While in Southern France

[aiptasia]

When I was in Southern France two years ago with my SWMBO, we used to travel from town to town every day going to each town's market day to pick up fresh ingredients and foods to snack on.

I got hooked on these little artisenal salami/sausage producers that had several different types, some made with local cheeses, some not. Each little salami sized dried meat in tube form was delicious and i'd love to know how these farmers made them.

Any good resources for making something like this: http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_llwkv7ByjU1qaqa99o1_500.jpg

 

[Stout-n-Braggot]

Mmmmm, saucisson sec...
This stuff is rather difficult to make without the proper facilities (storage area with proper temperature and humidity control), but it is quite fantastic. It is a raw, dry-cured type of sausage usually made from pork meat, but I have had some excellent ones made of anything from duck to donkey. I don't have a way to tell you how to make it, but I can tell you that you can rarely find a good traiteur in the states who knows what he/she is doing, Olympic Provisions in Portland, Oregon being one of my favorite examples.
If you can find the proper microbes and can control the ageing process, go for it! And let us know how it works out!

 

[Hatchbrew]

I make dry cured salumis in a converted fridge. I make charcuterie for a living, but still like to cure at home.

Michael Ruhlman Charcuterie is a good start.

It is a very rewarding and satisfying process.

If you live somewhere with a basement, you are already part way there to having a curing room. Build a wood closet, build in ventilation and humidity control. Put in some racks or rods to hand the product on.

 

[mn_brew]

You can always start with whole muscles to get used to processes and to learn your equipment (and its tendencies). Bacon, pancetta, guanciale (jowl), etc. I just finished drying some coppa in a dorm fridge with little more than an external temperature control that I originally purchased for beer making.

Charcuterie by Ruhlman is a good starting point. Cooking by Hand (Bertolli) is also good. Read up online as well, there's a lot of knowledge out there - just use your book knowledge to sort out the good from the bad. Cured Meats Blog (J. Molinari), Len Poli, Matt Wright are all good charcuterie resources online.

Good luck!

 

[Stout-n-Braggot]

Aye, listen to these guys! ^^