Glasbern Charcuterie
In the age-old tradition of respect for animals that are raised to feed us, there are a number of ways to maximize the yield of an animal. Often times less desirable cuts of meat are discarded or ground. More talent chefs, as our own, use these cuts to make various forms of charcuterie – also known as deli meats, sausage and jerky, for those less informed.
Charcuterie dates back to the times of the Romans who wrote laws on how meat should be preserved using various salting and curing methods. One has to remember that refrigeration is an invention that was put into wide use in the twentieth century. Before that, people had to create ways to prolong the shelf life of meats.
Now-a-days chefs use these methods to create some amazing plates. Right now we have various cuts of meat being smoked, aged and cured that will make their way into dishes in the future at our Lehigh Valley Restaurant. These techniques take time, often months to produce the desired product. Our chef just hung bresaola that will take six weeks to cure.
Bresaola is a cured eye round of beef that is coated in chili powder, pepper, cumin, mustard, allspice, nutmeg and salt. It is first wrapped in plastic for 10 days to let the cure set. Then it’s unwrapped, rewrapped in cheesecloth, and hung for six weeks at 54 degrees at 80% humidity.
Next time you see charcuterie on a menu, indulge. This painstaking effort results in some very intense flavors, which are meant to be shared and enjoyed.
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