Tasso Ham

Absolutely hands down the easiest thing to cure is tasso ham. It takes about 24 hours for the whole process cure, dry, rub, and smoke. The result is far above and beyond any tasso you could ever buy premade.
Now tasso is used primarily as a flavoring in most recipes like stews, soups, gravies, even crab cakes. Its creole origins of course make it suitable for gumbos and jambalaya's as well. I'm not saying you cant make a tasso ham and cheese,but you just might be a little disappointed.
I got this recipe out of my CIA Garde Manger book from culinary school. Although we never cured anything at the Art Institute this book came in handy 10 years later.
I would suggest using the highest quality pork you can find either from your local central market or whole foods, or there are even ways to order online from small all natural farms. I use Duroc pork from Compart family farms, and to me its the best all around on cost, marbling, and flavor.
As i stated above the process is quick and simple but there is room for freedom in the rub. The classic rub has four ingredients white pepper(1/2 oz), cayenne pepper(1/4 oz), marjoram(1/2 oz), and allspice(1/2 oz) but to me this is your time to jazz it up to your taste. The sous Alex at the restaurant came up with our rub and its outstanding:

Spice Rub

2oz        Spanish Paprika
1oz        Kosher Salt
1/2oz     Smoked Paprika
1/2oz     Ancho Powder
1/2oz     White Pepper
1/2oz     Garlic Powder
1/2oz     Onion Powder
1/2oz     Allspice Ground
1/2oz     Cumin
1/2oz     Marjoram
1/4oz     Cayenne

Basic Dry Cure

8oz      Kosher Salt
3oz      Brown Sugar
3oz      Sugar
2oz      Pink Curing Salt aka TCM (Tinted Curing Mix)

Here is the recipe:

5lb       Boneless Pork Shoulder (cut into 1 inch slabs against the grain)
Basic Dry Cure (see recipe above)
Spice Rub (see recipe above)

Cut the shoulder into 1 inch slabs across the grain
Dredge the slabs in the cure mix
Let cure at room temp (75-80 degrees) for three hours or in the fridge for four to five hours uncoverd
Flip the meat every hour to insure they soak in the liquids that get released
Rinse thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels
Dredge the slabs in the spice rub
Place on a rack and let dry uncovered in the fridge for 12 hours
Smoke at 185 until and internal temp of 150 about 2-1/2 hours (I use pecan wood)
Cool and store wrapped tight in the fridge should last about two weeks.

Enjoy!!

Coffee Cured Duck Breast

One of my latest fascinations has been with curing duck breast. It started when I cured some breast for duck pastrami for a wine dinner at the restaurant a few months back. The pastrami turned out better than I could have imagined (I will post it later on). But it wasn't until I started reading in the charcuterie books that I realized ducks potential to take on what ever flavor you throw its way without losing the duck quality of it. Having that said there will be plenty more duck curing post to come
My most resent of these was coffee cured duck breast from the CIA charcuterie book. I'm not a huge coffee flavored fan but it sounded interesting and was very simple to put together

The directions are simple:
Trim the breast, clean excess fat, and score the fat.
Mix the cure ingredients together.
Pack the breast in the cure mixture. (Leave for 12 hours)
Rinse and dry (dry in the fridge for 12 hours)
Hot Smoke. (@ 185 until internal temp is 150 about 1.5 hours)
Eat!

The recipe called for four moulard breast which are big and pricey (about 1lb each breast) I just subbed some regular ol maple leaf brand duck from central market.

4 Moulard duck breast (or regular... your choice)
1 Cup fresh ground coffee (I used already ground that was close at hand)
3/4 Cup kosher salt
1/2 Cup sugar
3 T grated orange zest

That's all! It turned out really nice and the coffee flavor is very light at the tail end of the finish. It will keep for up to two weeks when wrapped well and in the fridge but trust me you wont have it that long!

Enjoy!

Shiner Bock Mustard

This is my third or forth go at making whole grain mustard and its still a work in progress. I remember thinking to myself how simple it should be. Just throw some mustard seeds in the food processor with a little wine and vinegar and poof great mustard appears. Unfortunately its not that easy as I have found out. The process is simple the ratios are still in question but in the end it has to do with preference. The first step is seeds selection, yellow, brown, black, Chinese (Hot) or what I prefer a blend. Next you need to soak them which brings in more variables a la what liquid to use. Water is the classic soaking medium but you can use anything from vinegar, wine, beer, champagne, or your own custom mix. Referring to James Peterson's book Sauces he uses four ounces of seeds to twelve ounces of liquid being red wine and red wine vinegar equal parts. The next dilemma is how long to soak the seeds and I have no definite answer its all up to preference. Ive read anything from eight hours to three days but Ill go with James Peterson who says soak over night. At this point its time to decide if you want to add anything else to the soak i.e. shallots, garlic, herbs, or spices. Once your mixture has soaked overnight its time to blend so toss your mix in the food processor add in salt and pepper and if your using sugar or honey do so now. Also if you choose not to use vinegar in the soaking liquid now would be the time to add it. Process until desired consistency or thickness is reached. The mustard at this point will be hot as fire and maybe a bit bitter but these things will level out to an extent with time. Your mustard will be a great addition to aiolis, sauces, vinaigrette's, or straight up on a nice homemade sausage.

The recipe I used:

3 ounces Yellow Mustard Seeds
3 ounces Brown Mustard Seeds

12 ounces Shiner Bock

1 Shallot (diced)
2 Galric cloves (smashed)
2 Tablespoons Herbs de Provence (dried)

2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon  Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Black Pepper (fresh ground)
1 Teaspoon Turmeric

1/2 Cup Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 Cup White Wine

I think I would cut back or omit the sugar and use a distilled vinegar next go round to cut the sweetness and add a little more punch.

Note* I get all my seeds, dried herbs, and spices from Pendery's Spice Shop here in Fort Worth Texas.

Welcome

I created this blog to document my journey into the complex and sometimes frustrating world of charcuterie. 
In the past, I played with different aspects of charcuterie but not until recently did I get the "bug". 
While doing a food station for a local charity, I met a local chef that was curing and smoking his own bacon. 
Then it hit me. Why am I not making my own bacon? 
That was just the start.  Soon the flood gates of why not opened up for making other foods.
With the Playas help and some new charcuterie books, we gathered all the right equipment, cures, and spices to do it right. 
I started a batch of bellies for bacon, turned some pork butt into tasso ham, and ground the rest into what would become smoked andouille sausage.

 

 

Charcuterie to me is going back to the roots of cookery and discovering the fundamentals on which so many products today are based. 
I hope this blog will inspire you to dive into charcuterie as I have and explore the possibilities. 
I will be updating this blog weekly if not daily as I make my journey through this vast subject.
 

The books I use: 

Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing 
by Michael Ruhlman with Brian Polcyn
The Art of Charcuterie 
by John Kowalski and The Culinary Institute of America

Books on my wishlist:
The Art of Fermentation: An In-Depth Exploration of Essential Concepts and Processes from Around the World 
by Sandor Ellix Katz
Salumi: The Craft of Italian Dry Curing 
by Michael Ruhlman with Brian Polcyn
Meat. Salt. Time. Salumi Master Cristiano Creminelli 
by Tony Seichrist
The Art of Making Fermented Sausages 
by Stanley Marianski

This blog is dedicated to the Playa. Without his support, this exploration would not be possible.