We already know which is the new best torrezno in the world
One more year –and now there are ten–, the contest has been held 'The Best Torrezno in the World' , organized by the Torrezno de Soria Manufacturers Association and the Viceroy Palafox Restaurant , which has taken place from February 8 to March 8.
The competition has been divided into two sections, professionals and amateurs. To the different semifinals that have been carried out in the month of February, 50 professional chefs from Castilla y León (Burgos and Soria), Barcelona, Zaragoza and Madrid and thirty amateur chefs , which should not be linked to the world of hospitality.
Of all of them, 17 finalists were selected (11 professional chefs and 6 amateur chefs), who have participated this Sunday in the grand finale held in El Burgo de Osma, Soria , at the Virrey Palafox Restaurant, where live demonstrations have been made of how torreznos are made and, subsequently, the blind and public tasting of each one.
Soria's "energy bars"
THE ASSESSMENT
To make its assessment and choose the winner, the competition jury has taken into account three fundamental characteristics.
First, the presentation: “It must be an attractive product to look at. With its golden crust and full of bubbles and its lean meat (neither raw nor deep fried)”, they point out from the organization.
In second place, the texture, possibly one of the most important parameters in a torrezno: “the crust must be crispy and can be heard well when it is cut, lean, tender and pinkish. When starting a good torrezno The balanced proportion of crust, bacon and lean meat must be seen perfectly”, they explain.
Finally, aroma and taste: "It must have a lasting flavor in the mouth, the meat must be tender and the crust crispy", they conclude.
PROCEDURE AND INGREDIENTS
the contestants they must prepare live and in one hour, at least six torreznos and they must bring the raw material – they can bring them poached from home, to give it the last touch of frying live.
Furthermore, all the participants they must use bacon from the Torrezno de Soria Guarantee Mark and the organization will provide everyone with the rest of the necessary utensils and ingredients: stove, pans, paella pans and extra virgin oil to be able to fry.
The contestants must present the torreznos without any adornment or decoration and on a white plate.
WINNERS
The winner of the award for Best Torrezno in the World in the professional category has been Fernando Arranz, from the Piscis Restaurant Bar, in Soria. Among the qualities of his presentation they have highlighted: its golden rind, its perfect proportion of bubbles and crunch to the cut, a tender and rosy lean and, of course, a spectacular taste in the mouth.
In addition, the Best Torreznos in the World 2020 have been presented with the optimal ratio of lean, bacon and crispy crust, attractive to the eye and exquisite to the palate. The jury highlighted the perfect symphony of these torreznos, that sound they produce when they are cut on the board – a dry and elegant crunch.
This is the second time that Fernando Arranz has participated in this contest. "We have been cooking torreznos for 45 years; this is a family business (we are six brothers in society and now we are four) of three restaurants, Piscis, Casa Garrido and Casa Augusto Arranz," Arranz tells Traveler.es
The Best Torrezno in the World in the professional category, prepared by Fernando Arranz from the Piscis Restaurant in Soria
HOW TO COOK THE PERFECT TORREZNO
With our experience I can say that the basis is to choose a quality bacon. We select the bacon that we like the most (always with the Torrezno de Soria Guarantee Mark); Y It is very important that it does not have too much fat and not too much lean. These come already with paprika, salt, olive oil... and here we cook them", explains Fernando..
And he continues: "our chef usually chooses his favorites (such as Moreno Saez, Caba...). And they have to be from Guarantee Mark of Torrezno de Soria".
How exactly is it made? Fernando tells us: " you have to air the bacon (Keep them one or two days in the pantry so they can air out and the crust is stiff). A good torrezno takes a long time to make."
"The next step is the oven, where they are more or less an hour and at various temperatures (depending on the type of bacon). This system is called 'porchar the torrezno' , namely, bubbles out of the crust. That is when they are removed from the oven (a process that can take between three quarters of an hour and an hour or so)," he continues. "To the fryer, between three and four minutes."
As for the flavor of the torrezno in the mouth, "what the jury values is, first of all, the presence; then, that the crust crackles and is not chewy – that is, that the crust breaks well in the mouth. And it is It is also important that the torrezno not be overdone so that the lean meat does not remain hard", says the cook.
Fernando Arranz claims to have huge sales of torreznos, including those made to take away. "To give you an idea, last weekend we will have released about 300 torreznos in our establishment in the Plaza Mayor ", he recounts.
What can we taste in your establishments besides torreznos? "In Pisces it is very typical pecking, game, marinated, scrambled eggs and steak on the plate (for you to do it to your liking) ", he exposes.
