Charcuterie

This Week In Charcuterie News: World Butchers Challenge, Uncured Bacon, Nordic Culinary Conference, NYC Pastrami Scene

Benton’s Country Ham In The Texas Morning Light

Last night we put 10lbs of pork shoulder in a salty, sodium nitrite brine. It only takes 48 hours of wet-curing to turn raw pork into Cajun tasso ham. We’re penning a recipe later this week. The Tasso is our contribution to a wedding party. The couple are getting married on the 10th anniversary of their first date.

And they love ham. Continue Reading

Charcuterie

Don’s Specialty Meats Fights Back From Scandal And Fire

Don’s Specialty Meats is one of the top charcuterie houses in all of Acadiana.

They produce 2000 pounds of boudin a day and that doesn’t even take into account all the cracklins, andouille, and chaurice that patrons queue up for out on the western prairies of Louisiana.

But the long-running concern has not had an easy go of it lately: Don’s Carencro outlet burned to the ground in October of 2016. That location had been running since 1993.

Then the feds came calling and walloped Don’s with a fine of $480,313 .

Don’s was a mite shaky when it came to properly compensating their workers and the feds had to have a come to Jesus meeting with them and their coffers.

Heart of Louisiana featured Don’s in the video above and it’s worth checking out if you’re into our state’s rural butchery scene.

Charcuterie

This Week In Charcuterie News: Oscar Mayer, Egyptian Pastirma, Horse Meat, Kriss Doll’s Shank

NuNu’s is producing some of the best charcuterie in Louisiana

“When the Bavarian patriarch Oscar F. Mayer immigrated to the United States in 1873, he worked as a butcher boy in Detroit and then in Chicago’s meat industry. Oscar F. soon started his own company with his brothers Gottfried, well-versed in “wurstmaking,” and Max, who kept the books.” Continue Reading

Charcuterie

Cauliflower Boudin Now Available At T-Boy’s Slaughterhouse In Mamou Louisiana

T-Boy Berzas at his slaughterhouse in Mamou Louisiana

When T-Boy Berzas, owner of T-Boy’s Slaughterhouse in Mamou got diabetes he knew something had to change. The dread disease had killed his daddy and T-Boy had no desire to see the same fate befall him.

Enter cauliflower boudin.

Purists may be outraged but Berzas is a savvy businessman whose sausage making skills are nonpareil in Acadiana.

Cauliflower boudin has only been on the menu for a short time but the meat shop has already sold over a thousand pounds of the stuff.

Of course if you still want the genuine article, T-Boy’s will be more than happy to oblige.

On The Road With RL Reeves Jr: T-Boy’s Slaughterhouse In Mamou Louisiana

Charcuterie

Texas Crowns Its Butcher King

Bryan Butler (left) Is Texas’ Butcher King

When we lived in Austin, Bryan Butler of Salt and Time was an invaluable resource. The man who is now known as Texas’ Butcher King was always willing to help us out on our kitchen projects. For instance: we scored an 18lb, two year old country ham from Benton’s up in Tennessee and needed the shank finessed out by a professional. Butler did it in under a minute.

Last weekend the old-school meat cutter faced off vs Michael Majkszak, owner of Majkszak’s Meat Market in Conroe, and Shawn Knowles, owner of Old Town Market in Lewisville in a showdown sponsored by The Texas Beef Council.

Butler, who’s logged 22 years in the meat game, schooled the upstarts to win $5k.

Bryan Butler is the king of Texas butchers.

Charcuterie

How To Cure An Iron Age Pork Belly

Iron Age Bacon

In the bacon trade it helps to keep your ear to the ground as new developments in the cured hog belly game are always rising.

Late last year we were hanging out with the butcher at Shank Charcuterie here in New Orleans, and doing what we always do, talking about where the best pork bellies are coming from these days. Continue Reading