For 2011 I will be holding a brand new Master Butchery Class-and I am really excited about it! The new class will be Salami Making, held in my flagship Ilkley shop.

Salami’s and other cured meats make up a considerable part of many people’s weekly shop, but how many people know the processes behind them? While we are all becoming more and more aware of additives in our food, sometimes they really are essential. In the case of Salami’s, these additives are Nitrates and Nitrites, and are essential to prevent bacterial growth in the meat while it is curing-remember that all cured meat is still raw, it is not cooked during the process. It is the additives alone that make them safe to eat.

On this course I will explain exactly why we need to add these nitrates, nitrites, and a little starter culture to our beautiful pork, and the exact fat-to-lean ratios to make the perfect salami. The salami’s will then hang in our brand new salami cabinet, which-I have been reliably informed-will mimic the conditions of an Italian Hillside perfectly, giving the best tasting salami’s, held at the appropriate temperatures and humidities for the entire curing process. This cabinet is going to be a feature piece in the shop-allowing our customers to see the salami curing process in action. Once they are cured, you will be able to pick up your own batch of homemade salami’s to take home-a great talking point for those tapas parties!

For more information, see our website.