"In Garrido House , you have the option of tasting menu , very good meat and fish and also truffle and mycology. Augusto Arranz House , meanwhile, is the last restaurant we have opened and offer very good fish, but also oxtail, suckling pig, a seasonal mycological menu... he concludes.
As for the Best Torrezno in the World in the category of amateur chefs, the winner was Arancha Berzosa, laboratory technician from the town of Fuentecantos in Soria.
What has made the jury opt for her torreznos? "The use of a spectacular raw material, poached with care and that have been fried in satin slowly and deliberately giving Some torreznos of elegant presence, with a shiny and golden crust, which crackles when cut with the knife and with a lean meat of perfect pink color and an ideal fatty touch" , they explain from the organization. In short, a very tender torrezno that melted in the mouth.
Arancha Berzosa learned the recipe from her mother and her grandmother, whom she has seen making torreznos at home since she was a child: "it's a lot of patience and good raw material," she says.
The best torrezno in the amateur category, made by Arancha Berzosa
THE AWARDS
The prize for the winner and finalist of the professional category will consist of a diploma, a trophy and the distinction that the Torrezno de Soria Guarantee Mark assigns annually to the Best Torrezno in the World thus passed to form part of the list of establishments cataloged as producers of the Best Torrezno in the World.
For the winner and two finalists of the amateur category there are three prizes. For the winner, a prize called 'A very dirty weekend' consisting of two nights for two people at the Castilla Termal hotel in El Burgo de Osma and two meals at the Virrey Palafox Restaurant, trophy and diploma.
For the second classified 'A dirty weekend' consisting of one night for two people at the Castilla Termal hotel in El Burgo de Osma and a meal at the Virrey Palafox Restaurant , and diploma. And for the third classified, a meal for two at the Virrey Palafox Restaurant along with a diploma.
THE TORREZNO OF SORIA
Let's talk about the product, because there is a lot –and very good– to talk about. Torrezno de Soria is one of the delicacies that has gained the most prestige in recent years in the cuisine of Castilla y León. In fact, only last year it was calculated that more than 13.5 million Torreznos de Soria were consumed in Spain thanks to more than one and a half million kilos of bacon made in the province of Soria, which means an increase of more than 9.5% compared to the previous year.
This delicacy consists of the preparation of cured pork belly and its subsequent frying, It receives different denominations depending on what part of the territory we are in: fried bacon, bacon, fried bacon... Of course, one of the most used is that of torrezno
What exactly does the famous Torrezno de Soria consist of? Is about a piece made up of a crispy, golden crust on one side and lean streaky bacon on the other.
To protect and promote this delicacy, in 2013 the Torrezno de Soria Guarantee Mark. In this sense, all Torreznos de Soria must be labeled and numbered. And more than one and a half million labels have already been issued.
The Torrezno de Soria Guarantee Mark certifies the quality of two types of products: the bacon –that is, pork belly marinated with salt and paprika and cured in traditional dryers,– and the precooked torrezno.
Word of torrezno
THE RECIPE
How to make the perfect torrezno? "Obtaining a crispy crust when frying Torrezno de Soria is not difficult, but some guidelines must be followed," they say from the organization. It all depends on the chosen format: marinated bacon or Torrezno de Soria precooked.
In the case of marinated bacon, The crust should be allowed to dry well, removing the bacon 24 hours before from the refrigerator and from the plastic. The drier it is, the better it will rise in the pan and we will get an optimal crisp. "The best way to dry the bacon is to hang it in a cool, dry place to get it to air out well," point.
Once the product has dried well, we can start the fried torrezno: In a frying pan, add about 2 mm of virgin olive oil and heat it over low heat. While the oil is hot proceed to cut the bacon into strips. “The perfect thickness is 1.5cm about ”, they add. The strips are then added to the pan standing up (skin side down). In this way, the first thing that is fried is the crust.
We continue to keep the pan on low heat and fry each piece for 20 minutes making sure it doesn't fall off. The skin will turn into crust and the famous "bubbles" will appear.
After twenty minutes and having verified that the skin has completely converted, put the frying pan on high heat, raising the temperature and lay down each one of the pieces of the bacon so that now the lean meat area is fried well and to our liking. The ideal? 10 minutes on each side.
And wow! We already have the famous and tasty Torrezno de Soria ready! There are those who prefer it freshly fried and hot and those who like it warm or cold. Be that as it may, bon appetit!