Charcuterie boards are the perfect appetizers for any parties you are going to this holiday season. The word charcuterie refers to cold cooked meats, so originally that's what this platter consisted of. Now, you can find many different arrangements including pickles, cheese, crackers and more! There are so many ways you can make your charcuterie board for this year's run of Christmas parties so here’s a few tips to get you started.
What to put on your board:
Obviously you need some meat, I like to start off my platter with 3 or 4 different kinds of dry cured or fully smoked sausages. Fuet, landjaeger, andouille, pepperoni, salami and farmers sausage are just a few ideas. Little goes a long way when preparing your own charcuterie board so I suggest 3-8, small pieces of each type of meat you choose. Now, you could stop there but adding cheese is another great choice. Between gouda, cheddar, brie and many other choices you can’t go wrong here. Since cheese is normally cut thicker than the meat, 8-12 pieces should be good. Now this is where I like to stop but adding crackers, small pieces of bread, pickles, fruit or nuts can never hurt. By adding more options for your guests, they can play around with options of what to eat together. A rule of thumb or adding these other items are 1 cracker/bread piece for each piece of meat on the board and it’s okay to have more pickles, fruit or nuts then your main feature but keep them contained.
How to assemble:
Now that you know what to put on your charcuterie board, how do you put it all together? First of all, find the right board. These are usually wooden but can really be assembled on anything. The size depends on how many people you are feeding, a standard cutting board size (12x18 inches) is perfect for a smaller party of 4-6 people. If you have more people attending, don’t be afraid to size up. Just remember, this is an appetiser so you don’t want to go too big. Once you have chosen your board, you need to pick a few small and cute containers for your extras. Fruit, nuts and pickles should be placed in small containers on the board. Depending on your crowd, you might want to add some utensils. A shrimp fork for picking up food off the board and a butter knife for spreading dips onto crackers are really all you need. If you want to add more, there are specific charcuterie board utensil sets you can buy. Once you gather everything, start with putting your meats on the board. You can roll thin slices up like a cinnamon roll, make roses, fold salami in half or just cut plain circles. Once you have all your meat on the board, add the cheese. I like to put little cubes of cheese beside each of the types of meat. Next, I like to add my small containers to fill up any big empty spaces. Finally, fill up any more blank space with bread or crackers. Once everything is on your board you’re done and ready to impress all your friends!
On a budget? No worries!
Spragg’s Meat Shop has got you covered for all your charcuterie needs. With affordable dry sausage, sandwich meat (like salami) and fully cooked sausage you will not need to go anywhere. Our package sizes are perfect for making your charcuterie boards without leaving you with too many extras. Our December special also helps you cut down on time. This year, we have pre-made charcuterie boards for only $30. They come with 5 different kinds of meat along with gouda cheese. Impress your friends with little to no work!
