How to Step Up Your Charcuterie Game

We sell a lot of ½ and whole pigs to customers that 1) LOVE pork and 2) have freezer space. They know that they like the pork chops, bacon, sausage and ham, but they often ask “What are we going to do with the jowls or hocks?” We think that is a great way to experiment with charcuterie. To me “Charcuterie” is a fancy and delicious platter of meats ordered often as an appetizer in upscale restaurants. Real charcuterie is actually much more. Charcuterie takes the bounty of the farm animal and through creativity and skill creates delicious cuisine in the form of sausages, hams, and an unlimited variety of other ways in using the entire animal. In its simplest form, charcuterie is a way of seasoning, processing and preserving meat. The Romans first established laws regulating the preservation of meat and the real charcuterie boom began in France during the Middle Ages. Charcuteries, or what we would call delicatessens, provided a place for the processed meat to be sold. It is in places like this where people would buy a variety of sausage or salami or cuts like jowls, hocks, or trotters. Unfortunately, like many things effected by suburbs, supermarkets and industrial agriculture, delicatessens are disappearing even from urban, metropolitan areas. In Europe, where charcuteries were born, the meat shops are closing and the younger generations are uninterested in learning the art of charcuterie.

Fortunately, there seems to be a trend in the restaurant industry whereby chefs are branching out and being more creative (and not so wasteful) in their use of the entire animal. Trained chefs know the secrets that our grandparents knew. Like, how to cook a tough, but flavorful pork jowl, or that braising a smoked ham hock will add amazing flavor and tender meat to your pot of beans, greens or soup.

The picture above is a simple recipe for cooking smoked pork jowl (also called face bacon because of its resemblance to classic bacon):

Pre-heat oven to 400°. Place slices of pork jowl on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Lightly sprinkle black pepper and brown sugar on each slice. Place another sheet of parchment paper over the meat. Place a second cookie sheet on top. Place a pie pan (or other oven-safe dish) on top to add weight to the top cookie sheet. Place in the 400° oven for 18 minutes. Take off the top cookie sheet and cook for another 3-4 minutes to caramelize the sugar and crisp the meat to desired crispness.

Bon Appétit!