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Meredith Erickson

Elias Cairo

Olympia Provisions: Cured Meats and Tales from an American Charcuterie [A Cookbook] Hardcover – October 27, 2015

by Elias Cairo (Author), Meredith Erickson (Author)

176 ratings

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A rigorous exploration of what American charcuterie is today from Portland’s top-notch meat company, featuring in-depth techniques for crafting cured meats, recipes from the company’s two restaurants, and essays revealing the history and personalities behind the brand.

Portland’s Olympia Provisions began as Oregon’s first USDA-certified salumeria, but it has grown into a mini-empire, with two bustling restaurants and charcuterie shipping out daily to all fifty states. In his debut cookbook, salumist and co-owner Elias Cairo dives deep into his distinctly American charcuterie, offering step-by-step recipes for confits, pâtés, sausages, salami, and more. But that is only the beginning. Writer Meredith Erickson takes you beyond cured meat, exploring how Cairo’s proud Greek-American upbringing, Swiss cooking adventures, and intense love affair with the outdoors have all contributed to Olympia Provisions’ singular—and delicious—point of view. With recipes from the restaurants, as well as extensive wine notes and nineteen frankfurter variations, Olympia Provisions redefines what American charcuterie can be.

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Print length

288 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Ten Speed Press
Publication date

October 27, 2015
Dimensions

8.22 x 1.09 x 10.25 inches
ISBN-10

1607747014
ISBN-13

978-1607747017

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Editorial Reviews

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“Being French, I know how important well-done charcuterie is to everyday life. Olympia Provisions is a wonderful journey through the simple yet complex recipes that have made it a craft throughout time. Visually stunning and conversationally informative with personal stories, notes, and tips, it is a tribute to charcuterie’s versatility and cultural prowess, and the restaurant recipes only make me hungry for more.”
—Daniel Boulud, chef/owner, The Dinex Group

“Portland’s Olympia Provisions has been making some of America’s best charcuterie for years. Elias Cairo is the man behind it, and he has written a book that explains not only how he has been creating this food, but the whys that make it so good. This is a great resource for anyone who wants to explore the craft of charcuterie, with fabulous recipes and gorgeous photography.”
—Michael Ruhlman, James Beard award–winning author of Ruhlman’s Twenty and Charcuterie

“Olympia Provisions is so much more than a charcuterie, just as its cookbook is so much more than simply a collection of recipes. It’s a love letter to the craft of curing, smoking, and fermenting; a passionate family story, rich in history, technique, humor, and lots of good food. Elias Cairo’s utter adoration for cured meat is not only inspiring, it’s infectious!”
—Gail Simmons, food expert, TV host, and author of Talking with My Mouth Full

About the Author

ELIAS CAIRO is a co-owner and the lead salumist at Portland, Oregon’s, Olympia Provisions, which he founded in 2009. Born in Salt Lake City to a Greek family who butchered lamb and goats utilizing Old World preparations and technique, Cairo started cooking at a young age in his father’s restaurants. He began a European apprenticeship in Switzerland at the age of twenty, where he learned classic butchery and charcuterie from renowned chef Annegret Schlumpf before moving to Portland to open Olympia Provisions.

MEREDITH ERICKSON has written for the New York Times, Elle, the National Post, Monocle, and Lucky Peach. She has also worked as an editor and production manager for various magazines, campaigns, and television programs, and was the editor of The Family Meal by Ferran Adria. She is co-author with David McMillan and Frédéric Morin of the James Beard–nominated book The Art of Living According to Joe Beef, as well as Le Pigeon with Gabriel Rucker. She lives in London.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Charcuterie Tools and Equipment

You don’t need a lot of fancy equipment and supplies to make charcuterie, but there are a few items, some essential, that will probably be unfamiliar to you. In most cases, these specialized tools will make your charcuterie making easier and ensure that your final product is safe and delicious. Any and all charcuterie materials—thermometers, casings, grinders, stuffers, smokers, smoking accessories, nets, seasoning, spices, scales—can be found at SausageMaker.com.
digital scale

You will need a digital scale that is accurate up to .5 gram. It’s also ideal if the scale can work in both grams and ounces, and if you can zero it out after placing a bowl or other vessel on the scale.
dry box

To make fermented meats you will need a room or chamber that maintains 58°F (14°C) and 83 percent relative humidity, with a very slow airflow. More on this on page 118–19.
fermentation chamber

To make fermented meats you will need a room or chamber that can
be held at 73°F (23°C) and 95 percent relative humidity, with very little or no airflow. More on this on page 132.

