Expert guidance for Northern Irish charcuterie producers

Chris Moorby, charcuterie specialist at the School of Artisan Food in Nottinghamshire, is to advise emerging producers in Northern Ireland.

Moorby is to run a three-day course on charcuterie on behalf of the Food Innovation Centre at the Loughry Campus, near Cookstown, county Tyrone, of the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise.

The first artisan charcuterie workshop is being held at the college later this week in an initiative to develop local knowledge and skills.

Northern Ireland now has four artisan businesses producing a range of charcuterie products - Corndale Farm Free Range in Limavady, county Derry, O'Doherty Fine Meats in Enniskillen, county Fermanagh, Hannan Meats in Moira, county Down and Ispini Charcuterie, based on a family farm at Aughnacloy in county Tyrone. Corndale and Ispini were formed in the past two years.

They are producing a range of products including pancetta, chorizo, salami, lomo and bresaola.

Moorby, from Yorkshire, is one of the UK's foremost experts on charcuterie. A Master Butcher, he has experience over 30 years and is enthusiastic about traditional artisan butchery.

Having developed an interest in meat whilst working in a butchers shop and abattoir, he went on to master his craft as an apprentice, learning all aspects of the meat trade and the journey from farm to fork, before achieving a Higher National Diploma in Meat Technology and Management.During his career, he has worked in many sectors of the meat industry, from production and technical management to product development and quality assurance, more recently as a teacher and champion of artisan produce at The School of Artisan Food.For more than 25 years, he has been sharing his vast knowledge with food students, training and developing the next generation of skilled butchers always mindful of teaching the traditional artisanal methods that he so passionately believes in.

The workshop is a response by the college to the developing sector in Northern Ireland. Moorby will be dealing with a range of expertise including meat selection, fundamental butchery skills, curing methods, smoking techniques, and fermentation science.

A CAFRE spokesman says: "This advanced practical course will cover the manufacture of an extensive range of charcuterie products. Participants will also be directed through the essential scientific and technical explanations that underpin such production." This includes:

· Pork carcase breakdown with emphasis on best utilisation of cuts for charcuterie

· Boning and trimming of cuts for cured, air dried whole muscle production

· Grading of trim for forcemeat products

· Formulation of cure recipes

· Different types of curing for whole muscles - dry, injection and immersion curing

· Initial curing of salmon, bacon and gammon, coppa, pancetta, lomo and prosciutto

· Production of raw, cured, cooked, smoked and fermented sausages, including Bratwurst; Texas Hot Links; Beer sticks; Frankfurters; Chorizo; Saucisson sec; Boudins noir and blanc

· Cold smoking of salmon, garlic and salt

· Final preparation of whole cured muscles for air drying

· Finishing processes for sausage products, smoking and cooking

· Construction of a simple smoker

· Hot smoking of pork tenderloin.