If you’ve been wondering how to fold meat for a charcuterie board, you are in the right place. There are no hard and fast rules to creating a charcuterie board. Each board will be unique to its creator, and you can do whatever you please with your board. However, I have a few ideas you might like to make creating boards easier.
What is a charcuterie board?
A charcuterie board is usually served on a wooden or stone board, and consists of a selection of meats, soft cheeses, hard cheeses, crackers, or bread. Elaborate charcuterie can also include fresh fruit, and vegetables! You can even include dips and spreads in small bowls on your board.
If you are looking for more information on how to put your boards together, check out our post on How to Make a Charcuterie Board.
What is the difference between a charcuterie board and a cheese board?
A basic cheese board just includes a selection of cheeses, but when cheese boards begin to include other ingredients like meats and fruits, they are essentially the same. It’s just a personal preference on what you call it. Charcuterie is a french word that essentially means cured meats.
We know that charcuterie boards are all about cheese whether it is goat cheese, blue cheese, or any other cheese platter cheese you can think of, but it is important to know how to fold meat for a charcuterie board in a way that adds different textures and some excitement to your board. The perfect charcuterie board gets a little fancy with the meats. With most of these methods the pieces of meat are pre-separated and easy to grab, unlike if you just added the meat to the board the same way it comes out of the package. The meats and cheeses are the most important elements of a charcuterie board.
Depending on the type of meat you are working with, you can make a salami rose, salami chains, prosciutto ribbons, and more! It’s easy to place things like fruit and crackers, but just tossing meat onto a board isn’t the most appealing way to serve this great appetizer. So, I have a few tips to help you out.
Salami Rose
To make salami roses, I have a full tutorial here, but you essentially drape genoa salami over the edges of a shot glass for a fun rose effect that will add so much visually to your board. We used these in our Easter Charcuterie Board.
Prosciutto Ribbons
Next, there are prosciutto ribbons. To make these, start by laying out your pieces of prosciutto, and folding them about half or 3/4 of the way up, concentrating on folding up the side with more of the fat marbling so you have the meat side situated farther up. Press the folded edge so that it stays. Then, take the folded prosciutto and start folding it back and forth, continuing to pinch along that folded edge so that the ribbons stay folded together. It will end up looking like a handheld fan, sort of. You can then place those, by lying them down, and extend the ribbon with more pieces of proscuitto.
For Thinner Meats
To fold together thinner meats, like capicola, you can fold them in half, and then roll them into triangles for a fun presentation that you can build onto. These you can layer on top of each other to add some height to your board, and they start to resemble bouquets of little salty meats.
Salami Chains
To make salami chains out of hard salami, separate your pieces of salami. Take a slice of salami and fold in half. Repeat for all of the slices of salami. With the folded edge of a slice facing down, take two pieces and curve them into each other. Continue this with more pieces of salami to make a chain that you can easily pick up a piece of salami from.
Charcuterie boards are the perfect appetizer for serving a small group or even a larger party. Hopefully these tips for how to fold meat for a charcuterie board will help you determine how to style your next board.
Here are some more of our easy charcuterie board ideas-
- Pre-make your charcuterie board, and wrap it in plastic wrap so you can keep it refrigerated until time to serve. You’ll save a lot of time by just having to adjust a few things when it comes time for party prep.
- Use a variety of meats on your board, and a variety of cheeses, as well. Let those be the star, and then fill in the board with different great addition options like pickles, fruit, and vegetables. You want different types of meats of various sizes for the best results.
- Fill the remaining space with crackers or crispy baguette slices, and even dried fruit and fresh herbs can be great to fill empty space.
- No need to buy anything special. We love making our boards on a large wooden cutting board, that’s really all you need. Some cheese knives can come in handy, too for prepping your board, but they aren’t required.
I hope these ideas and tips come in handy for your next party that calls for a delicious, beautiful charcuterie board.
Check out some of the boards we have made-
Easter Charcuterie Board
Patriotic Charcuterie Board
Individual Charcuterie Cups
Yield: 10 servings
How to Fold Meat for Charcuterie
How to fold meat for charcuterie boards.
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Ingredients
- 12 slices salami
- 6 slices prosciutto
- 12 slices capicola
Instructions
- To make salami roses, I have afull tutorial here, but you essentially drape genoa salami over the edges of a shot glass for a fun rose effect that will add so much visually to your board. We used these in our Easter Charcuterie Board.
- Next, there are prosciutto ribbons. To make these, start by laying out your pieces of prosciutto, and folding them about half or 3/4 of the way up, concentrating on folding up the side with more of the fat marbling so you have the meat side situated farther up. Press the folded edge so that it stays. Then, take the folded prosciutto and start folding it back and forth, continuing to pinch along that folded edge so that the ribbons stay folded together.
- To fold together thinner meats, like capicola, you can fold them in half, and then roll them into triangles for a fun presentation that you can build onto.
- To make salami chains out of hard salami, separate your pieces of salami. Take a slice of salami and fold in half. Repeat for all of the slices of salami. With the folded edge of a slice facing down, take two pieces and curve them into each other. Continue this with more pieces of salami to make a chain that you can easily pick up a piece of salami from.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 164
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
As an expert and enthusiast, I can provide information and insights on a wide range of topics, including charcuterie boards and how to fold meat for them. I have access to a vast amount of information from various sources, which allows me to provide accurate and reliable information.
Now, let's discuss the concepts mentioned in this article:
Charcuterie Board:
A charcuterie board is a platter typically served on a wooden or stone board. It consists of a selection of meats, soft cheeses, hard cheeses, crackers, or bread. It can also include fresh fruit, vegetables, dips, and spreads in small bowls. The term "charcuterie" is derived from the French word for cured meats.
Difference between a Charcuterie Board and a Cheese Board:
A basic cheese board typically includes a selection of cheeses. However, when a cheese board includes other ingredients like meats and fruits, it essentially becomes a charcuterie board. The distinction between the two is primarily a matter of personal preference and the specific ingredients included.
Folding Meat for a Charcuterie Board:
To add visual appeal and different textures to a charcuterie board, it is common to fold the meats in various ways. Here are a few techniques mentioned in the article:
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Salami Roses: Drape genoa salami over the edges of a shot glass to create a rose effect.
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Prosciutto Ribbons: Lay out pieces of prosciutto and fold them about half or 3/4 of the way up, concentrating on folding up the side with more fat marbling. Press the folded edge to secure it. Then, fold the prosciutto back and forth, pinching along the folded edge to keep the ribbons together. This creates a handheld fan-like appearance.
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Folding Thinner Meats: For thinner meats like capicola, fold them in half and roll them into triangles for a fun presentation. Layer these folded meats on top of each other to add height to the board, resembling bouquets of salty meats.
-
Salami Chains: Separate slices of hard salami. Take a slice and fold it in half, repeating for all the slices. With the folded edge facing down, curve two pieces of salami into each other. Continue this process with more pieces of salami to create a chain-like structure.
These folding techniques can enhance the visual appeal and presentation of the charcuterie board, making it more enticing for guests.
I hope this information helps you create a delicious and visually appealing charcuterie board! Let me know if there's anything else I can assist you with.
