You walk into a small butcher shop and are instantly paralyzed by a legion of glorious cured meats. Sopressata and speck hanging from the ceiling on bits of twine, mountains of mortadella and chorizo basking in the heavenly glow of the deli case. You have to be in Italy, right? Maybe France? But the labels are all in English, prices in dollars. You ask the butcher what city you're in. Portland. Oregon.
But really you could be in Salt Lake City or Austin. American charcuterie brands are showing up to the game in a major way, and it's time we started recognizing the good old U.S. of A. as a cured meat stronghold in the world. Here are seven American charcuteries that are making the stars and stripes proud:
Charlito’s Cocina Salami Picante
The spiciest of this Queens, NY–based line of Spanish salami gets its heat from a house blend of chiles.
Chop Sopressata
Coming out of the Portland, OR, cured-meat scene, a white-peppercorn-laced sopressata that skews both sweet and spicy.
Creminelli Coppa
The clove-rubbed pork shoulder from this Salt Lake City company is fatty like prosciutto, with more nutty, complex flavors.
Olympia Provisions Loukanika
Celeb salumist Elias Cairo uses a family recipe for this cumin-citrus Greek number out of Portland, OR.
Boccalone Brown Sugar and Fennel
The brown sugar in this Bay Area–made salami leaves no sweetness, only soft caramel notes.
Olli Salumeria Molisana
Made from heritage pork by a multigenerational salumi master, the peppercorn-and-garlic Molisana is a crowd-pleaser.
Salt & Time Pequin and Oregano
This Austin restaurant–butcher shop makes its popular salumi in-house. We like this oregano-flecked.