The New Bacon: Iberico Pork Secreto

Ibérico secreto is the new bacon

We've been on the hunt for a new porcine product to tout since bacon decided to jump the shark.

And who better to look to for advice than those masters of the pig in Spain (they were the ones who originally brought swine to the States, after all).

From Spanish chefs we've discovered secreto, a tender cut from the pig's shoulder area that is appearing on restaurant menus across the country. In New York, boutique butcher shops such as the Meat Hook and the Greene Grape are selling the cut to home cooks. In California, Chris Cosentino (of Incanto in San Francisco) and José Andrés (of the Bazaar in Los Angeles) are fans.

But now, you can have secreto as the Spanish do. The Spanish company Fermin has begun to export fresh cuts of meat from those famed Ibérico pigs. On the bill: secreto ($28 for 12 ounces; click here to buy).

Thanks to the pigs' acorn diet, the meat is incredibly marbled; it also cooks evenly. Consider cooking this meat on the medium-rare side, as you would a good steak.

Bacon, meet your match.