Recently, our Cheese Buyer and Imports Manager, David Robinson (pictured on the left), and Head Cheese Buyer, Marc Hernandez (pictured on the right), took a trip to Spain. During their time there, they had the pleasure of touring Jamón producer Montaraz's facilities. They supply us with the Jamón Ibérico and Jamón Ibérico de Bellota that we sell at our shops. Below is Dave's recap of the visit.
As soon as Marc and I touched down in Madrid, we immediately drove to Montaraz, our Jamon Iberico supplier. Their production facility and aging rooms are located in the small village of Villar de Gallimazo, outside of Salamanca. The plains and hills were covered in hues of green, from eucalyptus to sage to dark forest. As we approached Montaraz, the tilled brown fields surrounding their compound did not give any hint as to what we were in store for.
Despite it being the sacred time of lunch, Ramon Martin met us with enthusiasm and directed our tour from start to finish. Ramon is the 5th generation of the Martin family to join the business, and his passion was palpable. His voice expressed pride and joy as he led us through each stage of production and the processes involved. The smells of curing Lomo were present at every turn, but the tour took a hard turn right as we entered the Jamón curing areas. These legs of ham spend the first couple of years in temperature-controlled rooms, but as they approach 2 years old, they are moved to large aging rooms. Similar to old barns, they offer the same temperature and atmosphere as the outdoor elements (in an attempt to replicate the historic conditions that the hams were traditionally aged in). The Jamón is aged for a minimum of 4 years and often longer. The grandiose view in front of us was manifested in the sight and smell of the thousands of legs. As you can imagine, all of this really just makes one hungry for Jamón, and we were not disappointed.
Ramon took us to lunch where we not only met his father, Ramon, but we also sampled 5-year-old Jamón Ibérico de Bellota “Don Ramon,” as well as local lamb and other bites. After our much needed cortados, we began our journey back to Madrid. This visit was a roaring success to the beginning of our mini tour of northwest Spain.
Montaraz is a 5th-generation family-owned producer of Jamón Ibérico de Bellota de Pata Negra. Begun in 1890 by José Manuel Martín, it has been passed down through the family and is now run by Ramon Martin and his brother, Jaime Martín Sánchez. The younger Ramon, who led our tour, showed us why he is the latest generation to become involved. Montaraz owns about 75% of their own Ibérico pigs, with plans to own 100% soon, and controls all of the production, from feed to slaughter to packaging. The pigs are all raised in the Dehesa of Extremadurra. Some of the pigs are slaughtered and aged in Extremadurra and the rest near Salamanca. The different facilities produce different tasting products. The Jamón Ibérico is from Salamanca under the label of “Unico” (this is what we carry at Fomaggio Kitchen). Products from the south are under the label “Dom Ramon”. All of their pigs are Ibéricode Pata Negra and they produce Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, Jamón de IbéricoCebo de Campo and a host of other cured and fresh products. Of their cured meats, only the Jamón is available in the U.S.
Both Bellota and Cebo de Campo refer to the diet of the pigs. Bellota means acorn, which is their preferred diet. For about the last 6 months of their lives, the pigs live and feed in oak forests. The fallen acorns make up most of what they eat, and that’s what makes the fat so extra special. Cebo de campo follows a similar pattern, but in this case, the pigs live in fields and eat mostly wild grains.