The American Cure

FOODS IN FOCUS
54 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com
The
American Cure
Across the country, artisanal domestic cured
meats are revolutionizing the charcuterie industry.
by Kristen Bieler
I
f you’ve noticed charcuterie cases becoming more crowded lately, you’re
not seeing things. “What has happened to cheese in this country over the
past 20 years is what is happening with charcuterie now,” says Michael
Giarraputo, director of sales and marketing for Fra’ Mani Handcrafted Foods,
Berkeley, Calif., founded by chef Paul Bertolli in 2005. The company’s handstuffed salami and Old World–style Italian mortadellas and pancettas are
working their way into gourmet shops and mainstream grocers across the
country, challenging the deli counter dominance of what Giarraputo calls “the
big three”: roast beef, roast turkey and cooked ham.
PHOTOS: MARK FERRI; FOOD STYLED BY LESLIE ORLANDINI; PROPS STYLED BY FRAN MATALON-DEGNI
Opposite page (clockwise from left): Belmont Butchery Duck Prosciutto, Larchmont
Charcuterie Pork Saucisson, Kissel’s Cherry Fennel Jam, Formaggio Kitchen’s Bacon
Pancetta, Jennifer’s Homemade Flatbreads, Fatted Calf Fegatelli and Petit Sec.
This page: Alexian Pâté & Terrines’ Duck Rillette (left),
Low Country Produce Pickled Garlic (right)
MAY/JUNE 2012
55
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FOODS IN FOCUS
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For Alexian Pâté & Terrines, Neptune, N.J., it’s a dream
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European-style meat products to Americans who, at the time, would
only buy bologna, liverwurst and olive loaf,” says Laurie Cummins,
president of Alexian Pâté. Today she struggles to keep up with
demand, and sales grow rapidly every year. “In addition to becoming
more adventurous, consumers have become so much more interested
in the wholesomeness and the nutritional value as well as the geographic origin of the meat products they buy.”
The Rise of Boutique Producers
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The locavore, artisanal movement has been booming, as many small
producers, from Iowa to New York City, enter the cured-meat business. Ted Matern, co-owner of Blue Apron Foods, Brooklyn, N.Y.,
says the evolution has been dramatic.
“There’s been an explosion in the number of small producers offering artisanal charcuterie that simply didn’t exist when we
opened ten years ago,” he says. While Blue Apron Foods still sells
many imported cured meats, it’s the close-to-home, boutique purveyors that are driving growth, particularly the French-inspired, allnatural, nitrate-free Larchmont Charcuterie from upstate New York
and pâtés and terrines from Le Bec Fin in New Jersey. Interestingly,
despite domestic charcuterie tending to be more expensive, these are
some of Blue Apron’s most popular items.
The same is true at Red, White & Bleu in Falls Church, Va.,
a specialty food shop co-founded in 2008 by James Roth. Local
favorites include Virginia’s Olli Salumeria as well as Red Apron
Butchery, the creation of chef Nate Anda, who uses only Virginiaand Maryland-raised animals. But while the demand for organic
Fatted Calf Craft Beer Sausage
and pasture-fed animals has never been greater, Roth maintains,
“the first thing customers ask for is to taste something delicious.
That’s what people will pay a premium for.” Matern agrees that
in his customers’ minds, quality is still the most important factor.
With passion for the craft and technical know-how at an all-time
high, even among start-up producers, the quality is indeed there.
DIY Charcuterie
Heather Bailie, director of operations at Fatted Calf Charcuterie,
Napa, Calif., has seen interest in the “how-to” of charcuterie production inflate along with sales. “When the owners started doing this
in 2004, there were only a handful of people making small-batch
charcuterie,” Bailie says. “Today, it seems like every restaurant has
an in-house charcuterie program.” The much-acclaimed Fatted Calf
started receiving a steady stream of resumes in 2007; Bailie developed a stage program to accommodate all the people who wanted to
learn her trade.
More and more specialty food and butcher shops have jumped
into the business themselves, developing in-house charcuterie programs. Julie Biggs, charcutier at Formaggio Kitchen, Cambridge,
Mass., sees a sales boom overall in the cured-meat department—
imports, too, but the real interest is in the house-made charcuterie.
Her production has tripled in the past few years. “The charcuterie
consumer is hugely interested in where the meat is from and how
the animal was raised,” Biggs says. “We can answer those questions
because we made the product.”
