Make your own dry-cured pork delicacies at home with the know-how you’ll learn from this book. Over the centuries, dry-cured pork has evolved as a food of the changing seasons. Its flavors are truly a taste of the landscape and climate, and they have served as a crucial, long-lasting food source for many cultures. Dry-cured pork is the ultimate slow food. It doesn’t need to be complicated but it’s important to have clear, step-by-step instructions. That’s where Hector Kent comes in. Kent, a science teacher by trade, has written the book he wished he’d had when he made his first prosciutto: One that brings together the critical components of curing in the simplest form possible, with photographs and illustrations to assure the reader of safe and delicious results. In addition to basic recipes, Kent offers readers interviews, advice, and recipes from several trend-setting dry-curing operations across the country.

The craft of Italian salumi, now accessible to the American cook, from the authors of the best-selling Charcuterie. Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn inspired a revival of artisanal sausage making and bacon curing with their surprise hit, Charcuterie. Now they delve deep into the Italian side of the craft with Salumi, a book that explores and simplifies the recipes and techniques of dry curing meats. As the sources and methods of making our food have become a national discussion, an increasing number of cooks and professional chefs long to learn fundamental methods of preparing meats in the traditional way. Ruhlman and Polcyn give recipes for the eight basic products in Italy’s pork salumi repertoire: guanciale, coppa, spalla, lardo, lonza, pancetta, prosciutto, and salami, and they even show us how to butcher a hog in the Italian and American ways. This book provides a thorough understanding of salumi, with 100 recipes and illustrations of the art of ancient methods made modern and new.

Bestselling author and world-renowned chef Mario Batali pays homage to the American farmer-from Maine to Los Angeles-in stories, photos, and recipes. America -- Farm to Table: Simple, Delicious Recipes Celebrating Local Farmers Mario Batali, who knows the importance of ingredients to any amazing dish, sees farmers as the rock stars of the food world. In this new book he celebrates American farmers: their high quality products and their culture defined by hard work, integrity, and pride. Batali asked his chef friends from Nashville, Tennessee, to San Francisco, to tell him who their favorite farmers were, and those farmers graciously shared their personal stories along with their top-of-the-line produce and products. In Seattle, Chef Matt Dillon introduces readers to Farmer Pierre Monnat, who produces fava beans and lamb. Batali then features those ingredients in such mouth-watering recipes as: Lamb Shank Sloppy Joes and Fava Bean Guacamole. In Washington, DC, Chef Jose Andres from Jaleo introduces us to Farmer Jim Crawford, who grows corn, broccoli, and strawberries Batali's accompanying dishes include: Chilled Sweet Corn Soup and Grilled Salmon with Strawberry Salsa. Other stops along the way include: Tampa; Austin; Nashville; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; New York, San Francisco; Portland, Maine; Chicago; Cleveland; Suttons Bay, Michigan; and Vail, Colorado. With over 100 superb recipes, this is the book that every home cook will want upon returning from the farmer's market or grocers.

This clear and expert guide shows how to safely cure, smoke and hang your own pork and other meat and fish products, with 300 photographs.

There has been a need for a comprehensive one-volume reference on the manufacture of meats and sausages at home. There are many cookbooks loaded with recipes which do not build any foundation for the serious hobbyist to follow. This leaves him with little understanding of the sausage making process and afraid to introduce his own ideas. There are professional books that are written for meat plant managers or graduate students, unfortunately, these works are written in such difficult technical terms, that most of them are beyond the comprehension of an average person. Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages bridges the gap that exists between highly technical textbooks and the requirements of the typical hobbyist. In order to simplify this gap to the absolute minimum, technical terms were substituted with their equivalent but simpler terms and many photographs, drawings and tables were included. The book covers topics such as curing and making brines, smoking meats and sausages, U.S. Standards, making fresh, smoked, emulsified, fermented and air dried products, making special sausages such as head cheeses, blood and liver sausages, low salt, low fat and Kosher products, hams, bacon, butts and loins, poultry, fish and game, creating your own recipes and much more... To get the reader started 172 recipes are provided which were chosen for their originality and historical value. They carry an enormous value as a study material and as a valuable resource on making meat products and sausages. Although recipes play an important role in these products, it is the process that ultimately decides the sausage quality. It is perfectly clear that the authors don't want the reader to copy the recipes only: "We want him to understand the sausage making process and we want him to create his own recipes. We want him to be the sausage maker."

Capture the flavors of Italy with over 150 recipes for conserves, pickles, sauces, liqueurs, and more in this “engagingly informative” guide (Elizabeth Minchilli, author of Eating Rome). The notion of preserving shouldn’t be limited to American jams and jellies, and in this book, Domenica Marchetti puts the focus on the ever-alluring flavors and ingredients of Italy. There, abundant produce and other Mediterranean ingredients lend themselves particularly well to canning, bottling, and other preserving methods. Think of marinated artichokes in olive oil, classic giardiniera, or, of course, the late-summer tradition of putting up tomato sauce. But in this book we get so much more, from Marchetti’s travels across the regions of Italy to the recipes handed down through her family: sweet and sour peppers, Marsala-spiked apricot jam, lemon-infused olive oil, and her grandmother’s amarene, sour cherries preserved in alcohol. Beyond canning and pickling, the book also includes recipes for making cheese, curing meats, infusing liqueurs, and even a few confections, plus recipes for finished dishes so you can savor each treasured jar all year long. “Pack artichokes, peppers and mushrooms in oil. Make deliciously spicy pickles from melon. Even limoncello, mostarda and confections like torrone can come straight from your kitchen... The techniques may have been passed down by generations of nonnas, but they knew what they were doing.”—Florence Fabricant, The New York Times “Marchetti elevates preserved food from the role of condiment to center stage.”—Publishers Weekly

The masters in The Butcher’s Apprentice teach you all the old-world, classic meat-cutting skills you need to prepare fresh cuts at home. Through extensive, diverse profiles and cutting lessons, butchers, food advocates, meat-loving chefs, and more share their expertise. Inside, you'll find hundreds of full-color, detailed step-by-step photographs of cutting beef, pork, poultry, game, goat, organs, and more, as well as tips and techniques on using the whole beast for true nose-to-tail eating. Whether you're a casual cook or a devoted gourmand, you'll learn even more ways to buy, prepare, serve, and savor all types of artisan meat cuts with this skillful guide.

The award-winning chef and owner of Charlito's Cocina has written an unconventional entry-level guide to dry curing. Drawing on his Cuban-Jewish background and beyond, Charles Wekselbaum includes recipes for pork and beef salami and dry-cured whole muscles along with unique seafood and vegan options. He provides instructions for constructing a drying and fermentation chamber, putting together the perfect charcuterie board, wine and beer pairings, and recipes to incorporate your dry-cured delicacies.

In The Art of Making Fermented Sausages readers are provided with detailed information about how to: Control meat acidity and removal of moisture; Choose proper temperatures for fermenting smoking and drying ; Understand and control fermentation process ; Choose proper starter cultures and make traditional or fast-fermented products ; Choose proper equipment, and much more. --Publisher's website.

Cookbook author and naturalist Peter Kaminsky shares his quest for the perfect pigs and pork recipes, sharing his love for pork dishes and his efforts to find the perfect grilling techniques.