Product Review

A thoroughly practical guide to curing and smoking meat, fish, cheese, and vegetables at home.

River Cottage, a long-standing pioneer for high-quality sustainable food, is all about knowing the whole story behind what's put on the table. In true River Cottage form, this accessible, compact guide is bursting with essential information for sourcing, butchering, smoking, and curing the whole hog, cow, chicken, fish, and vegetable. Steven Lamb, a respected charcuterie authority, breaks down the traditional methods of curing and smoking to their most simple procedures, with abundant visual resources and 50 recipes. With some salt, pepper, and sugar from the pantry, it's easy to turn good-quality produce into fantastic, exciting food. This thorough, timely handbook begins with a detailed breakdown of tools (from sharp knives to sausage stuffers, for the gadget-loving cook) and an explanation of the preservation process, including a section on which cuts are best for various methods of curing and smoking. Lamb then dives into each method--from dry-curing to fermentation, brining to smoking--in a straightforward, comprehensive manner. And for each technique, there are many delicious recipes, including chorizo Scotch eggs, hot smoked mackerel, prosciutto, and dry-cured bacon.