Pig's Head Torchon...

Today was a pretty productive day. I've had some left over meat from the headcheese that I had made a while back. One of the other cooks mentioned making a torchon, but we didn't have any pig skin left. I decided to try it with some chicken skin. I have to say, it tasted pretty delicious. I was able to sear the torchon then put it in the oven for just a minute, then slice it. Check out the pictures!

I have 6 duck breasts that are going to be cured early next week. Im really excited about those. After eating at different salumi restaurant, I've encountered some different flavors I can add to some prosciutto cure to let it stand out a little more from other duck prosciutto around town. Also, I have a total of 20 pounds of pork that I am going to start making into salami soon. I took inventory of what I have at the moment and all together I have 3 pounds of sopressa de fruilli, 4 pounds of finocionna, half pound of coppa, 1 pound of duck prosciutto, half a pound of lonza, 4 pounds of genoa, 1 pound of lardo, and 5 pounds of N'duja. Not a bad mix!

Coppa

Today I was able to apply the second batch of seasoning to the coppa I have. Now it needs a little over a week in the fridge and it should be ready to hang. Also, I realized I have 15 more pounds of pork shoulder I need to do something with. I have been wanting to do some cardamom-orange salami again. Also, maybe some little pepperoni sticks on the charcuterie plate would be kinda cool.

What's Going On...

Today was my day off and I was thinking about what's going to be going on this week. The coppa I have curing will be ready for it's second stage tomorrow when I re-apply seasoning, and just after another week, will be ready to hang. N'duja is still looking good! Still has a little while to go though. I'll be sure to save some for those of you who can make it out to the restaurant. I'll be sure to let you know when it's ready, and you can send me a message if you want to come in and try some! Also, the chef is doing a food and wine show in Charleston, S.C. in March and wants me to make some chorizo for him so I'm probably going to start that the beginning of February.

The attached picture is of the charcuterie plate at Voice.

Pork Gummy Bears!

I took some of the lardo down yesterday and sliced it. It looks good and tastes great! I melted some on toast and cut some into lardons and rendered them until translucent. One of my co-workers described them as little "pork gummy bears"! I thought they tasted awesome! A few lucky tables got to taste some when I garnished the charcuterie plate with a couple little lardons and they really seemed to enjoy them. Here are some pictures!

Just an update, the N'duja is looking and feeling great! This batch is not firming up at all as the last batch did, and so far it looks like it's going to be spreadable! Can't wait to try some! Also, the headcheese was delicious! Maybe making some pate today. Coppa is in the cure!

Headcheese and Chicharrones!

Today we made some headcheese. When it sets tomorrow I should be able to take some pictures. I used the skin to make pork rinds to garnish the charcuterie plate. They came out great! The lardo should be ready tomorrow also. Im going to pull down the thinner piece and slice into it to see if its done. Also, I placed some coppa in to cure. In a week and a half Im going to take it out and re-season it and cure it for another week and a half. Then comes the hanging. N'duja is looking good. It should be ready at the end of February.

What's Next...

Today I was able to hang the new N'duja. This batch is already looking a lot better than the last. The smoking process was a little different this time around, and to me, I think that's whats gonna make the difference. Doing research on this salami is next to impossible. Alot of recipes that you will find are very vague. It's definitely going to be something worth trying out at the restaurant.

We received a suckling pig in today, and tomorrow I'm going to make some headcheese. Last week we had pate on the salumi plate, this week we had rillettes, next is going to be headcheese.

Also, I was able to post some pictures of the Finocchiona and the Sopressa.

Trial and Error...

One thing I told myself when I started this blog was to always share all of my experiences. Good or bad. Today I checked out the n'duja I have hanging, and I have to say, so far, im not too pleased with it. I might be wrong. If there's anything I have learned from charcuterie making, its that you must have patience, And this one really takes every ounce of it. One thing I new from the beginning was that making this was going to be a little bit of a challenge.

Unless for some reason it starts to loosen up, I don't see it becoming much of a "spreadable" salami. I've already began troubleshooting and came up with a couple different things that while making it, I wasn't sure about. Hopefully, tomorrow I will begin mixing another batch. Since there isn't much research on the topic, I knew that a lot of it was going to be trial and error.

N'duja pt.3

As Sunday comes to a close, I wanted to share with you how the n'duja is going. I was finally able to stuff is on Saturday, and today, i began the smoking process. I smoked it today for about 8 hours. it turned a beautiful deep red color. Im gonna have to figure out a schedule as to when i can finish the smoking process, then comes the hanging. I posted up some pics of the n'duja so far.

On another note, I got the ok to order some mallard duck breasts and a couple of pork muscles for coppa. Also, if Im not mistaken, we're gonna be getting a couple of suckling pigs in next week, but more importantly, with that order, I think were gonna be getting some legs for prosciutto. Can't wait to give this another try since my last attempt ended in failure, do to forces out of my control.

A little starter about the cultures...

