The abanico cut of Ibérico de Bellota pork is one of Spain’s best kept secrets. It is remarkably juicy and deeply marbled, and it transforms over fire. On the grill, the marbling melts into the meat, basting the abanico as it cooks. Serve it hot with good bread to sop up the juices.

The magic comes from pasture raised Ibérico pigs and their special wild diet. Bellota means acorn in Spanish, and these Ibérico pigs feast on sweet, nutty acorns in the fall and winter. The acorns, along with grasses and herbs, give the meat its complex flavor and signature marbling. When you want the very finest Spanish pork, it has to be Ibérico de Bellota.

Abanico is a thin, generously marbled cut, about three quarters of an inch thick, taken from the outer ribs. The meat has a deep red color, almost like a fine steak, with rich marbling that bring flavors of bacon. Its name comes from its fan shape. Abanico means fan in Spanish.

This pork comes from COVAP, a cooperative of 300 family farms in the Valle de los Pedroches, where Ibérico pigs roam the dehesa beneath holm oaks and cork trees that provide the acorns central to this tradition.

Your Ibérico de Bellota abanico arrives frozen. Thaw in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before cooking. For food safety, the USDA recommends cooking whole cuts of pork to 145°F, measured with a thermometer in the thickest part of the meat.