Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing

This book has all the information I will ever need about meat and the wonderful things we can do with the various cuts. Recipes have very thorough and clear explation. They are dooable and very good.

We've tried the bacon recipe and it's awesome. We never want to go back to store bought variety.

I'm a home cook that just likes to "play" with food. Hadn't done much with sausage, etc. until this book. We even purchased a copy as a gift to a friend. We are both cooking our way thru the book. The best part isn't the recipes (they are good) but all the knowledge that is in those covers. We are learning as we go and that's important to us.

I have been making fresh and smoked sausages for many years. My recipes have been limited to Venison, Polish, Italian, Mexican (Chorizo), Breakfast, and sometimes jerky. My brother-in-law is Italian. As a chef and a caterer, he has encouraged me to research dry sausages. We intend to persue this endeavor in the fall. I purchased numerous books at one time. Most pertained to barbeque and grilling. It's July. It's hot outside, and it's perfect weather for grilling.What can I say?

I prepare meals for more than 5,000 people a day, and food has been my life for over 40 years. A good cookbook is hard to find, a great cookbook is almost imposable to find. Well I have to say, I could not put this book down, and I read it cover to cover! This is a very comprehensive and well presented book. You will learn the how and why of salting, curing and smoking almost everything. Not only that the recipes are five stars! A great addition to any cooks set of reference books! Another job well done to Mr. Ruhlman! If you are really into cooking or just knowing about food, you will love this book.