“I would love to see how the sales of sausage-grinding equipment have increased,” says Ariane Daguin, owner of cured-meat
supplier D’Artagnan, Newark, N.J., who has seen her raw-meat sales
skyrocket as a result of the do-it-yourself charcuterie movement.
“We used to only sell the middle meats, but today small restaurants
and shops are buying all the other parts of the pig to make their own
rillettes, terrines and head cheese. We’ve had a huge surge in raw
heritage and Berkshire pork.”
The Pig Next Door
The locavore meat trend went into high gear in 2006, says Tanya
Cauthen, owner of Belmont Butchery, Richmond, Va., with the
publication of Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma—the same
year Cauthen opened her shop, whose 4-foot charcuterie case now
contains more than 120 offerings. Enthusiasm spilled over into charcuterie roughly two years ago.
“The common-man awareness of food has increased logarithmically,” Cauthen says. “There has always been a locavore community, but when the general populace became aware, it [had] created major demand for the kinds of meats and charcuterie we sell.”
Belmont Butchery, which Cauthen describes as “a full European
break-down butcher shop,” has developed a charcuterie program
From top: Schoolhouse Kitchen Squadrilla
Chutney, D’Artagnan Smoked Duck Breast,
Formaggio Kitchen Duck Pastrami
duck breast and duck prosciutto
are really growing, and merguez—
spicy lamb sausage—has emerged as
a best seller, particularly for the growing
market that doesn’t eat pork.”
“Smoked
that relies entirely on local animals, often heritage breeds.
Aside from the environmental and feel-good aspect, this
increased focus on super-fresh local meat results in a better end
product. “I really let the pork shine through and don’t hide its flavor
with much spice or other flavors,” Cauthen explains. Formaggio
Kitchen’s Biggs claims it’s actually made her job easier. “My charcuterie recipes have gotten much simpler,” she says, “as I focus more
on the meat and minimal seasoning.”
It makes good business sense, too, says D’Artagnan’s Daguin.
“We don’t import much meat because the regulations are so strict
and it is so expensive to get it here. We try to source as closely as
possible to home for economic and environmental reasons,” she
says. Daguin makes some exceptions, such as Berkshire pigs raised
by farmers at the foot of the Ozark Mountains in Missouri. “The
land there lends itself to pig farming exceptionally well and there
is a long-standing tradition there. I’m not going to ask my Amish
MAY/JUNE 2012
57
FOODS IN FOCUS
chicken farmers in Pennsylvania to start raising pigs.”
The locavore angle provides great merchandising opportunities
too. Fatted Calf ’s San Francisco outlet hosts “Pork Happy Hour,”
during which customers can watch Bailie and her butchers break
down a pig, while sampling beer from several local breweries. Bailie
brings the presentation full circle, infusing a sausage link with local
craft beer. “Tying in with other local purveyors really drives our
sales,” she adds.
CHARCUTERIE SIDEKICKS
M
uch like charcuterie itself, its accompaniments have seen
a dramatic increase in variety and quality, and artisanal
is king. “There is a whole new generation of people making
their own charcuterie, so it’s really nice to have more locally
crafted accompaniments to offer along with them,” says Ted
Matern of Blue Apron Foods, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Some charcutiers are purists. “All you need is some
preserved vegetable and a good mustard,” says Julie Biggs of
Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge, Mass. “Artisanal pickles are
great for mousses and pâtés when you need some acidity and
crunch.” Others like to steer their customers toward more exotic
condiments. “The sweet-savory trend is still hot,” Matern notes.
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“And people are much more adventurous with the combinations
they will try.” Lately, sweet tomato conserves, preserved fruits
and chutneys are big sellers with his smoked meats.
James Roth of Red, White & Bleu, in Falls Church,
Va., has witnessed a trend toward spicier accompaniments,
particularly fiery chutneys and pepper jellies, while Camille
Collins of Les Trois Petits Cochons calls out pickled foods and
fruit compotes.
Here are just some producers around the country offering toptier products that pair with charcuterie. Find more by searching
the Product Finder at specialtyfood.com.
Blue Ridge Jams: conserves, jellies, pickles;
blueridgejams.com
Boat Street Pickles: pickles, pickled figs, raisins and fruits;
boatstreetpickles.com
The Gracious Gourmet: chutneys, fruit spread;
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McClure’s Pickles: pickles, relish; mcclurespickles.com
Rustic Bakery: crackers, flatbreads, lavash, crostini;
rusticbakery.com
Schoolhouse Kitchen: mustards, chutneys, spreadable fruits;
schoolhousekitchen.com
Better-for-you snack crackers
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58 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com
The Virginia Chutney Company: sweet and savory
chutneys; virginiachutney.com
Bringing Fat Back
Many nutrition-savvy Americans seem to have lost their fear of fat,
Biggs says, a trend that makes her exceedingly happy. She makes
pancetta with a particularly fatty Vermont pork belly; while customers used to prefer more meat in their pancetta, they now reach for
her fattier version.
