The wait is over, get your Spanish Ibérico Suckling Pig, average 8-8.5lbs! Roast one of these in an oven or smoker for your next special dinner party. One pig will serve three to four people. We suggest presenting the roasted pig to your guests. Then, in your kitchen, prepare all of the meat, fat, and crispy skin to be served together. The humble taco has been our favorite way to savor the nutty flavor of this pork. If you have time, try roasting low and slow at around 165°F for 4-6 hours. If you need to speed things up, try 250°F for 3 hours. To finish, sprinkle the pork with a course salt like Fumee de Sel.
Why is Suckling Pig so hard to find? Even regular suckling pigs are hard to find because farmers generally do not want to sell a pig so small. They can create more value by raising that pig for a few months to be 150-300lbs. For this reason, our 8lbs average Suckling Ibérico Pigs should be saved for special occasions.
One reason this is the most expensive ham in the world is that for a pig to be a designated Ibérico de Bellota, it must be pure bred and spend around 6 months doubling its weight in a wilderness called the Dehesa. The Dehesa is a vast prairie with hills dotted with oak trees. One pig per hectare (2.5 acres) is the limit allowed in the Dehesa, so there are enough acorns for all of the pigs. This is the only breed that can eat so many acorns per day. Other breeds of pigs would die if given over 3lbs. As mentioned, an Ibérico pig might enjoy 15lbs per day! A combination of the breed, the diet, and exercise roaming the Dehesa, gives Ibérico pigs their unparalleled flavor. The pigs are captured and harvested at the first USDA approved slaughter house in Spain. Their font and hind legs will be come these revered hams, while all of the other cuts are relished by gourmets for fresh meat.