Jamon Iberico and US customs

Greetings from Sevilla, Spain.
I cannot figure out whether or not I can bring home some jamon iberico. I have found a lot of contradicting facts on the US customs website- most cured meat seems restricted, but my hopes are up with the recent news of the opening to importation of the ham. Does this apply to only licensed importers or to little- old- jamon- coveting me as well? This is the only place I can turn to in my hour (or future hour) of need. Its that good!

I believe you will have to accidentally forget that you left a leg of ham in the middle of your clothing. One company has gone through the regulatory and inspection process to get their product approved, but no one else's is.

Hi,

You may consult this thread on U.S. Customs.

The company who has successfully imported this ham can advise this has not been an easy haul. I met people related to them at the Fancy Food Show last year who commented there was an earlier import. The USDA allowed it to pass, then dropped the curtain on importation. They seemed to have corrected whatever the concerns were for another import recently.

Regards,

In general, you can not bring back meat. Sometimes they allow canned meat, sometimes not. Do not count on it. They are still concerned about hoof and mouth disease. The meat-seeking Beagle will find you in line at customs.

Was fortunate enough to find a vendor of pata negra with a vacuum sealer- 24 euros/kilo!
Back home safely...

24 euros a kilo... i'm dying here.

If anyone is curious, the price per pound for hand-sliced jamon iberico, from a bone-in ham, at Zingerman's, is a measly $100/lb. Unless you buy less than a pound, in which case it's $160/lb.

Yeah, for real. That makes it a, I believe, 9,000,000,000,000% markup.

That said, there really is no comparison at all. It is so much better, meatier, richer, fattier, more complex with you get those slightly thicker, irregular shards of fatty jamon... I'd pay that markup every day over the machine sliced boneless stuff all around town here.

We need to convince cafe iberico to offer a hand-sliced jamon iberico plate. I'll gladly pay the $25 or whatever it would be for a few ounces.

Last week Fox and Obel had a sign up about Pata Negra arriving on the 24th. I've called every day, and the shipment is "still in customs". The proposed price is $85 a pound.

Earlier this year I posted some pictures of Jamon Iberico on "The Best Ate Recently" (or something like that) thread. A friend accidentally brought back a pound of Bellota Bellota in his suitcase. I think the worst thing thyat would happen is that you'd lose your ham. In my recent experience, customs inspection has not been particularly diligent.

I'm still calling Fox and Obel daily so I can joyfully trade my $85 for some acorn fed, black footed pig meat. I'll let you know when it arrives.

deesher wrote:I'm still calling Fox and Obel daily so I can joyfully trade my $85 for some acorn fed, black footed pig meat. I'll let you know when it arrives.

The jamon iberico that is currently being imported by La Tienda (there may be others) is not fed on acorns (http://www.tienda.com/food/products/jm-12.html). The much more expensive bellota hams (scheduled to arrive mid-year) do have acorns in their diet.

Bill/SFNM

I just checked -- Pastoral has received the Pata Negra in the initial shipment but they've sold out. Pastoral, F&O and Sam's are all scheduled to receive the next shipment, which isn't due for another two weeks, but after some of the customs problems, there aren't any guarantees.

And yes, I double-checked, for those who know I work at F&O -- there isn't a secret sample stash for employees. : (

Avec had it yesterday, at $25 for 2 oz. It was incredible.

Fox & Obel's is in as well -- $86.99/lb -- they were all coming in on the same shipment, so I would guess that Pastoral and Sam's now have it as well. I can't wait to try it!

gleam wrote:If anyone is curious, the price per pound for hand-sliced jamon iberico, from a bone-in ham, at Zingerman's, is a measly $100/lb. Unless you buy less than a pound, in which case it's $160/lb.

Yeah, for real. That makes it a, I believe, 9,000,000,000,000% markup.

Zingerman's jamon iberico now on sale.

