The Art of Charcuterie

Charcuterie, the ages-old tradition of preparing and preserving meats, is reclaiming it’s spot as a culinary star, and for good reason. Environmental and health conscious consumers are becoming more and more educated about not only what’s in their store-bought cold cuts, bacon and sausage, but where they come from, how they are handled and prepared. At the Junction, we honor the wisdom of our elders and ancestors by preparing ALL of our meats in house, and sourcing them from farms with a firm commitment to truly healthy farming practices, no hormones or antibiotics. Plus, our meats come from NC farms whenever possible, so they don’t travel too great a distance to our kitchen.

The beauty of these tried and true methods - the art of charcuterie, really, is the simplicity of the ingredients themselves. For many items, it’s just meat, salt, air and time. Another aspect to feel good about is that the whole animal is often used. Pork fat is used to bring moisture and flavor to a sausage. Chicken livers make a fine mousse. Not only is this more economical, but also more humane (not to mention, delicious!). If you are going to eat meat, might as well use the whole animal, not just the ‘choice’ cuts. Our modern day culture of abundance has led many of us to forget that our grandmothers and great-grandmothers turned chicken carcasses into soup stock and preserved the garden’s summer abundance by pickling and canning. This wisdom is experiencing a renaissance with delectable results.

Ready to give charcuterie a try? Order up our signature Charcuterie Plate. But you don’t have to commit to the entire plate to experience the art of charcuterie at the Junction, it appears all over our menus. From the smoked pork belly on the pimento cheese sandwich and the house made corned beef on the Reuben, to the smoked Chicken Salad Sandwich and the specks of bacon dust atop the Smoked Peach Salad, charcuterie is at the heart of what we do.