In the Charcuterie by Taylor Boetticher & Toponia Miller

I give this book 9 out of 10 acorns.

This book is a feast for the eyes. Littered with mouth watering photos, it is surprising to see just how practical this book really is. This is my go-to book for butchering (aka, cutting up) and curing meat.

This book has a very welcoming approach to working with and curing meat. Unlike a lot of books on the topic, this book presents the technical information in a way that is inspiring instead of limiting. For example, in the salami section, the authors give a Basic Salami recipe, which lists how much salt and other ingredients you need per x units of meat and how to create your own recipe in a safe way. They also provide several salami recipes to show you how it's done. This kind of approach is especially useful for readers with dietary restrictions. I've tried several recipes, mostly from the cured meat section, and am happy with all of them.

But that's not why I wanted to tell you about this book.

The thing that makes this book especially relevant to premies are the step by step guides on how to butcher a carcass and their encouraging attitude towards consuming every part of the animal, snout to tail. The book shows you (with many detailed photos) how to debone a rabbit, cut up a side of pork, side of beef, and a whole lamb. The lamb instructions also work for mutton and goat with very little adjustment.

Honouring the animal by using every part of it to its fullest is just as important as raising it in a sustainable way. This book provides the information needed to learn how to transform carcass into cuisine.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in processing their own livestock, curing their own meat, or enhancing their culinary skills. This book is suitable for the most elite foodie and the most earthy farmer. If you can hold a knife without cutting yourself, then you're ready for this book.

As much as I enjoy this book and as often as I use it, I gave this book only nine acorns because it covers almost too much. The authors are introducing us to Charcuterie, so they give us a sampling of everything. I would love to see these authors create books more focused on some of the different aspects. A book on curing, a book on cooking fresh, a book that shows us the many ways to cut up a pig, and so on and so forth. A good book, but it leaves me hungry for more.