Homemade charcuterie

Homemade charcuterie is all about turning raw meat into something you can store, slice and share. Terrines, sausages, cured meats and hams all start with the same basics: salt, time and a little patience. You soon learn that proportions and temperature matter just as much as technique.

Every recipe here specifies salt quantities, timings and temperatures for a safe, flavorful result. These factors can make or break charcuterie, so they are given as precise figures rather than estimates. Start with a terrine or rillettes, and save drying and fermentation for later.

Terrines and pâtés

Terrines and pâtés are baked in the oven, often in a water bath, then left to rest in the fridge for two or three days to allow the flavors to develop. The texture depends on the lean-to-fat ratio, cooking time and internal temperature, which each recipe specifies to the nearest degree.

• Chicken terrine with lime
• Country pâté with cognac
• Pheasant terrine with red wine
• Chicken liver pâté
• Pork liver mousse
• Pork terrine with pistachios

Rillettes and rillons

Rillettes are made from meat slow-cooked in its own fat, then shredded and packed into jars. Rillons are left in chunks, slow-cooked in fat and then browned. In both cases, gentle cooking does all the work, and a generous layer of fat on top helps preserve them in the fridge.

• Chicken rillettes
• Veal rillettes
• Rillons de Tours

Sausages and boudins

Here we move on to grinding meat and stuffing casings. Keeping the meat well chilled, getting the fat ratio right and moistening the casings will help prevent most mishaps. You’ll find fresh sausages to cook the same day, fine-textured boudins blancs and a garlic sausage that needs cooking before serving, with recipes ranging from straightforward to more technically demanding.

• Boudin blanc with porcini mushrooms
• Boudin blanc with port
• Alsatian cervelas
• Tunisian merguez
• Catalan sausage
• Pork rind sausage
• Old-fashioned homemade sausages
• Smoked garlic sausage

Dry-cured sausages

Dry-cured sausages require precisely measured curing salt and slow drying in a cool, slightly humid room. This is the most demanding category, as fermentation and weight loss need to be monitored. Each recipe specifies the salt percentage and the target weight loss to reach before slicing.

• Homemade spicy chorizo
• Gendarme sausage
• Bérets basques

Dry-cured and smoked meats

A duck breast, pork tenderloin or other cut of pork is covered in salt, left to rest in the fridge, then dried for a few weeks. For salmon, cold smoking adds another step. The principle is simple: salt draws out moisture, cold helps preserve the meat, and time concentrates the flavor.

• Dry-cured duck breast
• Dry-cured pork tenderloin with Espelette pepper
• Spanish lomo
• Homemade smoked salmon
• Italian coppa

Hams

Homemade jambon blanc is brined, then gently cooked at a low temperature to produce tender, pink slices without unnecessary additives. It’s a good introduction to curing: it requires little equipment, delivers reliable results and offers a chance to learn how salt acts on meat.

• Homemade jambon blanc

Tools

These two practical resources will help you along the way. The first calculates ingredient quantities for a foie gras recipe based on the weight of your foie gras lobe. The second explains how to choose a sausage-stuffing funnel that fits the casing you’re using.

• Foie gras ingredient calculator
• Choosing a funnel for sausage making