The Fine Loin

The lomito — also cabecero or cabecera de lomo — is the upper neck-shoulder portion of the Longissimus dorsi, the front section of the loin where the muscle is supported by the cervical vertebrae and where the animal’s slow-twitch labour is concentrated. Two anatomical features distinguish it from the rear loin: notably more intramuscular fat, and slightly more collagenous connective tissue, which during long curing breaks down to gelatin and gives the cured meat a softer, juicier mouthfeel. The result is a sweeter, more melting, more luxurious slice than the standard lomo. Jamones Asle hand- rubs the cabecero with sea salt and pimentón, with sugar in the cure, and dry-ages it through secadero and bodega until the paprika cure has formed an orange-vermilion exterior crust and the interior has settled into deep crimson, marbled with luminous nutty fat. The pimentón is the structural signature — ñora peppers slow-dried over oak smoke for ten to fifteen days, binding to the surface fat and lending Spanish cured pork its canonical sweet-smoke bass.