grinder
There is something really rewarding about making a simple sausage
or pâté using a hand-grinder. But if I have a good amount of product
to make or am trying to make an emulsification, I like the ease of using an electric grinder. A KitchenAid mixer with a grinder attachment is a good starting place. It can handle a decent amount of meat. However, if you plan on making most of the recipes in this book, any one-horsepower grinder with a steel grinder head is the way to go.

knives
You can do most of the tasks required in the charcuterie chapters of this book with two knives: a deboning knife and a sausage-making knife.
The Victorinox 6-inch (15-cm) deboning knife has a nice point
on the tip and not too much flex. It will help you easily get the meat off the bones and is great for removing sinew and unwanted fat.

A sausage-making knife isn’t absolutely necessary, but it will make your life a bit easier. It looks like a small paring knife but has thin needlelike points on the opposite edge of the blade. You use this end to puncture your casing if you get any air in it during sausage making.
pâté molds and slow-cooking vessels
I love a solid, good-looking pan with a tight-fitting lid for making
pâtés and slow-cooking meats. Le Creuset is my go-to brand; they aren’t cheap and they make you look fancy, but they are also just
damn fine cooking vessels.
pH meter
A pH meter measures the pH level of your product and provides the only way to know for sure whether or not you are making a safe fermented product. If you are making fermented meats, such as salami, this is a small investment to make for serious peace of mind. I use one from Hanna Instruments that is easy to calibrate and simple to read.
smoker
You can smoke most of the meats in this book using a Weber grill or any charcoal grill with a lid. But if you plan on smoking more than once or twice a year, buy an electric smoker with a heating pad that will burn your chips without you having to stoke the coals. My smoker of choice is the Little Chief.
stuffer
Although it’s possible to stuff sausages using a grinder, I personally don’t like to; it takes a bit of time to get the feel for it. For these
recipes, I would use a stand-up piston stuffer with a hand crank and
a capacity of up to 31⁄2 pounds (1.6 kg) of meat. Far and away the
best stuffer of this size is made by a German company called Dick.

thermometer
Buy one that you can calibrate easily. At home, I use a standard
thermometer with an adjustable dial. I calibrate it by making an ice
and water slurry, then setting the proper temperature as necessary.
To calibrate your thermometer, in a large pot, mix ice and water in equal parts, then place the thermometer into the ice slurry; it should read 32°F (0°C). If it doesn’t, adjust your thermometer until it displays the correct temperature when stuck in the ice bath.

water activity meter
This piece of equipment will let you know you are making a safe dry-cured or fermented product. A water activity meter measures the unbound water content of your product, and the more unbound water you remove from a dry-cured or fermented sausage, the better your chances of reducing spoilage. The industry standard is the Pawkit made by Decagon. This amazing meter will last for a lifetime of meat making. It is only used for dry-cured items.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ten Speed Press; First Edition (October 27, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1607747014
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1607747017
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.8 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.22 x 1.09 x 10.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #688,169 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #517 in Meat Cooking
- #583 in Homebrewing, Distilling & Wine Making
- #622 in Canning & Preserving (Books)

Customer Reviews:
176 ratings

About the authors

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Meredith Erickson
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Meredith Erickson is the author of Alpine Cooking. She has co-authored The Art of Living According to Joe Beef, the Le Pigeon Cookbook, Olympia Provisions, Kristen Kish Cooking, the Claridge’s Cookbook, Joe Beef: Surviving the Apocalypse, The Frasca Cookbook, and Mandy’s.
The host of Audible’s Field Guide to Canada, Meredith splits her time between Montreal and Milan.
www.mereditherickson.com
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Elias Cairo
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Elias Cairo was born in Salt Lake City to a big food-loving Greek family, who loved to butcher lamb and goats utilizing old world preparations and preservation techniques, thus setting the foundation for his lifelong fascination with meat. Elias started cooking at a young age in his father’s restaurants, and at the age of twenty began a European trade apprenticeship in Switzerland, where for over four years he was taught classic techniques of cooking, butchery, and charcuterie by European renowned Executive Chef Annegret Schlumpf. During that time, he also attended Berufsschule in Wattwil, Switzerland for formal culinary education. Upon completion of his apprenticeship and schooling, Cairo moved to Kos, Greece where he apprenticed in a hotel kitchen and was responsible for developing menu items based on what farmers and fishermen brought him daily.
Upon returning to the United States, he headed to Portland, Oregon, lured by the city's growing reputation for cultivating and nurturing culinary talent. He took a line cook position at venerable Castagna restaurant, working his way up to the position of sous chef in less than a year, and eventually earning the title of Executive Chef. In summer 2009, Elias left Castagna to start Oregon’s first USDA certified meat-curing facility, Olympic Provisions, which is also a European-style restaurant and deli.
When he’s not curing meat and trying new foods, Elias spends much of his free time in the Great Outdoors of the Pacific Northwest, fly fishing and rock climbing. His adventurous spirit has seen him through many adventures both local and worldwide.
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Customers find this cookbook well-written with amazing recipes and yummy-looking pictures. Moreover, they appreciate its approachable style and knowledge about charcuterie making, with one customer highlighting its detailed descriptions of old family meat handling techniques. Additionally, the book features lots of great stories, and customers describe it as beautifully crafted.

