British Lomo

Lionel Richie’s favourite cured meat. Is it really? Well, you decide: “I’ve been alone with you inside my mind, And in my dreams you’ve passed my lips, a thousand times I sometimes see you behind my fridge door, Lomo, is it me you’re looking for?" Conclusive, we’d say.

But just because Lionel’s a fan, why should you be? Well, Lomo is perhaps the most delicate cut of cured pork. The meat itself is pretty lean, but depending on which cut your lomo meat is, you may get a delicious layer of fat atop it too. Lomo is the Spanish word for loin, hence lomo Iberico, and the Italian version of the same thing is lonzino. British lomo should probably just be called loin, but we’re not sure that’s going to stick. Loin-o anyone?

What’s in a loin?

Good one. Well, you can get lomo made from two different cuts of meat. There’s the pork tenderloin, and the loin itself. A tenderloin lomo would be leaner, like a pork fillet is leaner when you cook it. It would also lack the layer of fat. If your lomo is made from the loin, it’ll be wider and flatter, and the fat will be there. This fat is back fat, so it’s the same fat which is turned into lardo.

Lardo, being delicious, is sought after, so when your lomo is made from the loin and sliced super-thin, the lean, delicate meat and cured fat combo can be quite something. You may also hear of lomo de cerdo (pork loin), or lonzino di cinghiale (wild boar) or cervo (deer). At some time or other, these have all featured on the Bray Cured menu board, so you might well see them listed here.