La Quercia, leading artisan cured meat producer, and partner Iberian Pastures announce their new line of Iberico Americano Cured Meats. Iberian Pastures is raising purebred Iberico pigs stateside, which La Quercia is turning into dry cured meats in its Iowa facility. This project brings New World sourcing and curing techniques together with Old World traditions, and represents the first Iberico pigs to be raised in the U.S.
The project began in 2015, when Will Harris of White Oak Pastures, a fifth-generation rancher in Georgia, and Jaime & Kurt Oriol, third generation pig farmers in southwest Spain, teamed up to import and begin raising 100% purebred Iberico pigs in the grasslands of southwest Georgia. Iberico pigs have been raised on the Iberian peninsula of Spain for centuries, and Jamon Iberico is beloved throughout the world as a particularly delicious and high quality cured ham. Now, more than 500 American-born Iberian pigs roam freely over acres of fields and woods in Georgia. The pigs live their entire lives at White Oak Pastures, forage on pecans and peanuts, and are pasture raised in accordance with Certified Humane™ standards, with no use of antibiotics or GMO feed.