run of the mill jamon. An incredible difference of taste and texture. That said, 100 grams cost me over $20. I'm not sure Canadians are ready to pay that kind of money.

[butterfly]

Jamón ibérico (pata negra--pato negro means black duck!) and jamón serrano/curado are not comparable products at all.

Jamón ibérico comes from a different pig (el cerdo ibérico) and has the capacity to produce very finely marbled meat with unsaturated nutty flavored fat. Within the category of jamón ibérico, there are also different levels of quality: de pienso (grain fed), de recebo (acorn and grain fed), and de bellota (acorn fed).

The ibérico that will be imported into the US (and Canada?) will not be processed exactly the same way that it is for the Spanish/European market, due to the USDA regulations. The same goes for the imported serrano--the good traditionally produced stuff isn't imported at this time.

[Kagemusha]

I guess my only point, Mark,is that Spanish serrano ham is in fairly wide circulation now(e.g., Longo's), so don't fall for the boutique "con" that you're getting something "rare."

[anonymousmark]

No luck with any of the Loblaws Markets, though apparently the Queens Quay location will be testing out the Serrano starting this weekend for a limited run. Unfortunately I'm bound by public transit so Longo's is a little out of the way, but thanks for the suggestion!

[Kagemusha]

It's been legal in Canada for some time, as is Italian mortadella. I get mine from Longo's but I suspect the upscale Loblaws have it, too. It's not all that uncommon now.

[anonymousmark]

Thank you very much! Definitely a good plan B if I can't track down the Iberian (which seems to be likely at this point).

[Tout Garni]

Epicure on Parliament south of Carlton sells Jamon Serrano.