Cured salt pork is a common ingredient found in Northeastern dishes of the United States, its beginnings may have come from Europe, the Slavic countries call it Salo. But it goes way back many hundreds of years ago, potentially thousands. When you consider the Romans were salt-curing whole legs of pork. This savory cured meat can work well in many …
Does Prosciutto Go Bad? (Whole & Sliced)
I’ve savored Prosciutto both sliced and whole, often visitors ask whether this preserved dry-cured meat goes bad, so here is the answer. If you’re a fan of cured meats you’re in the right place – my blog Eat Cured Meat is all about the slowest food around! Prosciutto is one of the most popular Italian cured meats used in appetizers …
What Wine To Pair With Cured Meats?
Nothing goes together quite like wine, cured meats, and cheese. I’ve enjoyed wine for as long as I’ve been making dry-cured meats and cold smoking. The combination of the refreshing spiciness of salami and the buttery deliciousness of an earthy cheese can transport you straight to the Italian countryside. I’ve been making dry-cured meats and other smoked small goods for a few decades …
Difference Between Salt Pork Vs Pancetta
In the food world, pancetta and salt pork are two popular options for those who want cured meat. If you’re new to this world, you might wonder what sets these two types of meat apart. After all, they can seem similar. I’ve been making both pancetta and salt pork for different culinary treats over the years, but still, often it …
Best Salami for a Charcuterie Board
Salamis vary a lot, and the best ones to 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 were …
Which 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 learned …
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 Different Types
Some salami must be kept in the refrigerator, and some do not. I have made salami for a few decades, and people often ask this question when they want 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 they are dry-cured types. …
InkBird Humidity Controller Review
I want to give some insight about InkBird humidity controllers since this is a key component to review when you’re looking at building a DIY meat curing chamber. Or you may have other projects needing an environmentally controlled environment with a humidity controller. Primarily I’m using the humidity controller for salami fermentation and growing mushrooms. When I started doing meat …
Bad Molds, Good Molds and Cured Meat – Including Pictures
When it comes to curing meat especially dry-cured meat over a few months or more, the aspects of mold are one of the more challenging hurdles I’ve found in the beginning. There’s not a lot of detail online or in many of the meat curing books that I’ve read about the good mold and the bad mold. So I hope …
Which Meat Mincer/Grinder to Make Salami or Fresh Sausages?
When it comes to mincing meat for salami and sausages there are some subtleties and mincer/grinder designs that I think you want in your equipment. Over the years I used many different types of meat mincers – from the cheap ones to more expensive ones, through to commercial equipment. I want to be as helpful as possible, firstly I’ll go …
Do I Need to add Curing Salt to Bacon?
Adding curing salt to your bacon is one of those things that many new meat curers ask. It’s also a question that often comes up here on my blog, so I thought I would share many years of research and give you some facts about it. I’ll go into it, how I do it and how I approach it. I …
Dry Cured Meats of New Zealand
There are a few dry-curing meat producers in New Zealand but due to globalization, you can get now many imported portions of meat from Spain or Italy. However, in New Zealand, some areas have the quality of the soil, farming practices, feed, and dedication to animal husbandry which produces the outcomes that are desired. After studying, making, and writing about …
Dry Curing Vs Wet Brining for Meat Curing
The two main methods of curing meat are dry curing and wet brining. I have done both methods in various ways over the years, and it will be helpful to provide explanations about how I do it. As well as which method suits different types of meat curing better. I start with a quick summary of each method and then …