How to Build a Show-Stopping Charcuterie Board with Pork
Charcuterie is all about experience. Whether you are serving a crowd or feeding your family during movie night, charcuterie is a trend that isn't going away anytime soon. This is good news for pork as everyone knows pork adds the flavor!
The charcuterie experts at Columbus, a subsidiary of Hormel Foods Corporation, point out that the holiday season is a great time to explore the latest charcuterie trends.
“Charcuterie is a staple at holiday events and parties, and for good reason,” Evan Inada, charcuterie director at Columbus, says in a release. “Charcuterie boards are easy to assemble, and it’s a great opportunity to get creative and try something new.”
Here are five tips on how to build a charcuterie board:
1. Start with meat: Set the tone by using cold cuts or cured meats as the centerpiece of your board, Columbus suggests. Then, build pairings around your hero. Try something familiar and mild and then add something spicy that you've never heard of before.
Some pork wins include salami, pancetta, prosciutto, mortadella, coppa, pepperoni, guanciale, pork rinds and aged country ham. These flavorful classics always add just the right touch. Plan on 2 ounces of meat per person.
2. Build the board with cheese: Add soft, creamy and/or hard cheeses to your board to ramp up the flavors of your meat selection. As a rule of thumb, hard Italian cheeses are great with any salami.
3. Add a touch of color and crunch: Charcuterie is about the experience - so engage all of the senses by including color for visual appeal and crunch for sound. Some ways to add color are fresh herbs, bright peppers and colorful fruits. Bring on some crunch with crackers, nuts and hard breads.
4. Next, accent with a little acid: Acidic foods like pickled vegetables, tomatoes, olives, cornichons and peppers pair perfectly with spicy meats and help cut through any richness to cleanse the palate.
5. Don't forget the sweet: Finally, throw on some chocolate, jams/jellies/marmalades, honey or fruit to add the perfect amount of sweet to compliment the variety of flavors on the board.
Want to make your charcuterie board more memorable?
Here are three tips and tricks from Inada and his team to create show-stopping charcuterie boards for your next holiday event:
1. Wow the crowd: Make your holiday board memorable with engaging elements that will impress your guests, providing not only delicious flavors, but an unforgettable experience as well. Consider adding chocolate or even leftover Halloween candy to the mix. Sweet and spicy candied ginger is another potential addition that provides an element of surprise to any charcuterie bite, Inada says.
2. Bring the heat: Try putting a flame to introduce a brulee of cheese, such as brie or goat cheese, on your holiday board. You can also add “heat” in the spicy sense.
3. Easy on the eye: While taste is perhaps the foremost part of that experience, presentation is also important. Use of food molds, cutouts with knives, and cookie cutters can add eye-pleasing elements to a holiday board. Try adding a festive centerpiece, too, like Santa or a snowman. Make it fun!
Read More:
Real Pork Recipes Your Family Will Love
8 Ways to Win With Pork
Ready to Please Your Crew? Try These 5 Pulled Pork Favorites
