Iberico Bacon 300g

Acorn-fed Ibérico bacon is a rich, beechwood-smoked Spanish pork fatback. The pork tocino is prized for its creamy texture and exceptional flavour.

What Is Ibérico Bacon, or Tocino?

This is not ordinary streaky bacon. In Spain, this almost all-fat cut is known as tocino. Made from free-range, acorn-fed Spanish Ibérico pork fatback, it is almost entirely smooth, creamy fat with very little lean meat. That generous fat content is precisely what makes it so useful in the kitchen: it renders slowly, carries deep savoury flavour and bastes the food it is cooked with.

The pork comes from Ibérico pigs raised on the grasslands and oak woodlands of southern Spain, known as the dehesa. Their diet of acorns, wild herbs and grasses gives the fat its soft texture and distinctive, delicately nutty character.

The fatback is then salt-cured and beechwood-smoked in Hungary. The gentle smoke complements its richness without overpowering it, creating a versatile piece of premium charcuterie.

How to Use Ibérico Bacon

Think of this bacon as both a luxurious ingredient and a naturally flavoured cooking fat. Cook it slowly to render the creamy fat, then use both the crisp pieces and the rendered fat to build exceptional flavour.

• Cut into small pieces and render gently for carbonara, letting the golden, crisp pieces and smoky rendered fat enrich the sauce.
• Use the rendered fat to fry eggs, roast potatoes, carrots, parsnips, or Brussels sprouts, or add savoury depth to soups, beans, and stews.
• Wrap thin slices around chicken breast, pork fillet or white fish; the fat melts as it cooks, helping keep the meat moist and adding a delicate smoky finish.
• Lay slices over a burger, toasted sourdough or roasted vegetables just before serving, so they soften and melt into the hot food.
• For a particularly luxurious side dish, use finely diced Ibérico bacon in our Brussels sprouts with bacon and chestnuts recipe, rendering it gently so its smoky fat coats the sprouts.

Cook’s Tip

Start the bacon in a cold frying pan over a low heat. This gives the fat time to render gradually rather than scorch. Once the pieces turn translucent and lightly golden, raise the heat briefly to crisp the edges, then save the rendered fat for another dish.

Where Does It Come From?

The bacon begins with free-range, acorn-fed Ibérico pork from southern Spain. Ibérico pigs are celebrated for the quality and softness of their fat, a characteristic also appreciated in Hungarian Mangalitsa pork.

It is processed in Hungary by Privát Hús, a specialist producer. This beechwood-smoked Ibérico pork tocino is carefully salt-cured, then vacuum-packed to preserve its flavour and creamy texture.

Ingredients & Nutritional Information

Ingredients: Skin-on Ibérico pork fatback, salt, preservative (less than 0.05% sodium nitrite).

Country of Origin: Spain. Processed in Hungary.

Storage: Store below 20°C. Once opened, keep refrigerated and consume within the period stated on the pack.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Ibérico bacon the same as ordinary bacon?

This is a particularly fatty cut of Ibérico pork, rather than conventional streaky bacon. Its creamy fat is the feature: it renders slowly, becomes crisp at the edges and gives potatoes, vegetables, pasta and wrapped meats remarkable savoury richness.

Can I use Ibérico bacon as a cooking fat?

Yes. Render it slowly, then use the fragrant fat to fry eggs, roast vegetables, make carbonara, or start a soup, stew, or bean dish. The crisp rendered pieces are excellent scattered over the finished dish.

For more traditional cooking fats, explore our animal fats collection, including beef tallow and Mangalitsa lard.