Entrepeñas Sliced Oak Smoked Cecina Suprema, 100g

Entrepeñas Cecina Suprema is a dry-cured, oak-smoked beef from the province of León in northern Spain - one of the great cured meats of Europe. Made by Embutidos Entrepeñas, a three-generation family producer based in Geras de Gordón at 1,200 metres above sea level, this Suprema grade is cut from the hind legs of ex-dairy cattle: older cows whose years of milk production leave the meat with a depth of flavour and intramuscular fat that younger animals simply cannot match. The result is something genuinely extraordinary - dark, tender, and richly savoury with a whisper of oak.

Cecina is best served the Spanish way: laid out on a plate, drizzled with a thread of your best extra virgin olive oil, and eaten at room temperature with good bread. The flavour opens up beautifully as it warms - first the deep, beefy savouriness, then the subtle smokiness from the oak, then a long, clean finish. It needs almost nothing else, though a few shavings of aged Manchego alongside wouldn't go amiss. It is also outstanding in salads, draped over scrambled eggs, or laid onto bruschetta with a little rocket and a squeeze of lemon.

Why we love it:

• Made from ex-dairy cattle - older cows with richer, more intensely flavoured meat than younger beef, giving the Suprema grade an exceptional depth that sets it apart from ordinary cured beef
• Produced by Embutidos Entrepeñas, a family business now in its third generation, based in the mountains of León at 1,200m - an altitude that creates the long, dry, frost-kissed winters essential to proper cecina
  
• Smoked gently with local oak wood for 12–16 days, adding a subtle, complex smokiness rather than an aggressive one
• Just three ingredients: beef, Mediterranean sea salt and natural oak smoke. No additives, no preservatives, no dyes
• Gluten-free and naturally high in protein with a lower fat content than most cured meats

How to use:

• For a classic Spanish serving: take the cecina out of the fridge at least 2 hours before serving and then remove all packaging 20 minutes before eating to let it come to room temperature and breath. Lay the slices out on a plate. Drizzle with a good extra virgin olive oil and eat with a few picos bread sticks
• For bruschetta: toast thick slices of sourdough, rub with a cut garlic clove, drape 2–3 slices of cecina over each piece, add a handful of rocket and finish with a squeeze of lemon and a few shavings of Manchego.
  
• For a warm salad: toss roasted red peppers, soft-boiled eggs, and dressed leaves, then lay slices of cecina over the top just before serving so it barely warms through rather than cooking.
  
• Store any opened cecina covered in the fridge and use within 5–7 days for the best flavour.

More information:

• Embutidos Entrepeñas is a three-generation family producer based in Geras de Gordón, in the mountains of León, northern Spain....