30+ Types of Cured Meat to Make at Home

Affiliate disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.

Most types of cured meat are regional specialties, not well known outside of their traditional communities. These unique cured meat recipes take you beyond the well-known varieties and allow you to craft specialty cured meats right in your own home.

The Basic Process of Curing Meat at Home

Types of Cured Meat

When I first started making dry-cured meat at home, I stuck to the basics. Well-known recipes for dry-cured meats that you’d otherwise find in the grocery store, but homemade with exceptional ingredients.

Homemade pancetta is absolutely spectacular and easier than you’d think to cure at home. But the thing is, you can buy exceptional pancetta in the store. True, you might have to go to a specialty shop to get high-quality imported pancetta from Italy, or something made with heritage meat…but you can still get it.

For me, the experience of making charcuterie and dry-cured meats at home is about more than just embracing the DIY spirit. Sure, we do as much as we can at home whenever possible. I do write about self-reliance, after all…

What really motivates me, though, is making something truly exceptional that just can’t be bought at the corner grocery. Something that I’d have to fly halfway around the world to sample, but that I can make locally right in my own kitchen (or basement in this case).

You can take the food miles out of the equation but still enjoy world-class food made with some of the finest ingredients available. It’s all made with love, and it tastes all the better because I know exactly what went into making it (both in terms of effort and ingredients).

The Basic Process of Curing Meat at Home

Before we explore specific types of cured meats, it’s important to understand the basics of the process.

Salt and Spices: The foundation of curing begins with salt. Salt draws moisture out of the meat, which inhibits bacterial growth. Herbs, spices, and other seasonings are added to enhance flavor and add complexity to the cure.
Air Drying: Most dry-cured meats are air-dried in a cool, controlled environment. The temperature and humidity levels are crucial for proper curing. Depending on the recipe and the type of meat, this process can take anywhere from several weeks to several months.
Smoking (Optional): Some cured meats are smoked to preserve them further and impart additional flavors. While not necessary for all cures, smoking can add a rich depth to the flavor profile of meats.
Nitrites: For safety reasons, particularly with ground meats or sausages, nitrites are added to prevent botulism and other foodborne pathogens. While nitrites may not always be necessary for whole muscle meats, it’s always best to consult your recipe and do proper research before skipping this step.

Types of Cured Meat

One problem with making something you can’t buy is that you may not know it exists. I’ve spent quite a bit of time combing my food preservation library and diving into the more obscure depths of the internet to find these traditional dry-cured meat recipes.

They’re all going on my bucket list, and I hope to check them off one by one over the next few years.

I’ve broken them down by type of animal, as usually, particular cures are done with specific animals. In some cultures, it’s more about the process, and they’ll happily make a traditional cure with pork, beef, lamb, or wild game, depending on what’s on hand. In those cases, I’ve noted the other options that are traditional and no less delicious.

Dry-Cured Pork Recipes

Pork is by far the most common meat used in dry curing, and there are many varieties of cured pork, each with its own preparation method. I have not included salami or anything with ground meat, as that’s much more complicated to make safely at home.

Pancetta: A classic Italian cured pork belly, pancetta is made with a simple cure of salt, pepper, and herbs like rosemary and thyme. It’s often used in pasta dishes, salads, or as a delicious snack. You can also get Pancetta Affumicata (smoked pancetta) and Pancetta Arrotolata (rolled pancetta), and while regular pancetta doesn’t require nitrites, both the smoked and rolled versions do.
Prosciutto: While you can buy prosciutto at any grocery store, making it at home offers the chance to refine the flavor and texture. Traditionally, prosciutto is made by salting and air-drying the ham for several months, allowing the meat to develop a rich, sweet flavor. Fiocco and Culatello (below) are also made with the leg, and they’re made with smaller muscles that are also included in Prosciutto, so making one of those gives you a smaller cure but similar flavor to making a whole Prosciutto.
Culatello: Culatello is a premium Italian cured meat made from the hind leg of the pig. It is similar to prosciutto but with a more refined texture and flavor due to the meticulous curing process. It’s typically aged for at least 12 months and is highly prized for its delicate, sweet taste.
Fiocco: Another Italian cured meat made from the muscle in the back leg of a pig, specifically the upper part of the ham. It’s carefully seasoned with salt, pepper, and other spices, then left to cure and air-dry for several months. The result is a tender, slightly marbled meat with a delicate, sweet flavor, often with a hint of aromatic herbs.
Guanciale: This is an Italian cured meat made from pork jowl or cheek. It’s an essential ingredient in many Italian dishes, such as pasta all’amatriciana. Its sweet, delicate flavor comes from the long cure and careful seasoning.
Lonzino: Lonzino is a traditional Italian dry-cured pork loin that’s seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, and sometimes wine or herbs. After being cured, it’s hung to air-dry for several months. It has a tender texture and mild flavor, making it perfect for thin slicing.
Lardo: Lardo is an Italian delicacy made from the fatback of a pig, traditionally cured with salt, herbs, garlic, and sometimes spices. It’s aged for several months and has a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture. The flavor is rich and savory, perfect for spreading on bread or adding to various dishes.
Capicola (Copa): Capicola is an Italian dry-cured pork shoulder or neck that’s seasoned with garlic, wine, and herbs before being air-dried. The result is a flavorful, slightly spicy meat that’s perfect for sandwiches or as part of a charcuterie board.
Speck: Speck is a smoked and cured pork leg that’s traditionally made in the Tyrol region of Italy and Austria. It’s cured with a mix of salt, spices, and juniper berries, then lightly smoked. The result is a smoky, herbal flavor with a tender texture, often enjoyed on its own or sliced thin for sandwiches.
Tyrol Karreespeck: A traditional smoked pork loin from the Tyrol region of Austria, renowned for its rich, savory flavor and tender texture. It is made from high-quality pork, which is carefully salted, seasoned with a blend of herbs and spices, and then smoked over beechwood, giving it a distinctive smoky aroma.
Bresaola di Maiale: An Italian version of bresaola, typically made with pork rather than beef. The meat is salted, seasoned with garlic, herbs, and spices, and then air-dried for several weeks. The flavor is similar to bresaola—slightly sweet and lean—making it a great addition to salads or antipasto platters.
Buckboard Bacon: A cure made from the pork shoulder or neck, not the belly, giving it a leaner texture and more meaty flavor compared to traditional bacon. The meat is seasoned with a mixture of salt, sugar, and spices before being smoked to perfection, which imparts a rich, savory flavor.
Ventreche: A type of French cured meat, often considered a specialty of the southwestern regions of France. Made from the belly of the pig, it is similar to pancetta but typically has a richer, more intense flavor due to the curing process and the use of spices like pepper, salt, and sometimes herbs. Ventreche is prized for its delicate balance of fat and meat, which melts beautifully when eaten.
Bacon: The most common cured pork eaten in the US, bacon is cured pork belly with salt, sugar, and spices. It’s smoked until fully cooked, and then sliced thin and crisped in a pan to serve.

