With the festive season here, cured and smoked meat will find its place on the table in different forms. While some are traditional, there are chefs who are experimenting with it differently
Representational Image. Pic Courtesy/iStock
Key Highlights
- Cured meat is meat without or very little moisture, and elevated with a dry rub
- Curing and smoking processes help preserve the meats, making them last longer
- Using cured or smoked meats can be stored for long, and also reduces food waste
Chef Christopher Fernandes has always had the passion for smoked and cured meats, so when the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown hit, he took the opportunity to nurture this love for cooking meats into something more. “I built my own custom offset smoker and started researching and developing my own recipes and built my brand ‘Cravings by Chris’ on Instagram specialising in cured and smoked meats.” Today, Goa-based Fernandes is popularly known as one of India’s few pitmasters, creating dishes incorporating cured meats smoked at varying degrees in metros including Mumbai and Bengaluru.