Pluma Ibérica a la Plancha (Iberian Loin Tip)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy flat plancha or cast-iron griddle, at least 30cm wide
• •Instant-read meat thermometer
• •Long kitchen tongs
• •Warm serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Temper and dry

   Take the pluma from the refrigerator 20 minutes before cooking. Trim away only tough silver skin, leaving every soft seam of fat in place. Pat both sides very dry with kitchen paper; moisture must evaporate before meat can brown, and this cut is too quick-cooking to wait for that.

   Pluma tapers to a thin point. When it reaches the plancha, keep that point toward the slightly cooler outer edge so it doesn't dry out before the thick centre is ready.
2. 2

   Heat the plancha

   Set a heavy flat plancha or cast-iron griddle over high heat for 5 to 7 minutes. The cooking surface should reach about 230 to 250°C. Rub the meat all over with the 10ml olive oil, leaving no puddles. The iron is ready when a corner of the meat gives an immediate, hard sizzle.

3. 3

   Sear without moving

   Lay the pluma flat on the plancha without crowding it. Cook the first side untouched for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, until a dark mahogany crust forms and the meat releases without tearing. Turn once and cook the second side for 2 to 3 minutes. Hold any thick fatty edge against the iron with tongs for 20 to 30 seconds. Don't press the meat; pressing only gives its juices to the plancha.

   Insert an instant-read thermometer sideways into the thickest part. Remove the meat at 62°C; it should reach at least 63°C as it rests while remaining rosy and juicy. If it does not, return it to the plancha for 20 seconds per side and check again.
4. 4

   Rest, salt, and slice

   Move the pluma to a warm plate and rest it uncovered for 5 minutes. Slice across the grain into pieces about 8mm thick, keeping the rosy centre and browned edge in every slice. Spoon the resting juices over the meat and scatter all 7g of coarse salt evenly across the cut faces. Serve at once.

Chef Tips

• •Choose the pluma by its marbling, not by size. Fine white seams should run through the meat rather than sitting only around its edge. Pluma Ibérica de bellota has the deepest sweet, nutty fat, but good cebo de campo is still proper meat and easier on the household budget.
• •If pluma is unavailable, presa Ibérica is the first substitute. Cut it into 2 to 3cm steaks and expect another minute or two of cooking because it is thicker and meatier. Well-marbled pork collar or neck also works, but the bite will be coarser. Tenderloin does not.
• •Don't marinate this cut. Acid masks the Ibérico fat and leaves the surface wet, while garlic or pimentón scorches under the heat needed for a good crust. Plancha, salt, meat. That's enough work for three ingredients.
• •For a barbecue, heat a flat cast-iron griddle over the hottest part of the fire, then cook uncovered by the same temperatures and internal-temperature cues. Bare grates leave much of the feather-shaped cut without contact, so the crust is less even.
• •Serve it with patatas fritas, roasted peppers, or a tomato salad only when the tomatoes are worth eating raw. A young red from Ribera del Guadiana has enough fruit for the rich pork without smothering it.

Advance Preparation

• •Up to 24 hours ahead, remove the silver skin, pat the pluma dry, cover it, and refrigerate it. Leave the soft exterior fat and internal marbling alone.
• •Take the prepared meat from the refrigerator 20 minutes before cooking and oil it only when the plancha is nearly ready. Don't salt it ahead; the coarse salt belongs on the sliced meat.
• •This dish should not be cooked ahead. Refrigerated leftovers keep for 2 days and are best sliced thin and allowed to lose their chill rather than cooked a second time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 145g)