Oui, Charcuterie

by Alex Foxphotos by Diane Diederich

Connecticut’s cheese, beer, and wine

industries have seen a surge in popularity over the course of the last 10 years, as evidenced by numerous brew fests, farmers’ markets, the Connecticut Wine Trail, and even the beginnings of a cheese trail. But what of Connecticut charcuterie (shar-cute-uh-ree)?

The art of charcuterie is varied and includes jerkies, prosciuttos, salami, and other smoked and cured meats including ham, bacon, and fermented sausages. Charcuterie has been practiced for centuries out of necessity prior to refrigeration, and for salty, meaty goodness. It can be found on platters as a lean entree or as an ingredient in hors d’oeuvres.

There is only one place to go in Connecticut when looking for charcuterie made the oldfashioned way: B4 and After Farms in Woodbridge, the home of Oui Charcuterie.

“Oui Charcuterie salami is a versatile, wholesome ingredient that can be used cold, on cheese platters, or on salads. Use it warm as a spicy counterpoint in seafood, poultry, or with eggs, or tossed with pastas,” explains Founder Matthew Browning, a nurse-practitioner-turnedcharcutier and producer of the State’s only USDAcertified, nitrate free, allnatural heritage salami that would make the old world proud.

As a “classically untrained” charcutier, Matthew relies on his knowledge of microbiology and fermentation from his medical background and college days devoted to brewing beer and making wine “and a bunch of weird yogurt.” Although an ancient craft, the art of charcuterie is being kept alive through modern forums including YouTube videos and Facebook groups such as The Salt Cured Pig.

Oui Charcuterie is a journey away from the status quo, allowing Matthew to gain market share with his time-honored methods that use salt for curing versus industry-standard chemicals. “We let the salami age as it dries; by reducing the water activity, we create a shelf-stable product without having to go through pasteurization – the way it was done for centuries.”

By using traditional means, Matthew has created a product that is strikingly redder and richer in color than the commercial variant. Allowing his heritage hogs to roam free develops myoglobin - the deep claret color in the muscle. Myoglobin is noticeably absent in commercially-raised pork, “which sparked ‘the other white meat’ ad campaign; commercial pork was so pale, the industry had to condition consumers to think that was ‘cool’”.

Matthew has also reintroduced the lost art of “barley-finishing” his hogs rather than the big agriculture standard of nuts and grain. “Barley produces the hard fat I need; when I open salami in a year, I don’t want it yellow and oxidized.” Despite an insatiable market for organic, all-natural foods, charcuterie seems to have been overlooked by consumers. But, why?

With only two USDA-certified slaughterhouses, Connecticut is gravely underserved by facilities qualified to process meat. This has resulted in producers outsourcing their meats to Massachusetts or Rhode Island for curing and smoking. USDA inspections also cost money, and finding a butcher who can prepare the meat under USDA scrutiny requires transportation and inspection fees, adding further obstacles.

Once the meat for Oui Charcuterie salami is cut, it ships to the only USDA-certified smoking facility in Connecticut, and Matthew has contracted 100% of the facility’s capacity. Therefore, in order to produce a USDA-approved, nitrate-free, dry-cured salami in State, aspiring charcutiers would have to build their own facility. This extraordinary initial investment cost and a venerable obstacle course of regulation has allowed Matthew to corner the Connecticut heritage salami market, but has also stifled Oui Charcuterie from growing in market share.

Christine Chesanek, owner of Fromage Fine Foods & Coffees in Old Saybrook and retailer of Oui Charcuterie argues that USDA regulation is just one part of the equation. “Charcuterie has to be profitable for a farmer; if he or she is shipping the hogs out and paying the USDA for slaughter and curing, that all cuts revenue.”

“Think of the time!” exclaims Matthew. “After a year with a 50 percent spoilage risk, what am I going to charge you for a piece of salami? We’re responsible for paying the USDA for inspections and shipping charges. My overhead is through the roof, but I can’t say ‘it’s a hundred bucks a pound; how many pounds would you like?’”

Matthew explains that the high overhead and the need to recover time and energy results in a “value-added” product. The salami is hung for a month and loses about half of its weight, which amplifies and concentrates the flavor. But, it also creates the need to recoup expenses from curing time. Matthew admits there are no simple answers. “I haven’t figured it out, but I love eating it. My kids still go, ‘Hey Dad! Let’s cut open some salami!’ and I still go, ‘Hell yeah – let’s cut it!’”

For Connecticut raw milk cheese, the process is less cumbersome. Liz Steeves of Cato Corner Farms in Colchester explains that raw milk cheese has a “closed loop” production, resulting in decreased overhead. “We have our milking station in the back of the corral area. The milk is put into a tank and is transferred to the cheese-making room. When the milk leaves the tank, it’s cleaned in about a four-step process; unclean milk doesn’t leave.” Unlike charcuterie, raw milk cheese enjoys a smaller amount of USDA oversight, and after years of legal battles, has become the apple of Connecticut’s eye.

Producers like Cato Corner craft some charcuterie to be served with their cheeses but are required to outsource much of the production to Massachusetts and then import the product back into Connecticut. Christine of Fromage explains that this has helped raise awareness of charcuterie, but has also kept it as a sub-market of Connecticut cheese.

Oui Charcuterie has made efforts to get away from the submarket trend, and while its products is retailed at butcheries and craft food markets such as Fleisher’s Craft Butchery in Westport and Veracious Brewing in Monroe, many of Oui Charcuterie’s retailers are attached to the wine and cheese industry including Fromage, Madison Cheese Shop & Café, Fairfield Cheese Company, Jones Farm Winery in Shelton, Lyman Orchard in Middlefield, Bishop’s Orchards in Guilford, and 109 Cheese and Wine in Ridgefield.

“It is hard for me to set up an adversarial comparison between CT cheese and charcuterie,” says Matthew. “I find them complementary; I like my cheese a lot more when I have a good charcuterie, and I like my charcuterie a lot more when I have a good cheese. a lot more when I have a good cheese.”

Matthew found that Charcuterie has a ageold ally of its own - the outdoorsman. “Our biggest audience is composed of campers, bikers, and extreme athletes; they need no-BS, compact fuel. You have a stick of my salami, and you’ve got high-grade calories that won’t slow you down with fat.”

It is this kind of natural synergy that Matthew is pursuing to expand Connecticut charcuterie’s market presence – a synergy with which he already has experience as an investor in Thomas Hooker Brewing Company in Bloomfield. Matthew explains that “there are a lot of tie-ins; we get our barley from places such as New England Brewing Company in Woodbridge for our hogs. That evolved into taking part in beer fests and brewery events.”

The pairing of Connecticut beer and charcuterie is an enthusiastic one, and when asked to match his salami with local brews, Matthew has no hesitation. “Firefly Brewing Company Cone Flakes Imperial IPA with our Dulce, and of course, Thomas Hooker No Filter IPA goes well with our Vida. New England Brewing Coriolis is a fantastic counterpoint to our spicy Amour – just enough heat to balance the fruity, herbal characteristics of the beer.”

Connecticut charcuterie’s growth is modest, but Matthew is positive for the future. “I believe charcuterie is one of the few gourmet food items that bridge different ethnic groups, cultural backgrounds, preferences, location, and traditions. Virtually every culture has charcuterie enjoyed when breaking bread. Some of our oldest common denominators come back to saltcured items.”