Salt and the cure or seasoning you can do to a pork chop is all about the amount you put on. However, if you think it makes a difference, let’s get into it. There is nothing quite like the smokey taste of fresh grilled pork chops. There are several schools of thought about process and seasoning when it comes to …
Tips on Salami Selection 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 …
Useful Books About 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 …
How Does Meat Cure?
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 discuss it in 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, of …
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, which is also known as 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 broad meaning, whether it’s dry cured or smoked/cooked (hot smoking). So, it’s …
InkBird Humidity Controller for Meat Curing and Other Tasks
I want to give insight into InkBird humidity controllers since this is crucial to review when building a DIY meat curing chamber. Summary / Key Points 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 curing about …
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 …
Do you Need Curing Salt to Make 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 on this resource site, 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, many portions of meat are now imported from Spain or Italy. However, in New Zealand, some areas have the quality of the soil, farming practices, feed, and dedication to animal husbandry that produce the desired outcomes. After studying, making, and writing about dry-cured meats for a …
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 …
Preserving Beef – Curing, Drying, Pickling and Smoke
You might want to savor your prized cut of beef, but can raw beef be preserved by salt? Whether you are looking to enrich your diet with a high-protein source of beef, or you are simply looking at how to make your share of beef last for longer on your shelf, you might be curious about how to preserve it. …
Cured Meat vs. Processed Meat (Insights and Links)
Not all cured meats are processed meats, this is one of the misnomer that occurs across the media and other resources that attempt to address this subject. Since this site is all about cured meats, I’ve dived in deep to learn the differences and some misinformation that exists around this topic. Summary: Cured vs. Processed Meat Misconception: There’s a common …
How Much Does a Deli Slicer Weigh? (Weight Means A lot)
Deli slicers are handy, but what I have found it, for my application weight has a big impact. If you have ever been to the deli, then you have likely stood fascinated at how quickly and easily the deli slicer is able to slice through a large cut of meat. You might want to bring this device into your kitchen …
Cured Meats for a Classic Antipasto Platter
Certain cured meats are classic, and others are highly recommended if you are preparing a classic antipasto platter. When constructing a classic antipasto platter, you will want to use cured meats, including the classic salumi of Italy, such as Prosciutto/Parma Ham, Pancetta, Dry-Cured Salami, Coppa, and Bresaola. You might consider constructing an antipasto platter when preparing dinner or an appetizer …
Which Charcuterie Meats Do Not Have Nitrates?
Charcuterie meats are delicious but do not contain nitrates—I personally use nitrates when making some aspects of charcuterie. In detail, I’ve studied, bought, and investigated many non-nitrite/nitrate options worldwide. Key Points: If you are looking to prepare a delicious charcuterie board (to help, I have a calculator for how much meat etc. per person I created), your taste buds are …
History of Preserving Meats (Cured Meats)
While the concept of preserving meat might seem relatively straightforward, the history of this process is anything but. As you will learn in this article, it spans thousands of years, many different cultures, and several meat preservation methods. I’ve been blown away by the depth of cured meats, as much as this site is all about sharing my passion and …
Difference Between Cured Meat vs. Smoked Meat
Cured meat and smoked meats cross over in some ways but are also different, let’s look at both in detail. While both methods offer their own unique advantages (and flavors) to meat, curing vs.smoking meat has unique properties that make them quite distinct from one another. I’ve been keen on all types for year like dry cured meats made in …
Ideas for a Charcuterie Board Without Meat
Creating a charcuterie board without meat will require creative ideas, so it isn’t all about meat. I wanted to share some of my non-meat unique ideas with you. Thinking of differing ideas can take a bit of creativity, so we have come to help. Whether you are looking for supplements for the Charcuterie meat items that you plan to include, …
How Much Charcuterie (Cured Meat) Per Person?
Charcuterie (cured meat) is all the rave, but how much do you need per person? This is especially true for charcuterie boards and antipasti platters. Delightfully delicate, savory, and rich, charcuterie and all that this cured meat platter offers will wow your guests. If you are the host, using charcuterie is a fantastic way to provide food for everyone’s varying …
Is Cured Meat Always Cooked or Not (Examples and Explanations)
Cured meat is neither cooked nor raw Dry. Cured meat is often preserved by using salt, drying it, reducing cold smoke, and reducing acidity. The flavor is often enhanced with dry-cured meats due to this drying process, less water, more intensive flavor Cured meat can be dry-cured salami, cooked salami, salt pork, dry-cured salumi, and many other variations. Cured meats …
Can Salt Pork Be Eaten Raw?
