The Beauty Of Charcuterie
Words by Fielder Hagan | Photography by Henry Williford
Charcuterie is the art form of serving meats, mostly pork, through numerous methods of preservation and aging. In my two and a half years working at Acre Restaurant and Bar, I have plated many dishes to serve the community of Auburn the freshest locally sourced produce. In my position on the line, I get to craft these beautiful boards using meats we have cured, smoked and/or aged alongside numerous pickles, cheeses, preserves and brittles.
None, I think, capture the essence of Acre’s responsibility to the land and the people more than our charcuterie board, the Solid Oak Sampler. John David (JD) Hammond, General Manager at Acre, agrees that these boards are a representation of our Southern heritage.
“It is extremely important for Acre to have this on our menu because of our relationship with the public as sustainable stewards of the land, stewards of hunting and fishing. Using all of the animal that we can, and that’s exactly what charcuterie and farming is about. It is a showcase that we are actually dedicated to the process.”
Owner and Executive Chef David Bancroft, or just Chef to me, has been making charcuterie since the humble beginnings of Acre. The first printed menu Acre used had the Solid Oak Sampler front and center.
Passing the Torch of Tradition
Chef Bancroft got into charcuterie through the act of his grandfather, who was a farmer, preserving his harvest early on in David’s life. Multiple farmers and hunters would lease David’s grandfather’s land, harvest from it and share that harvest with the family. If one family had pork, they’d go over to their neighbors and trade for some venison or some beef.
“Growing up in Texas, everybody hunted so everybody made smoked sausages, smoked salamis, potted meats, souse, head cheese, pickled tongues, pickled pigs feet were not uncommon,” Chef Bancroft said.
He sourced local animals from ranches and pig farmers, butchered them, researched and taught himself charcuterie as an homage to his grandfather by preserving his harvest.
“I wanted to honor and respect it. We find a way to utilize every single part, all the way from the skin, to the ears, to the snout, the bones, and utilizing the best value out of every single cut and the best usage out of every single cut,” Chef Bancroft said.
Made with purpose
One of the most important things Chef Bancroft wants his customers to feel when eating the charcuterie is the intention behind every element on that board.
“I cut down those trees that we serve on top of, and I cured those with my grandfather and dried those and oiled them down, and even made the boards. So when we talk about having intentional service, I intentionally made those items. We make every single item and every pickle to either contradict or counteract or to blend and mesh together. But all of it is an artistic expression,” Chef Bancroft said.
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Far and Wide
Charcuterie has deep roots in the history of Southern cuisine. We all know summers in Alabama can be brutal. Our ancestors, who made this land their homestead, didn’t have refrigeration in their time. So to combat the lack of a harvest in the cold winter months, early settlers in Alabama used salts, nitrates and other means to preserve their meats, like David’s grandfather. These settlers came from all around the globe and brought their food cultures with them.
“So much of the cuisine that we consider ours as Southern is more worldly influenced. You’re gonna have French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese. You’re gonna find African, we have a lot of African influence,” Chef Bancroft said.
Chef Bancroft has passed on his knowledge to others at the restaurant, like our Chef De Cuisine Jeffrey Compton. Cheffrey, as the others in the back of house call him, has done numerous amounts of research and trial and error to develop a plan to succeed in what we do. Not only is it our responsibility at Acre to master these techniques, but also to add in our own personal flare to the art form.
“At Acre, we like to class it up and we like to think we know how to cook. We have some pretty cool flavor profiles that give our own style to it. We did the Coca Cola and peanut venison mole. The European methods and techniques laid the foundation for charcuterie and paved the road for us to take it to the next level,” Chef Compton said.
Chef Compton’s love of charcuterie became more deeply enriched during a trip through Spain he took with his brother. Every day they had a prosciutto sandwich with fresh baked bread from the cafes with prosciutto that hung in their cellars or attics. What was once a hobby became a passion very quickly.
“I hiked through Spain and on that journey. I tried prosciutto from 100 types of pigs from one side of Spain to the other,” Chef Compton said.
Reasons to Serve
Chef Compton’s favorite aspect about charcuterie is the relationships he builds with the farmers, the animals and the community he serves. He believes it is our responsibility at Acre to spread our knowledge to our community about what we know on the subject and to preserve a culture by preserving meats.
“We like to choose our pig personally from a farm in the area that is very reputable. Sometimes we feed the pig ourselves and watch it grow and mature and get ready for butcher. We like to be able to be there in all parts of it, to have that relationship with the farmer and also spread that relationship to the food, through the food, to the people,” Chef Compton said.
I have seen many friends and family take an interest in making their own charcuterie boards. Now, it is hard to scroll through my instagram feed without seeing someone I follow have their own personal take on a charcuterie board. I think by and large charcuterie represents the importance of having quality company over and sharing not only time but attention through a board of selected meats and cheeses.
“Charcuterie boards for me are for any special occasion spent with friends and family whether it be a birthday, anniversary, etc., because it is a true communal piece. When guests are served our charcuterie boards, their eyes light up. They all sort of lean back in their seats and they go ‘Woah look at this!’ It is excitement and awe,” JD said.
I believe any cook can throw a pork chop on a pan and watch it sizzle, but it takes a masterful hand filled with skill, patience and precision to make head cheese or other charcuteries. I see it as a great privilege to have a hand in this exchange of care, appreciation and intention. Charcuterie is something that embodies the identity of the South’s makeup, and to lose that is to lose a piece of ourselves.
Acre is located on 210 E. Glenn Ave., Auburn, AL 36830. Come in for dinner Monday through Saturday opening at 5 p.m. Acre is also open for lunch Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and open for brunch on Sundays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Order an Oak Sampler and try the charcuterie for yourself at any of the times above. Book a reservation or sign up for family meal at acreauburn.com.
