Charcutepalooza Farewell

I could say it's been a grind... but in fact it's been swell, it's been fun and I've learned a lot. However, it's with a sense of cheerful relief that I've decided to bow out of the last two Charcutepalooza challenges. Jonathan and I just don't constitute a big enough crowd for the December challenge; I'm not going to prepare three meat dishes, only to throw them out.

I still have enough curing salts to pickle a bison (more than enough, probably), but I won't be posting a dry-cured sausage recipe. I have Christmas baking to do, and assignments from the historic cook program at Fort York to tackle, a recently renovated house to clean... and a living to earn. So dry curing can wait.

I'm immensely grateful to the Charcutepaloozans all, especially Mrs. Wheelbarrow, The Yummy Mummy and Michael Ruhlman himself. I had already bought Ruhlman's book Charcuterie, but might never have delved into it so deeply if not for the Charcutepalooza challenge. Now I feel ready to attempt anything in the book,and I've acquired some key equipment and even more crucial skills. So there will be more sausages. But not yet.

Photo by Niamh Malcolm.