Charcuterie Workshops At Wickedfood Earth, Gauteng

Wickedfood Earth Country Cooking School

Charcuterie Workshops for 2024

For Charcuterie Workshops around South Africa, click here

Wickedfood Earth Farm Country cooking School has become synonymous with free-range pork, veld-raised beef and mutton, and top quality charcuterie, including our range of sausage, coppa, pancetta, bacon and ham, as well as our own South African cured meats – droewors, boerewors and biltong. At our country cooking school we offer hands-on charcuterie workshops where we share the knowledge we have accumulated over the years on processing pork, beef, mutton and venison in hunting season. Included in the price is coffee and tea on arrival, the in-depth hands-on cooking class, and lunch. In 2021 we ran 17 classes over the winter with more then 150 students attending our workshops.

Dates for the 2024 Gauteng charcuterie courses over next winter curing season have not been set (with the hot summers and working with fresh meat, we only run classes in the cooler months). These charcuterie workshops are kept to a maximum of 12 participants so that everyone gets to be hands-on. 

Should you wish to attend one of these workshops, please email me with and we will put you on our Charcuterie mailing list to keep you updated – Click here.

Alternatively if you are able to get a group of 8 people or more together we will run a charcuterie workshop exclusively for you,  please email us.

Apart from our regular workshops we will be running from Wickedfood Earth Country Cooking School in Gauteng, next year Wickedfood Earth Country Cooking School Team are again planning to hit the road for a series of Charcuterie Workshops around South Africa.

 

Workshops planned for 2024

Workshops planned for 2024 from Wickedfood Earth Country Cooking School in Gauteng are as follows:

In-depth 3-day charcuterie workshop

April or May From 9:30am on all 3 days. R5 990pp (we also have limited space for people who only want to do part of the workshop at R2490 per day). An introduction to the wonderful world of charcuterie. This hands-on 3 full day workshop, includes all ingredients and lunch on all days. In this charcuterie workshop we will introduce you to the basics of the three main arts of meat curing – pig butchery, whole muscle dry curing and aging; brining whole cuts for hams and hot smoking; and how to make 3 classic pork sausages and the basics of making salami. 

Techniques covered include:

Day 1 – Brining for salt pork, ham, and more

• How to break down a pig for brined pork – hands-on demonstration of how to break down a pig carcass and the different brining cuts;
• The brine – An introduction to the wonderful world of brining meat and wet curing hams. We’ll introduce you to different brining mixes for various cuts of pork to make salt pork, shoulder hams, gammon, hot smoked belly bacon, kassler style smoked loin, and crispy pork knuckles;
• Hot smoking – how hot smoking works, smoking times and how to build a simple hot smoker at home;
• Gammon cooking methods – stove top and oven methods of how to cook the perfect juicy gammon.

Day 2 – Pork butchery and Whole muscle dry curing

• The science and theory of whole muscle dry curing – extensive notes and explanation of exactly how the process works including the use of different salts and drying techniques.
• How to break down a pig for charcuterie – hands-on demonstration of how to break down a pig carcass and the different charcuterie cuts for dry curing;
• Whole Muscle Dry Curing  – the basics of dry curing and aging for pancetta, bacon and coppa;

Day 3 – Making of Sausage and Salami

• The science and theory of making wet and dry sausage – extensive notes and explanation of exactly how the process works including salting, spicing, cultures, grinding, filling and drying.
• The basics of making 3 perfect pork sausages –  classic breakfast pork, Italian style pork, fresh chourizo;
• Meat fermentation and how to make a basic pork salami – how spices and preservatives work, and grinding, stuffing and drying a classic salami.

In-depth 2-day charcuterie workshop

May or June – An introduction to the wonderful world of charcuterie. This hands-on 2 full day workshop, includes all ingredients and lunch on both days. In this charcuterie workshop we will introduce you to the basics of the 2 main arts of meat curing – whole muscle dry curing, how to make 2 classic pork sausages, and the basics of making salami. We do not cover brining in this workshop. R3 990pp or R2490 per day for only part of the workshop.

