Fatted Calf Tour
CUESA visited Fatted Calf Charcuterie’s kitchen facility and storefront at Oxbow Market.
We started our tour at the Oxbow Public Market, where Fatted Calf has a storefront and a kitchen for charcuterie-making.
We were hosted by Taylor Boetticher, who co-owns the Fatted Calf with his wife Toponia Miller.
The store has an impressive selection of locally produced and heritage cured meat, including a wide range of salumi and sausages.
Fatted Calf has been operating out of the store at the Oxbow Market since 2008
Taylor gave us a tour of the Fatted Calf facility. Taylor and Toponia started fatted Calf in 2003. For the first 2.5 years they were the only employees and shared a small co-op kitchen in Dog Patch.Today they have 18 employees.
Taylor pointing out the smoker, where they make their signature beef jerky flavored with bourbon, molasses, salt and pepper.
The Fatted Calf does all their own casing for hot dogs and salami by hand. "We get the best ingredients, and just try not to mess it up," said the humble Taylor.
These pig heads were next in line to be made into head cheese. Many of the Fatted Calf's products utilize offal and other the less common parts of the animal.
Two goat carcasses were being stored in the packed walk-in refrigerator.
The kitchen is stocked with all kinds of salts and spices used in the curing process.
The curing room.
Most products cure for at least ninety days. Some cure for as long as six months.
Mold is a crucial element of the curing process because it keeps unwanted bacteria out. According to Taylor, it takes around a year to develop your own strain of in-house mold (you can also buy it, he says, but then your products won't taste unique).
The Fatted Calf start curing their salami at room temperature for around 4 days before they place it in the (cooler) curing room. "It sets the color, and adds a zesty flavor," says Taylor.
Salami that has been curing at room temperature for several days.
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CUESA (Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture) is dedicated to cultivating a sustainable food system through the operation of farmers markets and educational programs. Learn More »