Charcuterie, the art of cured meats.

I’m sure many of my friends thing I’m crazy when I start talking about hanging cuts of meat in an outdoor shed.
But this is nothing new, people have been creating tasty cured meats this way for hundreds of years.

I started this hobby after my first visit to Buca restaurant in Toronto. I’d been thinking about it for sometime but Buca is just one of the many restaurants returning to old methods of utilizing the entire animal in a “nose-to-tail” fashion. Italians have been enjoying home cured meats for generations so I thought I’d give it a shot.

“The Fall and Spring are great times of year for curing meats, it allows you to maintain high humidity and cool temperatures.”

The easiest cuts of meat to cure are whole muscles such as pancetta (pork belly), coppa (pork shoulder), lonza (pork loin), bresaola (beef tenderloin). All you need to start curing is salt, curing salt, seasonings, string and patience. You’ll also need a cool place with high humidity and slight breeze to cure the meat. I made a cage that I hang in a shed at my cottage, it has great ventilation and so far I’ve had great results.

The best sources of information on the topic are Michael Ruhlman’s books Salumi and Charcuterie. There are also a plethora of videos on youtube outlining the process.

If you need inspiration, search pinterest for charcuterie, but don’t do it if you’re hungry.

More at All About Cured Meats on Food52