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 …
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 …
How to Smoke Bacon With a Pellet Tube Smoker
Using a pellet grill for smoking bacon is pretty straightforward when using a pellet tube smoker. However, there are some key points that I’ve learned over the years that can help make things easier and more straightforward. Of course, like most things, experience and going through the learning curve is part of the process. The bacon we normally eat at …
Can I Cure Meat Without Nitrates/Nitrites (Pink Curing Salt)
Over the years I’ve done a lot of meat curing using sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite. Another name for these is pink curing salt. A question that comes up a lot around here, is whether you need to use them to make cured meats. Curing meat also has a wide meaning, whether it’s dry cured or smoked/cooked (hot smoking). So …
What Salami Does Not Need to be Refrigerated? (And Types)
Some salami needs to be kept in the refrigerator and some do not. I have made salami for a few decades and this question people ask often wanting to take salami on a trip or holiday. Even though there are thousands of variations of salamis, most of the ones I make don’t need refrigeration because there are a dry cured …