“People understand the value of fat in quality meat. They realize
the flavor can be superior and that they just need to use a little less,”
Biggs explains. Though it isn’t best for the bottom line, Cauthen
often encourages her customers to buy smaller amounts of her fatty
meats than they intended: “The fattier the meat, the less you need of
it. Our pancetta is at least 50 percent fat, but it’s meant to be a punctuation mark, a flavor enhancer, not the main meat. Nobody needs
to eat a half-pound of pork belly—they need 2 ounces.”
Bailie, too, has seen consumers’ attitude about animal fat
evolve. “People are less afraid of fat. They understand that duck
confit is very healthy fat, for example; my customers are raising their
kids on it,” she notes. “Fat carries flavor so well. Whatever you are
curing or brining with it, the flavor will shine through. Our bacon is
super fatty and we sell tons every week.”
Exotic Meats in the Spotlight
Similar to a changed attitude about fat, Americans have become less
squeamish about other meats. Cauthen’s sales of offal, scrapple, head
cheese and esoteric terrines are up as “people venture out of their
comfort zone a little more confidently,” she says. Rillettes, which
used to be off-putting to some, need only the slightest hand-sell
today. “I tell people it’s simply a meat—let it come to room temperature and mash the fat on top into the meat. Then they are hooked.”
Like many up-and-coming domestic charcutiers, Belmont
Butchery produces guanciale, an uncured Italian-style bacon made
with pig jowls. Cauthen describes it as “piggy gummy bears.” It
can be sliced thin and served on a charcuterie platter, but it’s more
traditionally served as lardoons in pasta carbonara, for example. “So
many recipes call for guanciale, and chefs were forced to substitute
pancetta because it wasn’t previously available,” Cauthen notes.
Non-pork charcuterie sales have seen a boom, D’Artagnan’s
Daguin reports. “Smoked duck breast and duck prosciutto are
really growing,” she notes. “And merguez—spicy lamb sausage—has
emerged as a best seller, particularly for the growing market that
doesn’t eat pork.” Les Trois Petits Cochons’ sales reveal shoppers
branching out into less-familiar meats, says marketing director
Camille Collins. Sales of rillettes de canard, smoked duck breast
and duck leg confit are booming, and to provide more pork-free
options, the company recently introduced three new preservativefree, pork-free sausages at San Francisco’s Winter Fancy Food
Show: Merguez, Chicken Andouille and Chicken with Spinach &
Gruyere Cheese. At Alexian, Cummins points out, “One or two of
From left: SchoolHouse Kitchen Sweet Smooth Hot Mustard, Formaggio Kitchen Rabbit Pâté,
Quince & Apple Shallot Confit with Red Wine, Alexian Pâté Pheasant Rosemary Pâté
MAY/JUNE 2012
59
FOODS IN FOCUS
DISPLAY-WORTHY MEATS
Here are some more specialty meats to use at the charcuterie
or deli counter. For more products, search the Product
Finder at specialtyfood.com.
Abraham of North America: Westphalian ham, other
specialty meats; abraham-usa.com
Busseto Foods: Italian specialty meats including dry salami,
pepperoni and pancetta; busseto.com
Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma: Prosciutto di Parma;
prosciuttodiparma.com
Johnston County Hams: hams, bacons, smoked duck, other
specialty meats; countrycuredhams.com
Fabrique Delicies: coppa, chorizo, pâtés, mousses,
galantines, rillettes, sausages, smoked, dried and cured
meats, foie gras; fabriquedelices.com
Ham I Am: hickory-smoked meats, bone-in and boneless
hams; hamiam.com
Maple Leaf Farms: full line of duck products;
mapleleaffarms.com
Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats: applewood-smoked
specialty meats including bacon, ham, poultry and sausage;
nueske.com
the more exotic SKUs, such as our Pheasant with Rosemary Pâté,
will soon threaten the position of Pâté de Campagne.”
