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ON THIS WEEK’S episode of Dinner SOS, food director and host Chris Morocco is joined by Eli Cairo, the owner of meat and charcuterie company Olympia Provisions, to help caller Tobi find ways to use up 90 pounds of moose meat (yes, you read that right).
Tobi lives in the Alaskan interior in a tiny off-the-grid cabin where local game like moose abound. She came to us with a very niche inquiry—new, exciting ways to use up her large supply of this very lean and often gamey meat. So we called in a true expert who is an avid hunter and has years of experience transforming meat from all kinds of animals into everything from artisanal charcuterie to just plain old dinner.
Eli explains to Tobi that the most notable attribute of big game animals is their leanness. Sausage is an ideal use for their meat since the production process usually incorporates additional fat (generally pork or other fat makes up 25%–30% of the total) and seasonings, for maximum juiciness and flavor. Also key is keeping the meat cold throughout the grinding and mixing process to ensure the sausage is properly bound and won’t simply leach out all that fat once cooked.
The easiest style of sausage to make is a breakfast patty, which Eli suggests as a starting point since it eliminates the need for stuffing the sausage mixture into casings, and focuses instead on just texture and flavor. Once mixed, the sausage can be incorporated into any recipe calling for ground meat, from meatballs or long-cooking sauces like Bolognese to burgers or tacos.
Listen now to hear more insights from Eli on how the sausage gets made and how Tobi and her partner fare in their sausage making endeavors. We also sent Tobi a copy of Eli’s cookbook, Olympia Provisions: Cured Meats and Tales from an American Charcuterie, which you can buy too to make all your charcuterie dreams come true.