Weekend charcuterie…

Lady Wife and I depart this afternoon for a long weekend at the lake, where some like-minded gastronomes are joining us for a kitchen challenge.  We are transforming about 200 lbs. of various cuts of pork into salumi; meats salted and cured in the Italian tradition.  We will be crafting our own:

– Guanciale
– Coppa
– Lonza
– Spalla
– Pancetta
– Prosciutto
– Salami (about 6 different variations)

Some will be ready for consumption in 6 – 8 weeks, but the larger pieces, like the prosciutto, will be ready in 10 months or more.  We’re using a converted wine cellar and refrigerator as our curing space.  The temperature will be constantly between 55°F – 60°F with 60-70% humidity.

Our bibles for this effort are two books – Salumi: The Craft of Italian Dry Curing and Charcuterie: The Craft of Smoking, Salting and Curing.

I wanted to also cure some lardo, but to do it right I need to order a Carrera marble vat the next time I am in Italy.  It will be the eventual goal, the pinnacle of the art of curing meat.  Made by curing pork fat with salt and herbs and spices (anise, garlic, rosemary, peppercorns and others), I want to recreate the classic Lardo di Colonnata.  A cross-hatch of slits is made in the fat, and then rubbed with sea salts. The sides of the marble tub (conca di marmo) are rubbed with garlic; then layers of salt, herbs and spices, followed by a layer of fat. Layers are alternated to fill the container, which is closed with a marble lid. The cure takes six months and produces an aromatic, soft, white, seasoned fat. The climate and the conca produce a unique product. The salt draws the water out of the fat, forming a brine. In its dehydrated state, the fat draws in the oils in the herbs. Lardo has been made for centuries and enjoyed as a sandwich meat by workers in the Carrera quarries. It can be melted on a piece of toast instead of butter or served sliced thinly on warm toast as an antipasto.

I plan on documenting our efforts in photos, so expect an entry on that to come.