The Lowdown on Cured Meat
Anyone that knows me knows I’m a cured meat fanatic. I easily could live on thinly sliced meats of any variety along with creamy butter and a good loaf of bread. And I don’t mean sausage or the salami you find at every corner deli in NYC. Granted, I can surely make due with ‘Genoa’ salami in a pinch, but given the option, I’ll always prefer a sobresatta, bresola, coppa, proscuitto, or jamon serrano.
A recent New York Times Dining section devoted much time to the wonderful world of cured pork, although with a somewhat depressing, and totally true, slant. Julia Moskin’s piece, “Dry-Cured Sausages: Kissed by Air, Never by Fire” addresses the ever-incresasing restrictions placed upon traditional cured-sausage makers by the USDA. The USDA has shut down and ceased cured meats from various producers throughout NYC that were not up to code. One of the sadder examples Moskin gives is the case of Il Buco where years of hard work was whiped away when the chef’s entire stockpile of dry-cured sausages was taken away…he even notes that he knew the pig’s names. It’s enough to make a salami-freak cry.
One of the things that I love about cured meats and the reason that it kills me to see the USDA cracking down is the fact that the process is so personal and unique. As the Il Buco story illustrates so well (the owner knew the pigs names), curing meat is much more than just hanging some casings out to dry; it’s picking the right animal, feeding it properly, and then coming up with a very specific spice mixture to make your sausage. Because there are so many tiny things that go differently with each batch, from the spices used to the pig’s diet to what’s in the curing room, every sausage is different. The time and attention artisans spend on cured meat is admirable and something we surely want to encourage.
As it stands, there are plenty of types of cured meat we can’t get here in the States due to federal regulations, the most famous example being Spain’s Pata Negra. With the limitations now forced upon so many domestic sausage makers, are we destined to end up a cured-meat deprived culture?
A rundown of some other highlights in this issue:
More on meat in NY Times: Batali’s Dad’s Seattle based pork-products.
Best burger in Williamsburg, according to the $25 & Under column, is at DuMont Burger. I’ve been many times and tend to agree. Don’t miss the mac and cheese, either!
The return of NYC’s infamous Le Cirque comes May 30th.
Seasonal cuisine: asapargus, by the Minimalist.
I’m particularly incensed by this because cured meats don’t give me migraines, and the preservative-laced meats approved by the USDA are a source of instant agony. Grrrr.