Tag: Charcuterie

Started Smoking… Meat!

Started Smoking… Meat!

So, yeah… Lately I took on a new habit. Smoking… meat, you silly! The need came as I was prepping some Hungarian Gyulai Sausage (post will follow soon) that needed about 8 hours of cold smoke, at 90 F degrees maximum. I needed a simple device that would house the meat, and where smoke went in then smoke went out. Here’s how I did it!

Salame di Brianza

Salame di Brianza

I agree, lately my blog’s flavor leans on the meaty side. This all has to do with my latest fascination with cured meats, and the craft of charcuterie I consider an art worthy of a pedestal. After some (failed) attempts at curing sausage, some of which grew beards (literally), I finally got a grip on some of the key rules, so here is the the first successful result – Salame di Brianza!

Home Cured Pancetta

Home Cured Pancetta

Home Cured Pancetta
Home Cured Pancetta

Pancetta or pork belly (aka bacon for us in the West), is the easiest meat that can be cured at home even without the need of a curing chamber. Inspired by Jason Molinari’s Cured Meats blog, I mustered enough courage to get this project running along with the others ones that are still sitting in the curing chamber.

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Charcuterie – Fermentation and Curing Chamber

Charcuterie – Fermentation and Curing Chamber

Ok, I have to tell you about my latest bug. Growing up in Eastern Europe where EVERYTHING is cured, smoked, with prosciutto and sausages hanging in the pantry, I couldn’t help but try to reproduce the same delicacies here on US soil. But I was faced with a couple obstacles like I had to keep my basement smell free, and keep my neighbors happy if I was to build a smoke house to cold smoke the meat outside for 10+ hours. Here’s the first task for my charcuterie adventures in curing meat – the fermentation and curing chamber.