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20 customers mention "Readability"20 positive0 negative

Customers find the cookbook readable and well-written, with one customer describing it as a beautiful book on charcuterie.

"...had the desire to try to cure your own meats at home, this is a wonderful cookbook to take the charcuterie amateur to the journeyman's level...." Read more

"...This book is so well done and explains things simply." Read more

"The book is written well and the authors are clearly passionate and knowledgable about all things charcuterie...." Read more

"I enjoyed reading this book. I'm just beginning my journey into charcuterie and this book tells a well rounded story...." Read more

12 customers mention "Recipes"10 positive2 negative

Customers enjoy the recipes in the cookbook, with one mentioning it's a perfect start to a charcuterie obsession, while another notes it's a nice addition to their collection of 500 cookbooks.

"...part of the book takes the meat made in the prior part and creates wonderful dishes that are served at the OP restaurant in Oregon...." Read more

"...affair, a compelling story, gorgeous photography, and of course amazing recipes. I've ordered copies for all my family and friends." Read more

"...The recipes are straight forward and approachable. Anyone interested in curing their own hog should certainly add this to their book collection." Read more

"...and got really engaged by the photos, the stories, and the potential to make cool stuff. So, I bought the book and jumped right in...." Read more

9 customers mention "Photography"9 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the photography in the cookbook, noting that the pictures are yummy looking and thorough.

"...This gem of a recipe book is a love affair, a compelling story, gorgeous photography, and of course amazing recipes...." Read more

"...Naming matters aside, Olympia Provisions' book is a beautiful portrayal of their essence and purpose in the food industry...." Read more

"Great book with beautiful photography...." Read more

"...leafing through this book at my relative’s house and got really engaged by the photos, the stories, and the potential to make cool stuff...." Read more

8 customers mention "Knowledge"8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the cookbook's approachable style, with one customer noting its detailed descriptions of old family meat handling techniques and another highlighting its comprehensive coverage of charcuterie basics.

"...This book is so well done and explains things simply." Read more

"...The recipes are straight forward and approachable. Anyone interested in curing their own hog should certainly add this to their book collection." Read more

"...But it is far from that. It does go into great detail about the basics of charcuterie making, and it has most of the more currently-popular sorts..." Read more

"Excellent theory book but the recipes are kind of lacking. I have been doing charcuterie work professionally for over 20 years...." Read more

5 customers mention "Story quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the stories in the cookbook, with one mentioning they are about family and travels, while another finds them fascinating.

"...This gem of a recipe book is a love affair, a compelling story, gorgeous photography, and of course amazing recipes...." Read more

"...I'm just beginning my journey into charcuterie and this book tells a well rounded story...." Read more

"...book at my relative’s house and got really engaged by the photos, the stories, and the potential to make cool stuff...." Read more

"Lots of great stories lots of great recipes very readable lots of knowledge in this book." Read more

4 customers mention "Design"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the design of the cookbook, describing it as beautifully crafted.

"...I am very familiar with Olympia Provisions, their restaurant, and fine products...." Read more

"...I find the design to be beautiful and the stories of family and travels reasonably interesting...." Read more

"Beautiful book purchased for my son-in-law." Read more

"Beautiful book full of fantastic secrets." Read more

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Amazon Customer
The Perfect Start to a Charcuterie Obsession
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2016
Verified Purchase

As a foodie, I love to stretch my culinary skills in directions where I've never traveled. I saw this book,read a few preview pages, and bought it. The first half describes how to make nearly every cured meat known to man. Starting with pate, the charcuterie journey travels through sausage, bratwurst, bacon, frankfurters and finally cured hard salamis. The second part of the book takes the meat made in the prior part and creates wonderful dishes that are served at the OP restaurant in Oregon.