The Great Nitrate Debate
In the quest for healthier, natural products, many consumers
express concern over nitrates. “I hear customers ask about nitrates
all the time, but the reality is that for anything smoked, hung and
not cooked, I believe a small amount is necessary to inhibit mold
growth,” says Formaggio Kitchen’s Biggs, who uses the minimum
amount to get her products to come out the way she wants. Cauthen,
too, notes that customer inquiries about nitrates have increased,
but argues that people don’t really understand the role they play.
“Do I love nitrates? No. But do I like botulism? Nitrates are a naturally occurring element, and we only use trace amounts,” she says.
Occasionally, Cauthen does make a nitrate-free bacon; most customers, however, don’t like the color (without nitrates, it won’t stay pink)
and the flavor is notably different.
“Nitrates are in wine, soil, spinach—they occur naturally in
many things we consume,” Bailie reminds her patrons at Fatted
Calf. Mass-produced, commercial products, however, she notes,
may employ higher amounts. “It is common for large-scale, factoryproduced charcuterie products to use a lot more preservatives than
small suppliers like us; it lengthens shelf life and covers up imperfections or not-totally-fresh raw ingredients.” Fatted Calf receives
La Quercia Prosciutto
Quercia’s Herb Eckhouse four
years of work with Missouri farmers to get the
population of Tamworth pig—an endangered
breed known for the sweetness of its fat—large
enough to start commercially selling raw
Tamworth bacon and breed-specific prosciutto.
It took La
1,000 pounds of pork each Wednesday; by Sunday all has been prepared and sold, and the process starts again with fresh meat. Expect
shorter shelf lives from artisanal products: Bailie recommends four
days for fresh sausage and two weeks for smoked products.
D’Artagnan’s nitrate- and preservative-free pâtés and some
meats may have a shorter shelf life than some competitors, which
Daguin is fine with. “Who wants a meat that will keep for a year?”
she contends. “We want to believe our products are so good that
15 days in a refrigerator is all they need.” At Red, White & Bleu,
James Roth purchased a FoodSaver vacuum-sealing system to give
the meats a longer shelf life in his store, while still accommodating
customers’ desire to sample products.
A handful of producers are working with natural substitutes.
Fra’ Mani eschews synthetic nitrates in favor of celery salt and
celery juice, and as a result products must be labeled as “uncured,”
(continued on p. 94)
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which Michael Giarraputo
argues is unclear to the consumer. “Consumers are confused by this forced labeling;
it could imply the products
are unsafe,” he explains. “Even
retailers aren’t all aware of the
distinction, so it’s a real eduPasta Carbonara with
cation battle.”
Belmont Butchery guanciale
Iowa’s much-hyped La
Quercia has been dry-curing
without nitrates since its start in 2000. The art of dry-curing—an
ancient process that involves salting the meat and then keeping
it in a cool room to age, often as long as six months to a year or
more—wasn’t happening in the U.S., recalls La Quercia’s founder
Herb Eckhouse; the only domestic charcuterie available at that
time was cooked or fermented. Eckhouse found a way to dry out
the moisture that supports bacteria, which doesn’t require nitrates,
beyond those naturally occurring in salt. But regardless of whether
they are synthetic, from celery juice or in salt, Eckhouse explains
that many nitrates are consumed by bacteria during the curing
process, so the finished products of most artisanal producers have
negligible amounts.
The Pedigree Pig
Eckhouse is far more interested in talking about breeds. “In Iowa we
have a lot of pigs and not a lot of people, so we knew our product had
to be good enough for people on both coasts to want,” he says. The
quest for quality has made him obsessed with select breeds of pigs; it
took four years of work with Missouri farmers to get the population
of Tamworth pig—an endangered breed known for the sweetness of
its fat—large enough to start commercially selling his raw Tamworth
bacon (which can be served uncooked) and breed-specific prosciutto.
La Quercia’s Acorn Edition Meats are made from free-roaming
Iberico and Tamworth pigs fed on a diet of acorns and hickory
nuts. To develop these meats, Eckhouse borrowed a few ideas
from Europe, specifically how the Iberico de Bellota is made in
Spain. The quality of his American-produced meat “expresses itself
through the drying process,” he says, and the end result is “an intense
savory-sweet flavor with nice caramel notes on the finish.”
Eckhouse is one of the many producers who believe the appeal of
artisanal meats will continue to grow. And while much of the focus
is on local and uncommon products, for Eckhouse, it all comes back
to the taste. “As people try new things and their taste buds acclimate
to higher levels of quality, they will continue to try new and better
cured-meat options,” he says. “It’s the evolution of taste.” |SFM|
Kristen Bieler is a freelance writer and former contributor
to Beverage Media, City and Food & Wine.