AN IBÉRICO MASTER CLASS:

La Montanera: A Pata Negra Master Class It's acorn season.  A good time to pig out. THURSDAY, OCT. 8 · 7:30PM  Mercado Central - Copa y Caña 252 Third Avenue, Brooklyn Right now, in the oaken dehesas of western Spain, Iberian pigs are being turned loose to eat nothing but fallen acorns. It's called la montanera, running until March, and it is the single reason pata negra tastes the way it does.  These unique animals nearly double in weight on the bellota, building the soft, translucent fat that after four years in a curing cellar, will glow on your plate and melt in your mouth. We're opening the season with a hands on class. Beginning with a breakdown of the Ibérico classifications, the cuts, and the curing, culminating with a lesson from a master Jamanero on how to slice the leg and plate it.  Tapas and wine pairings are part of the evening, and  We'll discuss: The differences between the grades of Ibérico, and the spectrum of flavor in each.  What the black hoof means, and how these animals are raised and cared for. Read a leg by zone: where the maza gives you marbling, where the babilla gives you intensity, what the punta is holding back. Name the cuts most of us don't know — presa, secreto, pluma, solomillo — where each sits on the animal, and cooking advice for each. Hold the knife, set the angle, and cut a slice thin enough to read through. Pair it, from bone-dry fino through Spanish reds. Activities include: Hands-on slicing instruction with a jamón ibérico de bellota. A run of seasonal tapas built around the ham A wine and sherry pairing flight Everything you carve, eaten on the spot tickets are limited to 40ppl.