Charcuterie, A Documentary About The Kocurek Family Business (VIDEO)

The Kocurek Family of Austin, Texas are the stars of this short film (part of Christian Remde's Twelve Films project) that discusses the history and current state of charcuterie, from Italy to Spain, Poland to Germany, France to the United States.

Lawrence Kocurek believes that the "pig gets all the attention because it is such a versatile animal." He respects the art of charcuterie because its a tradition that has been done for so long, in so many places. "I think its always been an art form," says his wife Lee Ann.

Watch the short film below to learn more about the process of making charcuterie and how a small charcuterie business gets off the ground.

Comments

[Casa-Giardino]

11:06 AM on 08/01/2011

We practice charcuterie in our home.
http://casa-giardino.blogspot.com/2011/01/home-made-flat-pancetta-pancetta-tesa.html

[hugatree]

01:40 PM on 07/31/2011

I love the whole slow food movement and the return to historic and authentic dealing with food. The artistry involved is amazing. And the reverence for food and its origins is almost spiritual.

[Gary Kahn]

12:26 PM on 07/30/2011

Great Story... hat tip to the Kocurek's.. !!

[joeyfoto]

04:06 AM on 07/30/2011

As a vegetarian, charcuterie is not my world, but this documentary sustained my interest, because of the honesty and energy of the two people. Their enthusiasm, for starting a family business and living a more European (family-centered) life, was very cool as was their concept of respecting the animal by using all the parts. Good job.

[ramal]

10:47 PM on 07/29/2011

Inspiring. My best to this young couple. America needs more of this type.

[picard922]

07:51 PM on 07/29/2011

Congrats to Christian for making HuffPost! Atta Boy! xo Pam

[yappnmutt]

04:34 PM on 07/29/2011

someone should tell the chinese about this charcuterie business. they might like the idea.

[GraphicMatt]

03:43 PM on 07/29/2011

My cousin runs the Cordon Bleu up in Boston. When I was visiting he took me on a tour of the facilities. When we got to the classroom where they taught the charcuterie class and stepped into the walk in fridge, I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

[Rules Guru]

12:46 PM on 07/29/2011

Facinating!

[SimonBao]

12:18 PM on 07/29/2011

I enjoyed the film, but at the same time a wee small voice kept saying "Oh hold the phone there sparky!"

Charcuterie as a profession, a profession separate from butchering, may well have risen in France. But the "history" given by the film subjects still seems misleading. Especially with all that French accordian music in the background.

Turning pork and pork products into a variety of cooked, cured, smoked, dried, and salted products predates France by millenia. In 600 BC, folks in China, Rome, and Greece were routinely eating sausages, and it's likely folks whose written records didn't survive were doing likewise.

A minor point, but given the single minded fixation on France found among many foodies and self-described gastronomes, it's a point worth making here.

[Sp8z]

07:10 PM on 07/29/2011

"(part of Christian Remde's Twelve Films project) that discusses the history and current state of charcuterie, from Italy to Spain, Poland to Germany, France to the United States."

Next time read the article and you won't make a fool of yourself.

[hugatree]

01:48 PM on 07/31/2011

Did you listen carefully? The history given did not exclude the contributions of other cultures. It lingered on France in explaining how the term "charcuterie" became separated from the term "butcher" by guilds. In the last part the couple discusses the art form in Spain and how a trip to Spain was part of their inspiration. So there was accordion music in the background -- so what? Background music doesn't change semantics.