Thankfully, American charcuterie is catching up to American artisan cheeses in quality and quantity. Meat has become the love child of every chef determined not to waste a single cut, from jowl to tail! It's sexy, delicious, and becoming very, very American.

Cheese and charcuterie are also a natural combination. The aging and ripening process for many dry cured meats resembles some aspects of cheese fermentation, and as a pair, they make a truly dynamic duo. In a balance of contrast--fatty meats against the acidity of most cheese, especially fresh and ripened goat cheeses—the Italians have it down. But charcuterie is a French term, and as such, usually refers to cooked meats like pates. In the U.S. it's rapidly becoming a catchall  term....

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