Everything I ever wanted to know about preserving meat, fish, and fowl. How to whack, grind, chop, salt, brine, smoke, dry and otherwise create the yummiest meat, fish, and poultry. ( )

This got me started on Charcuterie, received it as a Christmas present and the next Thanksgiving served the sausages on the front cover. It is comprehensive and it is time consuming. At this point I have probably made 90% of the sausage, I regularly cure hams, wine coolers work well for this. I do hot and cold smoking. The French Garlic Sausage is a staple in the house.

It does take time, it takes a cold kitchen, it works better with good pork, especially for things like whole hams and bacon. ( )

Comprehensive coverage of a surprisingly rarely covered topic. Makes you appreciate how much effort goes behind what we see as everyday sausages and charcuterie. Oh, and also makes you want to pull out that meat grinder and start mincing. Anyone got some dead pig going spare? ( )

For those interested in meat and in foodsmoking, this is an extraordinarily thought-provoking book. But also potentially demanding in terms of one's commitment to putting in the time to create quality food. ( )