Being a super keen guy on curing and smoking all kinds of stuff, I’ve spent hundred’s if not thousands of hours smoking over the years (not just meat either). As I’ve learned many of the in’s and out’s of cold smoking over 20 odd years, like everything I’m still learning. But it’s kind of become second nature too. Smokai is …
Best Salami for a Charcuterie Board
Salamis vary a lot, and the best ones so put on a charcuterie or antipasti board, will of course depend on what you want to savor. After exploring, making, and trying salamis for 20 odd years, I’ve got a few trips and tricks to share with you. If you’ve ever plucked a piece of salami off a charcuterie board, you …
What Cured Meat to Make Carbonara?
So many different types of cured meats can be used for Carbonara, over the years I’ve tried many. But, I still always go back to the classic! After buying the cured meats for years, I decided one day to do it myself. I’ve been curing meats for 20 years and want to share some insights. Carbonara is an iconic Italian …
Deli Slicers for Home Use
There are many different types of deli slicers that you can use at home, over the years I’ve come across a lot and wanted to share my knowledge and hopefully give you some pro-tips. What I have noticed, is that it really does depend on what foods you want to cut and how often you need it. Ultra-thin charcuterie slicing …
Best Cuts of Meat for Sausage Making (Diagrams & Pictures)
Cuts of meat vary a lot for making sausages or for that matter salami. Farmed or wild meat does have some key differences for making sausages and the various prime and sub-prime cuts that are available. I’ve enjoyed sausage making for decades and also become proficient at various dry-cured and hot smoked salamis. It’s a MASSIVE topic, and what I’ve …
How to Cure Ham so it’s Not Salty
The classic question that gets asked a lot is how to avoid the ham being too salty, because, after all that effort of brine curing or wet brining the ham you want the result to be perfect. Buying a big chunk of ham or using a precious piece from a pig you’ve reared – it’s a beautiful thing! Then it …
What Pork Fat to Use for Sausages (Diagrams and Details)
When you are making sausages at home, the type of fat you want to use depends sometimes on the type of fat you can get. The big assumption is that all fat is the same – but it is not quite like that. When making sausages it’s either the fresh sausage, smoked/cooked (hot smoked) sausage or a type of dry-cured …
Best Book for Sausage Making (Sausage or Salami)
If you search for the best book on sausage making, you will find a lot of books about this topic on Google, the good old algorithm. However, you want the best of the best. One answer that will give you that answer is someone who actually reads them, crazy! I want to make sure you’re getting the best book if …
Does Cured Meat Need to be Cooked?
Because cured meats come in many different types and variations, whether you have to cook them or not depends on a few things. Meat curing has fascinated me for a long time. I’ve gone across Europe (especially Italy) purely to savor the types of cured meats they have there. For example Calabrian Njuda (a spreadable pork sausage, or Parma from …
What Does Cured Meat Mean?
The meaning of cured meat seems like a pretty simple question, but due to the variations and different types of cured meat, I want to get into more detail. For instance, some cured meats like dry cured meats are ready-to-eat like prosciutto or dry cured picante salami. Then, on the other hand, you have dry cured cold smoked bacon which …
Is Cold Smoking Bacon Safe? (Detailed Answer)
Cold smoking bacon and whether it’s safe or not comes down to how you go about it. Just think about the bacon in supermarkets, most are cold smoked actually. I’ve been cold smoking bacon and other cured meats for nearly 20 years, and my blog is all about curing and cold smoking. It all started when I had some friends …