Product Review: Fermín: Lomo Serrano

The Spanish term lomo serrano means "mountain loin" (not to be confused with "mountain lion"). It is a dry-cured pork loin (lomo) produced using farm-raised white pigs. The meat is dried in curing sheds up in the mountains (sierras, for which serrano is the adjective), where it is cool and dry.[1] Cuts of meat from the front legs (paletilla serrano, "mountain blade") or from the hind legs (jamón serrano, "mountain ham") are also dry-cured this way. The serrano varieties are the least-expensive dry-cured meats in Spain. The more expensive varieties (e.g. jamón ibérico, "Iberian ham") are made using free-range Iberian black pigs. Because the dry-curing process produces an intense, salty flavor, these meats are typically sliced very thin.

My verdict: The meat was savory and salty and perfectly delicious. However, it was vacuum-sealed and this mashed the thin slices of meat together to the point that they were hard to peel apart without breaking. However, the meat is very expensive and you get relatively little in a package. So while I really liked lomo serrano, I'd recommend purchasing a dry-cured meat product that will give you more for your money (e.g., prosciutto [2]).

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Notes:

[1] See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamón serrano.

[2] Read my review of Fiorucci prosciutto here.