Presa Iberica

The presa cut is located slightly below the pork tenderloin, in the shoulder area. It's oval shaped and is about 1-2 inches thick. It's also very well marbled and thus, incredibly tender. If it doesn't sound familiar to you, that's because it, well, isn't. Though pigs of all varieties have this piece of muscle, Spanish butchers cut and sells pigs very differently than in the U.S. In the States, we tend to only eat a select few cuts of pork, whereas in Spain it's a nose-to-nail situation.

Part of what makes presa so delicious and unique is the source. Acorn-fed pigs raised on sustainable and humane farms, along with the unique breed native to the Iberian peninsula (encompassing Spain and Portugal), give the meat a complex nutty flavor and a melt-in-your-mouth texture. And presa's shape and composition showcases these nuances especially well.