Charcuterie

[loticlover]

Just received this book yesterday and stayed up way too late reading it. Wonderful book!

Are there others that folks here can recommend?

 

[diggingdogfarm]

Charcuterie is okay, there are some troubling recipes in it.
All the Marianski books are fairly good.
Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing by Kutas is okay for the most part.
Warren Anderson's books are good.


~Martin

 

[dls1]

I think that Charcuterie is an excellent introduction to the subject. It's well written and very approachable for a novice. It provides good background info on what transpires in the process along with some pertinent illustrations. All of that said, I very much agree with Martin regarding a number of the recipes, primarily concerning the use of the curing agents. I questioned Ruhlman about that a couple years ago, and he responded by saying that the recipes were Polycn's, not his. he also said that they were doing further research on the subject in preparation of their new book. In short, he really didn't have an answer.
 

 

[rugbywaz]

Could you expound on what the errors are? To much cure, not enough.......? Your input would be most appretiated.

 

[diggingdogfarm]

Here's one example......

Home-Cured Bacon (adapted from Charcuterie)

—Order five pounds of fresh pork belly from your grocery store, the pork guy at your farmers market, or from a local butcher shop.

—Buy a box of 2-gallon zip-top bags if you don’t have a container big enough to hold the belly.

—Mix the following together in a small bowl:
2 ounces (1/4 cup Morton or Diamond Crystal coarse kosher) salt
[COLOR=#red]2 teaspoons pink curing salt #1[/COLOR] The correct amount is one teaspoon cure #1.
4 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
4 bay leaves, crumbled
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup brown sugar or honey or maple syrup
5 cloves of garlic, smashed with the flat side of a chef’s knife
2 tablespoons juniper berries, lightly crushed (optional)
5 to 10 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)


—Put your belly in the zip-top bag or on a sheet tray or in a plastic container. Rub the salt and spice mixture all over the belly. Close the bag or cover it with plastic wrap, and stick it in the refrigerator for seven days (get your hands in there and give the spices another good rubbing around midway through).
—After seven days, take it out of the fridge, rinse off all the seasonings under cold water and pat it dry.
—Put it on a sheet tray and put it in the oven (put it on a rack on a sheet tray if you have one) and turn the oven on to 200 degrees F. (if you want to preheat the oven, that’s fine, too). Leave it in the oven for 90 minutes (or, if you want to measure the internal temperature, until it reaches 150 degrees F.).
—Let it cool and refrigerate it until you’re ready to cook it. But I know. You won’t be able to wait. So cut off a piece and cook it. Taste it, savor it. Congratulations! It’s bacon!

Source: http://ruhlman.com/2010/10/home-cured-bacon-2/

2 teaspoons of Cure #1 equates to 312ppm nitrite in this recipe, that's twice the USDA recommended safe limit of 156ppm nitrite.
The proper amount for the above recipe is 1 teaspoon cure #1 (156ppm nitrite)


~Martin

 

[chix-boy]

Nothing like a good book to keep you up all night. The art of charcuterie by the culinary institute of america, will keep you up a few nights also.

 

[linguica]

Nothing like a good book to keep you up all night. The art of charcuterie by the culinary institute of america, will keep you up a few nights also.

A new book

 

[solaryellow]

You will find mistakes in all of these books. I think Charcuterie is a great entry point for new sausage makers. Rytek Kutas and the Marianskis also have good books, but it is important to pay attention to the recipes. Kutas' recipes are very bland and the Marianskis have a number of problems not unlike the example Martin cited above for Ruhlman and Polcyn. Learn the basics first and you will be able to spot the issues. If you understand what Ruhlman and Polcyn were driving at, I highly recommend reading the FSIS meat inspectors guide which is free. It will help you to understand some of the methodology and truly explain PPM which is crucial.

Welcome to the sausage club btw! :biggrin:

 

[diggingdogfarm]

That's correct, there's no perfect book, they all have flaws, it's just that Charcuterie seems to have (or had, some major problems were corrected in later printings) some of the worst.

Salumi, their new book is a disappoint, I hoped for a much better book.

~Martin

 

[linguica]

Just the idea that we can duplicate such fine preserved meats at home stirs my imagination. To make my own Coppa....WOW this why we strive to learn.

Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.

Oliver Wendell Holmes

 

[rugbywaz]

Thanks for the response. I see what you mean. I never thought to question. One would figure if its in the book; how can it be wrong.

I agree with the Kutas coment. His receipies are definitely on the plain side in terms of spicing. 

 

[diggingdogfarm]

There are a heck of a lot of bad, if not dangerous, recipes out there (in books and on the internet)!
As far as the Kutas recipes go, yeah, that was the nature of recipes years ago....compliment the flavor of the pork, not overpower it.....folks seem to like to add a lot of 'perfumes' now-a-days! It's in fashion! :biggrin:



~Martin

Edited: Typo

 

[BGKYSmoker]

When your reading the Rytek book you will find lots of mistakes. Accidental? Perhaps

 

[loticlover]

Wow, once again I'm overwhelmed with the generosity of folks at this site. It is frustrating to hear about lazy editing, especially with regard to food safety. This is honestly the reason why sausage making and meat curing remains the only cooking experiments I've been intimidated by for over a decade. I expect conflicting information on theinternet and often look to print material to resolve the issue. Sigh.

I like solaryellows's idea about reading the meat inspector guide...Nothing better than going to the source!

I'm still reading and learning, but I'll be sure to post as I start experimenting. I dream of someday constructing something that allows me to dry cure, but fully realize that this is advanced and the I should learn to walk before I run...

Martin...off topic, but I love you website!

Cheers everyone!

 

[solaryellow]

Wow, once again I'm overwhelmed with the generosity of folks at this site. It is frustrating to hear about lazy editing, especially with regard to food safety. This is honestly the reason why sausage making and meat curing remains the only cooking experiments I've been intimidated by for over a decade. I expect conflicting information on theinternet and often look to print material to resolve the issue. Sigh.

I like solaryellows's idea about reading the meat inspector guide...Nothing better than going to the source!

I'm still reading and learning, but I'll be sure to post as I start experimenting. I dream of someday constructing something that allows me to dry cure, but fully realize that this is advanced and the I should learn to walk before I run...

Martin...off topic, but I love you website!

Cheers everyone!

It isn't rocket surgery. :biggrin:

Like you said, you have to learn to walk first. Good luck!

 

[shannon127]

Schinkenrezepte by P. Triegel.  It is written in German and there are issues with some of the recipes.  The biggest problem is that he does not always mention if a recipe is to be brine or dry cured.  If you know the basics of Curing you can quickly figure it out.  That said, the recipes are fabulous.  I have made 7 so far and all have been awesome.

http://www.wurstrezepte.org/startseite/57-schinkenrezepte.html