Anyone know if this can be found anywhere in Chicago? I'm dying to try some but can't afford the airfare at the moment.

Stephen wrote:Anyone know if this can be found anywhere in Chicago? I'm dying to try some but can't afford the airfare at the moment.

Did you try any of the sources listed in this thread, such as Fox and Obel? Also try Juicy Wine Company.

Here's my advice:

Go here.

Order the La Quercia organic green label prosciutto.

I had wonderful Iberico in Spain (not every time I ate it, by any means), I've had pretty good Iberico in the US, but this unquestionably beats the latter and might duke it out with the former. I haven't had the acorn-fed La Quercia, but the organic was extraordinarily good, well worth the price differential. No, prosciutto and jamon iberico aren't exactly the same thing, but they have a pretty close family relationship, and this stuff is great.

Mike G wrote:Here's my advice:

Go here.

Order the La Quercia organic green label prosciutto.

I had wonderful Iberico in Spain (not every time I ate it, by any means), I've had pretty good Iberico in the US, but this unquestionably beats the latter and might duke it out with the former. I haven't had the acorn-fed La Quercia, but the organic was extraordinarily good, well worth the price differential. No, prosciutto and jamon iberico aren't exactly the same thing, but they have a pretty close family relationship, and this stuff is great.

Do they sell the organic green label stuff at the Lincoln Park Whole Foods? Granted, they can't properly slice prosciutto there if their lives depended upon it, but it would no doubt be easier to source it there.

Could be!

aschie30 wrote:Do they sell the organic green label stuff at the Lincoln Park Whole Foods? Granted, they can't properly slice prosciutto there if their lives depended upon it, but it would no doubt be easier to source it there.

Add the N. Halsted location to the list of Whole Foods that cannot properly slice meat - I got some La Quercia speck there the other day and it was way too thick. I should have insisted that he slice another batch for me, but I didn't.

Anyway...

Pastoral on Broadway had some Iberico ham a year or so ago, though I don't know if they currently stock it.

Pastoral
2945 N Broadway
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 472-4781

-Dan

Heck, for a while there you could get it at Costco. As I recall some sort of requirement/tax changed and the price will double very soon (or has it already?) so very soon now, if not already, the prices will make it cost prohibitive.

Bill/SFNM wrote:

deesher wrote:I'm still calling Fox and Obel daily so I can joyfully trade my $85 for some acorn fed, black footed pig meat. I'll let you know when it arrives.

The jamon iberico that is currently being imported by La Tienda (there may be others) is not fed on acorns (http://www.tienda.com/food/products/jm-12.html). The much more expensive bellota hams (scheduled to arrive mid-year) do have acorns in their diet.

Bill/SFNM

Bingo. Bellota is the 'must have' ham. And it must be hand sliced; the electric meat slicer used at F&O is a disgrace, especially at those prices.

I ate some alleged Bellota at Seville restaurant in San Diego, but it was nothing like what I had in BCN: it was soft, pink and had no where near the depth of flavor of the deep red, almost leathery of the Bellota I had in anything from sandwich shops to high end places.

La Tienda does now sell Bellota: http://www.tienda.com/food/products/jm-52.html

FYI,

I found Iberico Ham (brought to us by Jose Andres, no less!) at Costco tonight.

A friend was cutting ham at the Bellota Bellota shop in Berlin and said that they were going to open a shop in NYC. I couldn't find any info on the internet about it though.

Bringing Home the Bacon Gets Tougher in an Age of Terror.

^ saw that, too. I think that I am going to cool it for a while

globetrotter wrote:^ saw that, too. I think that I am going to cool it for a while

All it takes is one dude with a bomb in his shorts to ruin it for those of us with a sausage in our shorts.

by the way, for what ever reason porto rico seems not to have the same restrictions on importing meat that mainland US has, or they dont enforce it. and there is no customs coming from Porto Rico. I have seen wonderful spanish preserved meats for sale in Porto Rico. just saying.