Cured Meat Butchery

Cured Meat Butchery gives you an introduction to the basics of breaking down a pig carcass for the purpose of curing.

You’ll learn knife skills from experienced Cumbrian butcher, Andrew Sharp; details about how to buy meat for curing and which breeds to look for; and the basics of curing whole muscles.

The day begins with a short introduction to British cured meat and farming, and is followed by 3 hours of butchery demonstration and supervised practice.

We break for lunch, which includes a tasting of British cured meats and Borough Market produce, then get back to proceedings for a further couple of hours of butchery and curing guidance.

The session is based at our Borough Market HQ in Jubilee place. It begins at 10:00, ends at approximately 16:00 and includes:

A demonstration of how to butcher a side of pork for the purposes of curing;
The passing on of a wealth of knowledge about farming, butchery and curing from Andrew Sharp to you;
guidance and practice of knife and knot skills;
guidance on the basic principles of curing;
recipes and materials for curing belly and jowls - including meat to take and finish at home;
lunch, including a British cured meat tasting;
and a beer to wash things down at the end.

The course is suitable for interested beginners and intermediate home cooks who are keen to learn about butchery and the basics of curing. There’s a lot of information, plenty of hands-on work, and it’s extremely enjoyable:

“In short, it was INCREDIBLE. Everyone I have dealt with has been a pleasure. Farmer Sharp was nothing short of inspirational. His passion, knowledge and experience shine through – his son and him provided great humour, banter, and kept the day interesting and educational. I learnt so much – not least how little I know and what’s more, how hungry I am for more knowledge and skills. I could gush for hours about how much I enjoyed it and how much I am looking forward to more courses.” Al, August 2015

Artists : Farmer Andrew Sharp