Alma Gourmet Speck Alto Adige IGP Approx. 5 lb (2.3 kg) - Traditionally Seasoned, Dry-Cured & Lightly Smoked Italian Prosciutto Style Ham, Whole Alpine Cured Pork Meat, Boneless and Ready to Slice, Vacuum Sealed Gourmet Charcuterie

This is truly authentic Alto Adige Speck. My sample was 2.3Kg and the amount of fat was exactly as in the picture. People who have written negative comments about this product should know that in order to enjoy this you need to have a meat slicer and slice it paper thin. I set mine at less than 1mm. Also, the hard skin cover at the bottom is always removed, you use a sharp knife and remove just the skin leaving the fat. The skin can be used to flavor broth or sauces (remove what is left over after finish cooking). The fat is the part that gives Speck the characteristic flavor. Remember: remove the skin, slice paper thin.

Delicious. Somewhat fatty but meat is tender and flavorful. Sliced thin, it goes well with fruits, cheese, or on its own with bread.

Get a good meat slicer to cut it very thinn

I like pretty much all smoked meats. I have been a fan of Speck for years, but was a bit skeptical buying it from Amazon. I will say shipping took a long time, the ice packs were liquid and the box was in terrible shape. It is fully cured meat and chamber vacuum packed, so this didn't really concern me. My, oh my, this is an absolutely great product. The last speck I bought from a well know Italian website, was good, but over smoked and very tough. For those of you unfamiliar with Speck, it comes with the skin on one side. I think this simply must be removed as I have no idea what to do with it. The skin is tough as, well, pigskin. The piece I got was 5.4#. I trimmed off the skin and some of the fat cap - all told 13 or 14 oz. I think that is fantastic. The meat is very dense. It has virtually no water in it. It is very hard to slice thin (my preference is less than 1/16"). A meat slicer would be great, but I used a nice knife with a very keen edge and sliced over 100 slices. I vacuum pack in about 1/2 pound packs and freeze for future use. Use it the way you would use prosciutto with melon, parmesan, balsamic, or wrap it around asparagus. Personally, I generally like it cooked slightly. This reduces the stringy nature of the meat. One of my favorite uses is like bacon. Sautee it and use as you would bacon. Way good.

This Speck is delicious, you must have a very sharp knife or a meat slicer in order to get paper thin slices. I recommend removing rind on the back first, it makes slicing so much easier. For those who say it's tough, you are not slicing it thin enough or you left rind on, for those who say it's to salty then you should stay away from dry cured meats. This is delicious on sandwiches, pizza or my favorite way is with a stinky cheese and melon. Please study up on cured meats before you order and then criticize the product. My only complaint has to do with their shipping method, 3 little ice packs isn't near enough during the summer months, plus they should require a signature to recieve package so it doesn't get left on top of mailbox as was my case, luckily I was home because it was 100 degrees out yesterday when it arrived.

I am Tyrolean and Speck is a central part of my diet, so I know what I am talking about. German Schwarzwaelder Ham is not Speck and neither is Prosciutto. This is the real thing and it is the only real Speck I can get, so it gets the full 5 stars. But there are a few things that should be noted, though: I have ordered this several times now and the leanness differs quite a lot. Which is per se not a bad thing, actually it is a good sign: To keep the leanness persistent, many manufacturers import pork from the Netherlands and Germany (and because it's processed in Tyrol, they are legally allowed to call it "Tyrolean", even though the meat isn't). Therefore, I prefer to receive a fatter ham from time to time, if it is local pork. Secondly, it could do with a bit more ripening. But that's something you can do for yourself if you have a dry and cool place. All in all, "Sem isch a gscheiter Speck!"

There's A LOT more fat on this slab than shown in the picture. Outside the fat, there's a tough outside pig hide on one side and some sort of skin or coating on the other side. Of course, both these rinds must be removed. This itself is a bit of a chore. The meat is quite tough. And there are veins of completely inedible gristle throughout, so you have to keep spitting out pieces that can't be chewed or swallowed. (After 5 minutes of continuous chewing on a bite, you give up.) Unless you have a professional meat slicing machine, like at the deli, you'll have a hard time getting the meat sliced thin enough to chew, given its toughness and the veins of gristle. The meat's flavor isn't bad, though the flavor is a bit "smoky" for my taste (and, of course, it is very salty). This would be a far, far better product had it been cut into thin strips, like thin bacon, prior to vacuum packing. But even then, I wonder about the inedible veins of gristle. This is not a deli meat.

We are Germans and of course we like European food. The Südtiroler Schinken was it worth to try. The taste, the look have been really impressive to us. Even the packaging with silver ice bag was for the hot weather outside a good idea. We did right away, we call it a Brotzeit. Fresh baked bread and the bacon. That was heaven. The quality is awesome. We are pretty sure that was not our last order with that company. Would recommend to other. The Quality and the price are in a good balance.