Techniques covered include:

Day one – Pork butchery and Whole muscle curing

• The science and theory of whole muscle curing – extensive notes and explanation of exactly how the process works including the use of different salts, drying and smoking techniques.
• How to break down a pig for charcuterie – hands-on demonstration of how to break down a pig carcass and the different charcuterie cuts;
• Whole Muscle Curing  – the basics of dry curing for pancetta, bacon and coppa;

Day two – Making of Sausage and Salami

• The science and theory of making wet and dry sausage – extensive notes and explanation of exactly how the process works including salting, spicing, cultures, grinding, filling and drying.
• The basics of making 2 perfect pork sausages –  for two very different classic pork sausages;
• Meat fermentation and how to make a basic (uncooked) pork salami – how spices and preservatives work, and grinding, stuffing and drying a classic uncooked salami.

 

Introduction to Salami & dried Sausage Workshop

July 2024 –  from 9:30am. R2 490pp. Hands-on workshop, all ingredients and lunch.

Techniques covered include:

• The basics of making the perfect meat and spice mix, and the difference between them, for:
  • droewors;
  • how to use pre-mixed batch packs;
  • making a classic pork salami and chourizo from scratch;

• How spices and preservatives work, and different blends for different types of dry sausage and salami;
• How cultures and fermenting agents work and how to make them yourself;
• Making 4 classic dry sausages – classic South African droewors, pre-mixed batch pack salami and 2 classic pork salamis.

Advanced salami and dried Sausage Workshop 

August – from 9:30, R2 590pp a maximum of 8 people. Hands-on workshop, all ingredients and lunch. More…..

Techniques covered include:

• Advanced dried sausage/salami making of 4 very different hand-crafted salamis from venison salami, and hand crafted mini salamis to Spanish chourizo and the spectacular fiery Italian Nduja spreading salami;
• How commercial spice mixes and batch packs work for large production processing, and how to make salami from them;
• Talk on the science of advanced meat fermentation;
• How cultures and fermenting agents work and how to make them yourself for hand-crafted artisanal salamis;
• Advanced spicing, working with cultures and preservatives;
• Making 5 very different dry sausages (salami) and the secrets of complex stuffing techniques.

 

In-depth 2-day Beef Charcuterie Workshop

September – In this hands-on 2 full day workshop, we will introduce you to the basics of the three main arts of beef curing, whole muscle dry curing and aging; brining whole cuts for corned beef and hot smoking; and how to make 2 classic sausages, and the basics of making droewors and salami.. ±R3 990pp.

Day 1

• Hands-on demonstration of how to identify the different muscles and the different charcuterie beef cuts;
• Different dry cures for biltong, cured loin, Bresaola and dry cured brisket;
• Hands-on demonstration on how to prepare, apply, cure and age the different cuts of meat;
• The art of wet curing or brining, and how to make the perfect corned beef and pastrami;
• The secrets of hot smoking at home.

Day 2

How to make our champion traditional boerewors, spicy beef sausage, beef meat stick and salami.

• The science and theory of making wet and dry sausage – extensive notes and explanation of exactly how the process works including salting, spicing, cultures, grinding, filling and drying.
• The basics of making perfect Beef sausages –  classic traditional boerewors, and spicy beef;
• Meat fermentation and how to make a basic beef salami – how spices and preservatives work, and grinding, stuffing and drying beef snack stick, and a classic salami.

In-depth 2-day Venison charcuterie workshop

September – ±R3 990pp. In this hands-on 2 full day workshop, we will show you how to break down a large antelope, and introduce you to the basics of the three main arts of venison curing, whole muscle dry curing and aging; brining whole cuts for corned venison and hot smoking; and how to make 2 classic sausages, and the basics of making real droewors from scratch and a spicy venison salami. More….

Day 1

• How to break down a carcass, butcher different fresh cuts and cuts for curing;
  
• Ideas on how to cook the various venison cuts from fillet warped in pancetta to how make the perfect roast leg;
• Different dry cures for biltong, cured loin and dry cured leg; and
  
• Brining to make corned venison rump.

Day 2

How to make a traditional venison boerewors, spicy sausage, droewors and salami.

• The science and theory of making wet and dry sausage – extensive notes and explanation of exactly how the process works including salting, spicing, cultures, grinding, filling and drying.
• The basics of making perfect venison sausages –  classic traditional venison boerewors, and spicy venison sausage;
• Meat fermentation and how to make a basic venison salami – how spices and preservatives work, and grinding, stuffing and drying for real droewors from scratch and a classic salami.

 

Cooked and smoked Emulsion Sausages workshop

To be advised, no date set, R2 590pp. Hands-on workshop, all ingredients and lunch. 

