Ferrandi Flashback: Charcuterie

Ah, there's nothing like walking into class and seeing half a pig's carcass, now is there?

As you might can guess, this was not a typical class; it was charcuterie, a class which we had in November.  I venture to say that charcuterie is really only a French specialty (at least that's what they want you to think!).  It is essentially pork butchery, where the charcutier (the pork butcher) takes advantage of every piece of the pig - and I do mean everything - to make sausages, patés, etc.  It truly is an artform and was a pleasure watching the charcuterie chef work his magic.  There was so much he had to show us that we did it on two separate days.  Here's a recap of day one.

He even brought out the poor pig's head to show us what he could do with it.

A breakdown of the pig that he drew for us.

Apparently, sometimes only a massive saw will do the trick when trying to cut open a pig.

He now attacks the fat, trimming it off the meat.  Don't you worry, we'll be using that fat later.  Nothing is forsaken on this pig.

The chef has dutifully made all the cuts of meat for us.

Tackling the head comes next.

First, out comes the tongue.

Then the brain.

Next, he shows us how to inject a brine into some of the tougher pieces of meat.  He uses the cool contraption above.

And injects it straight into the meat.  It's like reverse liposuction!

Moving on, we chopped up some meat and fat.

And fed it through the grinder.

To make sausages with an old-timey looking device.

Then, we cooked them and ate them right then and there.  They were delicious and fresh, I might add.