"Big companies abandon these breeds because they grow slower, get plenty of space and exercise, and receive humane care. The dry curing will showcase "what is great about small farms and heritage hog breeds," Buer said. Labels will tout which breed of pig the meat came from, and the name of the farm where the pig was raised. The quality and traceability of each cut of artisan meat will be its biggest selling points, Buer said. "It says as much about the animal and the farm as wine does about the grape and the vineyard." I like to be as local as I can, and to know the source of the meat."ĭry-curing meat - never heating it - preserves the subtleties of the animal's diet, health and feed, Buer said. "We'll use heritage breeds of pigs, all from Wisconsin, once we get going. "This is the first and only company in Wisconsin that is dry-curing meat," Buer said last week, as he prepared to roll out his first batch of pancetta and guanciale with close monitoring by state inspectors. (See sidebar for information on where to find pancetta and guanciale locally, starting within a week.) Prosciutto will sell for about $25 per pound, guanciale (cured pork jowl) about $16 per pound and pancetta, $18 per pound, on the company's Web site, The first prosciutto won't be available until April, but customers can reserve orders through the Web site. The labor intensiveness is reflected in the price. "It takes longer to make and you can't speed it up." "This is like cognac versus wine," Buer said. Boiled ham from the whole leg takes three days, while prosciutto from the leg takes nine months. Although bacon from pork belly takes as little as two days to produce, pancetta - also from pork belly - takes 50 days. It's a major time investment to cover the meat with salt, press out the liquid and hang it in a temperature- and humidity-controlled curing room. High-volume meat companies don't dry-cure the delicacy meats, which do not require refrigeration because they are cured with salt, Buer said. Most prosciutto, pancetta and guanciale for hors d'oeuvres, antipasti and cheese platters these days are imported from Italy.īut Scott Buer, through his company Bolzano Artisan Meats, is crafting the harder-and-more-expensive-to-make meat for Wisconsin foodies in the same way that microbreweries craft special flavors for beer enthusiasts. A new artisan meat company is bringing to Milwaukee the lost art of Italian dry-cured meats.
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