Salt pork makes for an incredible addition to many dishes; it does come in different forms whether it’s bought or made at home as well. I’ve both used many brands and made salt pork at home; through this helpful site on cured meat, salt pork does get questioned and queried a lot. In its purest form, it’s salt and pork …
Cured Meats That Are Not Pork (Some Ideas and Inspiration)
When many people hear “cured meats”, they first associate this with pork – but there are many cured meats that are not pork. Likely, if you are looking at preparing a charcuterie board, you will be well versed in your search for cured meats. But, with many of them being pork-based, you might want to change things up. This might …
Is Salt Pork Belly Easy to Cook? (& What to Do With It)
Salt pork belly adds incomparable flavor, but is it easy to cook, and what do you do with it? Here are some useful ideas with recipes and a helpful rundown on what salt pork is, since I make it – I know a little more than your average food blogger. I’ve made all types of cured meats, and salt pork …
Is Salami Charcuterie? (Salami vs. Charcuterie vs Salumi)
Of the many things to put on a charcuterie board, salami is one, but does it fall in the category of charcuterie? Charcuterie boards have been steadily rising in popularity, from dining around a friend’s kitchen island with a glass of wine in hand to residing on global restaurant menus. Its popularity increases the curiosity about which meats are considered …
Salt Pork Spoiling and Going Bad (Also Ways to Store it)
People get a little confused about salt pork, it’s preserved but does it go bad? It’s a salt-cured piece of meat, but there are variations, of course, in how it’s made. Certain commercial types aren’t made to last (more on this below). Salt pork has a lengthy off-the-shelf life due to its curation process. Homemade salt pork- that is soaked …
Using Himalayan Pink Salt for Meat Curing Meat
I have used Himalayan pink salt for meat curing, but there’s a bit of confusion about whether it’s a good thing or actually what it is. This isn’t very scientific (but it will have links), but I have done some research before. I have used it for curing various types of meat. I have used Himalayan Pink Salt for curing …
What is Salami Wrapped In? (What is the White Stuff)
Many different casings can be used for wrapping salami. Since I make salami, study it, and teach it – I’ve discovered all the different types available. Different types of salami wrappings or casings as they are known – are used for other purposes, especially in commercial salami production. There are thousands of variations of salami across the world. In some …
Guide to Using Pink Curing Salt at Home
Pink curing salt or Prague powder can be used in many different ways (and there are many other names for it). I want to explain how I use pink-curing salt and other important details about this ingredient. Summary Points: Pink curing salt is found in many popular foods produced at home or commercially, such as pastrami, bacon, corned beef, pancetta, …
Salami’s Sour and Tangy Taste Explained
The sour flavor that is quite common in salami most people are pretty familiar with, I will share what I know about where it comes from. I make salami at home, and it is a process sometimes where there is a fermentation stage and a drying stage. Having met a bunch of small and large salami producers, I’ve gained some …
What is Salami Made of? (Commercial & Artisan)
Salami can be made of quality ingredients or additives to drive its profitability of it and make it a high-volume product. Making salami at home as well as buying it commercially, I want to contrast the ingredients and flavors. Readings textbooks about salami making and meat science have opened my eyes to some of the processes that are used in …
Salami Carbs and Sugar Content Explained
Whether salami has carbohydrates isn’t a straightforward yes or no answer. This comes from someone who makes salami at home and has studied salami for decades and visited many commercial salami producers. In short, variations exist based on country and brand; please see the ranges below. Then, I will get into more detail. Since, salami can be defined in many …
Charcuterie & Cured Meat – Is it Gluten-Free?
When it comes to charcuterie in all its forms and cured meats most of it I’ve come across is generally gluten-free, however that’s with writing bit more detail about this. Quality charcuterie such as dry-cured meats & salami, rillettes, and confit are unlikely to contain gluten. Budget cost-effective supermarket deli meats such as bier sticks and emulsified processed spam/bologna meat …
Methods for Preserving Meat at Home – Salt, Acidity Smoke, Fat
This entire website is about meat curing, smoking, and preserving meat, mainly with salt and smoke. This write-up will focus on an overview of all the ways I’ve used and encountered over the years. Methods at home are often quite different from commercial store-bought ways. The magic of salt is the cornerstone of most of the methods you’ll find below, …
Is Ham a Cured Meat? (How is it Made)
This question completely depends on what country is answering this question. The mysteries of ham and whether it is cured meat will be covered in this post. Quick answer and a breakdown since ham varies a lot from place to place. Most people always say ham is smoked, and it is sometimes. But I’ll tell you what, in the big …
Preparing a Charcuterie Board Ahead of Time
Sometimes I want to prepare a charcuterie board beforehand so that it takes the stress out of it, rather than a last-minute rush of activity. I thought I’d share a few tips about how I prepare and some tips and tricks in the presentation that I have picked up along the way. Key Points: Of course, this resource site Eat …
Why is Charcuterie so Expensive to Buy?
Charcuterie is an expense—well, the stuff you buy is. It’s now a broad term covering anything from cured meats to rillettes and bacon. Quality Charcuterie is expensive due to the increased welfare of animals, better diets, and non-intensive farming practices. It can take months or years to make quality charcuterie rather than days or weeks for quality cured meats. Quality …