Techniques covered include:

• The art and science of emulsion sausages, how to achieve the perfect unity between meat, fat, liquid and spices.
• Sausages covered in this workshop will include Blood sausage, Weisswurst, Mortadella and Liver sausage;
• The secrets of complex stuffing techniques;
• Spice mixes and preservatives;
• Cooking and hot smoking.

Christmas treats – hams, pâtés and terrines

December 2024 –  from 9:30am, both days. R2 290pp per day, or R3 990pp for both days. An introduction to the wonderful world of brining meat, curing hams, Christmas stuffings for porchetta or turkey, and making mouthwatering pâtés and terrines for the Christmas feast. This hands-on workshop, includes lunch on both days.

We have various cuts of our own veld-raised pork for you to purchase to cure at home after the class, to finish for Christmas, including:

• ±2kg to 3,5kg hams and shoulders;
• A limited number of suckling pigs and loin/belly roasts for stuffing for porchetta;
  
• Pork cubes, mince and pork liver for making your very own stuffings, pâtés and terrines.
  

Day 1 – Brining and Hams

We will show you how to break down a big pig for brining and introduce you to the basics of brining various cuts of pork to make hams, hot smoked bacon, smoked loins, and a lot more.

Techniques covered include:

Pork butchery, cuts for brining and brine mixes

• How to break down a pig – hands-on demonstration of how to break down a pig carcass and the different brining cuts;
• The brine – how brine works, how to apply it to meat and timing;
• Hot smoking – how hot smoking works, smoking times and how to build a simple hot smoker at home;
• Gammon cooking methods – stove top and oven methods of how to cook the perfect juicy Christmas gammon.

Day 2 – Christmas stuffings, pâtés and terrines

We’ll cover all aspects of making Christmas stuffings for porchetta or turkey, and making mouthwatering pâtés and terrines for the Christmas feast.

Techniques covered include:

• Preparing and stuffing pork for porchetta – hands-on demonstration of how to break down a baby pig carcass or loin/belly of pork, stuff it and roast it;
• Making two very different Christmas stuffings – for porchetta and turkey;
• Making a selection of pâtés – from a rustic pork & liver country pâté, to smooth, rich liver mousse;
  
• Terrines –  two very different ones, perfect for a cold buffet festive lunch.

 

Other charcuterie workshops

South African Charcuterie pallet

The South African cured meat heritage – boerewors, droewors and biltong.

From R2 490pp – a minimum of 4 people. Hands-on  workshop, all ingredients and lunch, or dinner if staying over (we reserve the right to allow up to 4 additional people to join the workshop, making a total of 8).

Not only has Wickedfood Earth Country Cooking School become synonymous with free-range pork and top quality cured meat, we are also proud of our South African charcuterie heritage of curing veld-raised beef and venison in the form of boerewors, droewors and biltong. Commercially, most of these products are made with prepacked spice mixes. At Wickedfood Earth Country Cooking School we use time-honoured methods that are more than 200 years old, handed down from Mike’s great grandparents. The recipes we use contains no artificial preservatives or flavour enhancers, just a balance of top quality spices, salt, sugar and vinegar, and of course time, patience, and quality meat.

 

Introductory charcuterie workshop

From R2 490pp – a minimum of 5 people. Hands-on workshop, all ingredients and lunch. (we reserve the right to allow up to 5 additional people to join the workshop, making a total of 10). In this charcuterie workshop we will introduce you the basics of the three main arts of meat curing – whole muscle curing, and how to make a classic pork sausage This is an ideal workshop if you are able to get a group of 8 people together. We will run a charcuterie workshop exclusively for you, covering all the basics.

Techniques covered include:

• How to break down a pig for charcuterie – hands-on demonstration of how to break down a pig carcass and the different charcuterie cuts;
• Whole Muscle Curing  – the basics of dry curing for pancetta, bacon and coppa;
• The basics of making the perfect pork sausage – grinding, spicing and stuffing for a classic pork sausage;

 To book contact Cilla on 076 236-2345 or cilla@wickedfood.co.za

For more information on the charcuterie workshops contact Mike 060 761-0885.

Wickedfood Earth Country Cooking School runs evening, half-day, one-day, and week-end classes and food workshops. Every student gets to participate in the preparation of every dish, and sit down to enjoy the meal they have prepared at the end of the class. General cooking classes are limited to a maximum of 32 students, each 8 students has his/her own fully-equipped kitchen station (charcuterie workshops are kept to a maximum of 12 participants so that everyone gets to be hands-on). (Terms and conditions apply)

All activities held at Wickedfood Earth Farm are subject to our standard terms and conditions.