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Charcuter-what? Preserved meats never tasted so good
For thousands of years, humans have been preserving meat.
In an article in today’s paper, I explore some of the ways we still rely on salt, smoke, fat and — most importantly — time to make things like sausages, rillettes, bacon and pate, which all fall under the umbrella of charcuterie.
Preserving meats long ago stopped being necessary (thank you, refrigeration!), but there’s a reason chefs and home cooks continue to practice this art: it tastes good. Many would argue that there’s no grilling or searing method that can even come close to matching the flavor imparted on meat when it is salted, smoked, cured or cooked in fat.
Larry and LeeAnn Kocurek launched their charcuterie business last fall, and Jesse Griffiths of Dai Due Supper Club sells charcuterie like sausages and rillettes through his weekly mailing list. Daniel Hunt of A Noble Beast Charcuterie sells charcuterie to local businesses including Aviary and House Pizzeria.
Runkle, who was a vegan for 10 years, says he hopes to have Italian cured meats, all made from local meats, such as toscano and genoa salami, pancetta and sopressata available by the end of March at local farmers markets and some restaurants.
Check the Web site, which also features a pretty cool blog by Ben, for more information in coming weeks about availability.
If you’re not quite ready to make the jump to curing your own pork or sausages, consider salmon, which, according to “Charcuterie” author Michael Ruhlman, is one of the easiest charcuterie products to make at home.
Last night, I started my first batch of cured salmon by making a mixture of salt, white sugar, brown sugar, pepper and dill to cover a small piece of raw salmon. Ruhlman suggested covering the salt-and-sugar-covered fish with a piece of plastic wrap and then weighing it down with a brick or cans.
After just 12 hours in the fridge, the liquid from the salmon had turned the salt and sugar into a brine. I flipped it once, placed the plastic wrap and cans back on the fish and returned it to the fridge. Because it’s such a small piece of fish (only about a quarter pound), it will probably be done later today or tomorrow.
If this goes well, maybe I’ll snag some pork bellies and try my hand as the most beloved charcuterie of all — bacon.
Pancetta photo by Ben Runkle.
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