Since working at a new restaurant, Ive been able to change a lot of the variables that goes into my charcuterie making. Not because the one's that i originally learned were wrong, but just to know how different starter cultures, humidity, temperature, and environments effect the overall product. Like so many other things in cooking, there are constants that never change. Over the next couple of weeks im going to be testing out different environments, and find the best one suited for the type of charcuterie I want to create. Here's just a little bit about the starter culture Im using.

Being my first batch of salami at this new restaurant, I decided to start with F-LC. One of the main reasons I wanted to use this one, was because I wanted to test out the conditions of the curing room before starting. The room Im using is about 55-60 degrees fahrenheit, with humidity levels varying between 65-70%. F-LC is the best culture at this temperature, and still will produce slow, traditional acidification. Also, humidity is not a huge factor when using this culture. A 2.2 lb. Finocchiona took just about 1 month to finish curing and gave a beautiful, deep red finish with wonderful flavor. Very aromatic! The "tangy-ness" level wasn't overpowering, but just enough.

Another bactoferm that I've used many times is LHP. This type ferments very fast and gives you more of a sourly flavor. To me, this one is almost perfect for pepperoni. It should take a little less than a month and ferments in best in temperatures between 80 and 100% fahrenheit.

F-RM-52 is another one great for medium fast acidification. Products will still take about 1 month to completely cure, and ferments best between temps of 70-90 degrees. Also, sometimes has just a little too much tangy-ness for me!

Im going to take pictures of the finished salami products tomorrow and will post them first thing. If you have any more tips please feel free to leave a comment or send an e-mail.

Stuffing the N'duja tomorrow!

Having fun!

Time and time again, I remember my mom telling me "don't play with your food!" And 20 years later, I still am! My girlfriend bought me these cookie cutters and decided to serve the bread that comes with the charcuterie plate in a different way!

N'duja pt.2

So here are some pictures of the pork mixed with the spices. Also, im going to have to push back the date that I was planning on stuffing them until Saturday. Once that is stuffed, I should have enough salami's to last a little while. Im going to have to start building up my other muscles. I know duck prosciutto is running a little low, and thats one of my favorites, so thats definitely going up! I also think were getting low on coppa and lonza. I talked to the chef about ordering a leg for prosciutto. Thats one thing I want to get started on soon.

I was thinking about the lardo that I have up, and wasn't to happy about the thickness of it. It's gonna be a little tough trying to get some good thick slices out of it. Im thinking some thinly sliced strips with the right type of greens would make a nice little salad garnish on the charcuterie plate! Or maybe some lardo lardons!

N'duja pt.1

Today was not very busy at work, which gave me time to get some stuff ready for my n'duja. I was able to parboil the tripe and grind up everything. I also got all my spices ready for mixing, but didn't mix them with the meat yet. I decided that im going to mix everything tomorrow, maybe stuff it on wednesday, then start hanging. If all goes as planned, it should be ready at the end of February. Lardo should be ready at the end of this month.

I pulled down some of the Finocchiona today and it tasted great! Should be on the charcuterie plate starting Wednesday.

Day off...

So, today is my day off. I use it to start planning whats going up next. A text a got earlier last week inspired me to try making N'duja. The legendary spreadable (and very spicy!) salami from Calabria. After doing a little research on the subject, a lot of people are keeping their techniques under wraps. RIghtfully so. This salami is becoming more and more popular all across the United States.

Hmmm...let me choose my words very, very carefully....

I ordered the umm...tripe, and some uhh...mesquite wood chips.

Im planning on starting this week and I'll be sure to post up some pics as soon as possible!

Getting Caught Up On What's Hanging

So I've been curing meats for over a year now. I've cured well over a dozen muscles and countless salami's. Im going to save a lot of pictures of what Ive done in the past for days i have nothing to write.

Right now, i have 15 lbs. of Finocchiona, 10 lbs. of Genoa, and 10 lbs. of Sopressa. All of which are in what should be their last week of curing. Also, i have a 8 lbs of Lamb Merguez and as of today, I have 2 slabs of Lardo.

This past week, I just pulled some Genoa I had curing in natural casings and about 10 lbs of Tasso. The tasso came as a last minute thing when my chef was trimming some pork loin and threw me the scraps! Turned out to be delicious!

It wasn't always like this...

Ive been cooking for almost 10 years now, but this is a bit different. I started when i was 16, and all I knew was that if the pan wasn't sizzling, then it wasn't cooking. That mentality stuck with me for a long time. The hotter, the better. It wasn't until a couple of years ago, that I realized that cooking had little to do with the amount of heat that is applied to food, and thats what made me decide to create this blog.

Learning the art of charcuterie has really renewed my strength in cooking. It brings a sense of calmness to a chaotic kitchen atmosphere. There's a mutual respect between you and your product. It's simple and straight-forward, yet complicated and sometimes complex at the same time. With little room for error, it can make even the most experienced chef wonder.

I've always been a believer in forward progress through past experiences. With this blog, I'm planning to track my progress and experiences with everyone.

I hope you enjoy reading it.