pursuit of perfection

I built an old smokehouse on our farm in the Blue Ridge mountains of Tennessee many years ago. that is where the journeys with Charcuterie began...  In the fall I would cure venison hams and then smoke and age them through the winter.  I would hang my dry sausages in our humid cold basement.  I noticed that in the very cold winters, the colder temperatures produced a subtler flavor.  This was something I became obsessed with when I moved south and didn’t have the luxury of those cold winters.  So I built a prototype to mimic those conditions on our farm in Macon GA.

Once I got the process perfected for our climate, I directed my attention to finding the absolute best pork to use as my foundation. After countless trials and taste tests, the unequivocal Choice was the ossabaw hog. A little background on the ossabaw makes it easy to understand why. seasonal food sources of acorns and water from salty marshes on Ossabaw island, Georgia, forced the hogs to develop a unique metabolism and way of storing fat - within their muscle and at a 50/50 ratio - picture choice cut of marbled steak. Additionally, the fat melts at room temperature, and is high in omega-3 - think olive oil. simply put - its perfectly suited for the curing process, and creates a flavor packed product unlike anything else i have tasted. to me it is simply the best possible choice.

the last instrumental piece of the equations was meeting my friend Stuart. a small specialty ossabaw hog farmer I met while picking up a part for my tractor. our similar interest in quality pork and charcuterie made us fast friends. the incredible quality of the pork that came from his farm, was the essential element to perfecting premium charcuterie. after visiting his farm, we both decided to work together to bring the delicious and nutritious ossabaw hog to the forefront of your table.

I am proud to share this the results of my work, and hope you enjoy it as much as my family does. The proof is truly in the pork!