Smoked, air-dried beef sliced thin like ham, deep red and very lean. It is salted, smoked over oak and air-dried for at least seven months in León, holds PGI protection, and cured beef was already being described in the region in Roman times.
It is a PGI whole-muscle cure smoked and dried over months, where the salt has to reach the centre before anything else does and the León air’s temperature and humidity are the equipment.
What goes into it
- beef from the hind quarter of a mature animal
- coarse salt
- oak smoke
How it is made
Whole lean muscles are salted for a period fixed by weight, washed, and rested so the salt equalises. They are then smoked over oak for two to three weeks and hung to dry in the cold dry air of León for months, losing around half their weight. The leanness means they dry evenly but also that they must not dry too fast.
How long it takes: at least seven months, often twelve
How it is eaten
Sliced paper-thin with olive oil, or with cheese and bread.
History
Salted, smoked over oak and air-dried for at least seven months in León; PGI protected, and cured beef was described in the region in Roman times.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cecina de León?
Cecina de León is a charcuterie & cured from Spain: smoked, air-dried beef sliced thin like ham, deep red and lean. Salted, smoked over oak and air-dried for at least seven months in León; PGI protected, and cured beef was described in the region in Roman times.
How is Cecina de León made?
Whole lean muscles are salted for a period fixed by weight, washed, and rested so the salt equalises. They are then smoked over oak for two to three weeks and hung to dry in the cold dry air of León for months, losing around half their weight. The leanness means they dry evenly but also that they must not dry too fast. It takes at least seven months, often twelve.
Can I make Cecina de León at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is a PGI whole-muscle cure smoked and dried over months, where the salt has to reach the centre before anything else does and the León air’s temperature and humidity are the equipment.
What goes into Cecina de León?
Beef from the hind quarter of a mature animal, coarse salt, oak smoke.
How is Cecina de León eaten?
Sliced paper-thin with olive oil, or with cheese and bread.
