Charcutepalooza!

Proclaiming 2011 "The Year of Meat", bloggers MrsWheelbarrow (who is also a food52 community member extraordinaire) and The Yummy Mummy are leading the charge on a year-long salting, smoking, and curing project they've dubbed a "Charcutepalooza" (shar-coo-ta-pa-loo-za). Frustrated by the meat they've found on the market and eager to take a stab at this age-old art, these devoted home cooks put forth the following question: "Wouldn’t it be better to celebrate the appropriate, thoughtful consumption of meat with a year long exploration of the age old craft of charcuterie?" Why, yes!

Guided by Michael Ruhlman's able cleaver and recipes from his book, Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing, anyone can follow along along with the monthly challenge completing the project for oneself -- and, "if you don’t know where to hang meat in your studio apartment, don’t worry" as "there will be plenty of projects that do not require hanging meat." A bunch of food52ers have already joined up and Ruhlman will also be along for the ride (weighing in when needed). Check out the "Ruhls" (ha!) and let the fun begin!

Twitter hashtag: #Charcutepalooza