Each of the recipes have been reduced to home-sized projects, where 3 pounds of raw meat are transformed in to a dozen brats or two dozen frankfurters. And the recipes are absolutely delicious! If you're over 45 years old, the franks will take you back to the ones sold in butcher shops, still connected to each other by the natural casings in which they are stuffed. The brat recipe is by far the best I've ever eaten (and I am German and have been raised on Oktoberfests). The homemade bacon will make you abandon the horrible renditions currently being offered in grocery stores around the country.

If you've ever had the desire to try to cure your own meats at home, this is a wonderful cookbook to take the charcuterie amateur to the journeyman's level. Make some sausage for your friends and watch the expression on their faces when they bite in to the best bratwurst they have ever eaten.

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Risa Richardson
Everything I expected and more from Olympia Provisions
Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2021
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I left the Pacific NW just before Olympia Provisions opened up. I have been following them ever since as charcuterie is a crazy passion for me. This book is so well done and explains things simply.

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EH
Beautiful .....
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2015
Verified Purchase
I've had the good fortune to have been to the restaurants and eaten their yummy charcuterie. So it was with much anticipation that I awaited the arrival of the book And last week I received it, opened it and realized, this ain't no ordinary cookbook,. This gem of a recipe book is a love affair, a compelling story, gorgeous photography, and of course amazing recipes.
I've ordered copies for all my family and friends.

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5 people found this helpful

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Fremen
Well written and approachable...
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2016
Verified Purchase
The book is written well and the authors are clearly passionate and knowledgable about all things charcuterie. The recipes are straight forward and approachable. Anyone interested in curing their own hog should certainly add this to their book collection.

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Barbara A.
It tells a well rounded story
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2016
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I enjoyed reading this book. I'm just beginning my journey into charcuterie and this book tells a well rounded story. I especially liked the "Nitrate and Nitrite" explanation, that has put my mind at ease, because I remember that scare back in the 60's. I have other recipe books coming but I'm very glad that I started with this one.

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Ken
beautiful crafted book and portrayal of Olympia Provisions' passion for meat
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2016
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A food enthusiast living in Portland, OR, I am very familiar with Olympia Provisions, their restaurant, and fine products. I am also familiar with their experience with IOC over use of the name "Olympic". So sad ... Naming matters aside, Olympia Provisions' book is a beautiful portrayal of their essence and purpose in the food industry. I have recently taken a butchery class and this book inspires me to continue on.

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Elizabeth Carter
Beautiful
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2016
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Great book with beautiful photography. I bought the book before my trip to Portland so I could get pumped about my visit and let me tell you, the place did not disappoint! Truly one of the highlights of my trip. Can't wait to return! Oh yeah, buy the book. :)

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Mike
*Not* a comprehensive "charcuterie book"
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2017
Verified Purchase
But for so many reviews that make this book sound, inappropriately in my view, like a "comprehensive" book (let alone "reference work") on making cured and preserved meats at home, I'd probably have given it a 4 star rating. But it is far from that. It does go into great detail about the basics of charcuterie making, and it has most of the more currently-popular sorts of charcuterie Internet-dwelling "foodies" are into these days. But having read all the over-the-top reviews, I was really rather surprised at how few specific recipes there are, relative to the size of the book, for cured and preserved meats, and how many of the recipes are for "other stuff" (some, but not all, using charcuterie as ingredients). There's also a LOT of back-story, which many people seem to like, but which others (like me) may find to be basically irrelevant. I'd say this is a decent "introduction" to home charcuterie making, especially (mostly?) if you're also interested in the other, more general Olympia Provisions recipes (which I myself happened not to find very interesting), but it certainly isn't sufficient as a general-purpose reference on the subject of "making charcuterie in the home kitchen".

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daniel Froese
Tasty foods
Reviewed in Canada on February 18, 2017
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A great recipe book filled with great pictures, insight, guidance, and recipes. I have done two thus far and they have turned out great. I would fully recommend this book.

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A cured meats bible
Reviewed in Canada on December 28, 2018
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My son does Charcuterie meats for a living, this is his must have book. Highly recommended!

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MondoGusto
Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on April 1, 2017
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This is the cure for cured meat cravings. Warning: Vegans should stay far far away from this horror thriller.

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Sstafford
Pleased
Reviewed in Canada on March 18, 2019
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Very interesting read

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ana correa
Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on November 14, 2016
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Inspiring !

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Olympia Provisions: Cured Meats and Tales from an American Charcuterie [A Cookbook] Hardcover – October 27, 2015

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