Charcuterie

Photo by Holly A. Heyser

I do a lot of meat curing, and make all kinds of fresh sausages, so I thought I’d compile all my sausage and charcuterie recipes here to make it easy for someone to browse through all of them.

Charcuterie is a vital part of any hunter’s skill set, as you never know when your power will go out; the loss of an entire year’s worth of game when a box freezer heats up can bring tears to anyone’s eyes. But curing meat is more than an insurance policy: It transforms often sketchy cuts of meat into magical tastes and textures. It’s alchemy: salt, temperature, humidity and time.

If you are a newbie, I recommend you start with things like fresh sausages and pates or rillettes, which are basically a rougher pate. Only when you know how to do these fresh projects should you begin curing over the long term. A good place to being your curing career is by making duck or goose breast prosciutto. This project is so easy you can do it in your fridge.

You will need a curing chamber to make any sort of cured meat charcuterie. I have links below to what you will need.

Methods

General Sausage-Making Instructions (Hosted on Simply Recipes)
My personal favorite Charcuterie, Sausage and Salami-Making Books

Venison Charcuterie

Some special considerations you should know when working with venison for charcuterie.

Tinkering with Sausages

Advanced tips and tricks for making sausages at home.

Sausages in a Bird’s Neck

The ultimate natural casing when you are making poultry sausages. Goose necks are the best for this, but turkey necks and even chicken or pheasant necks will work.

Charcuterie Recipes by Type

Fresh Sausages

These are sausages like you buy in the deli counter. They need to be cooked, and are all pretty perishable, so make them and eat (or freeze) within a week or so. This is where you start on your charcuterie journey.

Confit, Rillettes, Etc.

Some of these recipes require curing, but most are fresh. Confit and rillettes keep for a long time in the fridge, so they are a bridge between fresh sausage and dry-cured meats. These are excellent recipes for beginners, and many are great ways to use “off” cuts and offal.

Hams and Whole Cuts

Dry cured whole cuts of meat, like hams, duck breasts, air-cured backstraps, etc. For the most part, you will need a curing chamber to do these.

Salami Recipes

These are the real deal: Dry-cured, fermented salami recipes. Only try these after you’ve learned to make fresh sausages.

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8 responses to “Charcuterie”

Davidthearcher August 30, 2009 at 9:13 pm | Permalink

Hank, I think I saw you allude to sharing how your curing cabinet is made. I’ve got lots of elk meat laying around and another tag in my pocket and would love to build a curing fridge and start curing some sausage. Any chance of letting me in on the specifics of making one? I’m gettin’ itchy…
Ranger133 September 5, 2012 at 2:24 pm | Permalink

I second that request. I would love to get some advice on building a curing chamber.
Doc September 8, 2012 at 5:07 pm | Permalink

I recommend the following page for an excellent guide to creating a curing chamber from an old refrigerator:
http://mattikaarts.com/blog/charcuterie/meat-curing-at-home-the-setup/

There is also a link on that page to a radio show interview given by the author that includes additional information on curing.

Enjoy!
Guest Post: How to Make Your Own Curing Chamber November 20, 2012 at 5:00 am | Permalink

[...] Honest-Food.Net — Simple, straightforward approach to living and eating as our ancestors have. [...]
Paul January 12, 2013 at 9:20 pm | Permalink

Do you have any good smoked sausage recipes for pheasant? I found your site while looking for some, and am very happy that I did. Thank you for the recipes, and for your mission of using as much as possible.
james barlow April 22, 2013 at 7:39 pm | Permalink

I’ve made salamis,copas and bresaolas both with #2 cure and Mold-600 on ext.What is the best way to long term store-6 mo, 10 mo, longer. I don’t want to hang any longer because I’ve got the moisture content just right. I’ve heard freezing changes texture.
I’ve vacuum sealed and put in refer at 38 dg. Do you think that’s the best storage option?
Hank Shaw April 23, 2013 at 9:03 am | Permalink

James: That’s what I do. But I also freeze charcuterie, too. Yes, the texture changes a little, but not that much because there is so little water left in the meat.
james barlow April 29, 2013 at 11:47 pm | Permalink

Someone else from the Wedliny Domowe site suggested removing the mold covered casing, washing in vinegar, drying, then vacuum sealing. I noticed the mold turned a little slimy on a salami I sealed up without removing the casing. Maybe it doesn’t matter?