I follow Michael Ruhlman on Twitter, and recently noticed that many of his retweets contained the #charcutepalooza hashtag. A quick search turned up this page, which explains that Charcutepalooza is a year-long series of monthly challenges in which a different technique from Ruhlman’s Charcuterie is used. Although I had already missed the January and February challenges – duck prosciutto and bacon – I asked to be included as a participant, based on my prior efforts with the same duck prosciutto, bacon, and guanciale.
Yesterday I heard back from Cathy Barrow, one of the co-creators of the challenge:
Great that you’ve made these items already! Of course, we’re hoping you’ll make them again, and then share the recipes for using the charcuterie. Check out all the Ruhls here: http://www.mrswheelbarrow.com/charcutepalooza/the-ruhls-2/. Thanks for joining the meatwagon!
So I’m in, and preparing for the March challenge, which is brining a brisket to make corned beef. It shouldn’t be difficult, and it will be ready in time for St. Patrick’s Day. I’m still coming to grips with having to make more bacon, prosciutto, and guanciale, but somehow I think I’ll survive.
Be sure to check out the site; it’s listed in my blogroll (to the right). And if you think you’re up for it, try out a challenge of two. I’ll report back on March 15th.