Dry-Cured Beef Recipes

When it comes to dry-cured beef, traditional recipes often call for lean cuts due to the fact that beef fat can go rancid more easily in the less-controlled environments used in the past. However, with modern advancements in curing technology, you can now experiment with nearly any cut of beef you prefer.

For example, I’m currently working on a well-marbled wagyu bresaola, using an eye of round from Vermont Wagyu, and I’m excited about having a richer version of this classic cure.

Bresaola: This air-dried, salted beef is often made with lean cuts like eye of round. Bresaola originates from Italy, where it’s traditionally seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, and herbs before being hung to dry for several weeks. It’s tender, with a delicate, almost sweet flavor.
Cecina: This is a Spanish cured beef that’s typically smoked, giving it a rich, bold flavor. Unlike bresaola, cecina can be made from various cuts of beef and often has a slightly more robust seasoning.
Basturma (or pastirma): A traditional air-dried cured meat, typically made from beef, that is coated with a spice mixture including garlic, paprika, and fenugreek. It is salted, dried for several weeks, and often used in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Balkan cuisines. The resulting meat is richly flavored, slightly spicy, and tender when thinly sliced. Basturma is enjoyed in sandwiches, salads, or as part of a charcuterie board.
Slinzega: A traditional dry-cured meat made from beef leg, typically seasoned with salt, garlic, and aromatic herbs. This regional specialty from the Dolomites is air-dried for several months, developing a distinctive, savory flavor and tender texture. Sliced thin, slinzega is often enjoyed on its own or as part of a charcuterie board.
Biltong: A traditional South African dried meat, typically made from beef or game meats. The meat is cut into strips, marinated with a blend of vinegar, salt, sugar, and spices like coriander and black pepper, before being air-dried for several days.
Beef Bacon: Made in the same way as pork bacon, beef bacon has an incredible flavor all of its own.

Dry-Cured Lamb, Mutton, and Goat Recipes

Cured goat and mutton are traditional staples in Nordic cuisine, where these meats have been preserved for centuries using age-old methods. If you’re interested in exploring more of these regional recipes, I highly recommend The Nordic Cookbook, which often includes a variety of unique recipes, like pine bark bread—a traditional dish that’s still made in Scandinavian countries.

Cured mutton and goat are also popular in the Mediterranean, where goat meat is especially part of the traditional diet.

Mutton Bresaola: Like its beef counterpart, bresaola can be made with mutton, which imparts a slightly stronger, more gamey flavor. This is a delicious option for those who appreciate a more robust taste.
Mottsetta: A traditional cured meat typically made from goat leg, but it also works beautifully with venison or mutton. The meat is seasoned with a mix of salt, garlic, black pepper, and herbs like rosemary and thyme, then air-dried for several weeks to develop a rich, savory flavor. The result is a lean, tender cured meat with a slightly gamey taste, perfect for thin slicing and enjoying as part of a charcuterie platter or in sandwiches.
Fenalår: A traditional Nordic cured mutton leg, most commonly associated with Norway. It’s made from a whole mutton leg, which is salted and seasoned with a blend of herbs and spices, then air-dried for several months. The process results in a firm, flavorful meat with a distinctive, slightly gamey taste. Fenalår is typically sliced thin and served as part of a charcuterie platter, in sandwiches, or enjoyed on its own, and it’s a beloved delicacy in Norwegian and other Scandinavian cuisines.
Pinnekjøtt: A traditional Norwegian dish made from dried and salted lamb ribs. The ribs are salt cured and hung to dry for many months, so that they’ll be on hand for traditional Christmas feasts. The meat is rehydrated by steaming or boiling it, often over birch branches (which gives it its distinctive smoky flavor).

Dry-Cured Duck and Goose Recipes

While chicken is not recommended for dry curing due to the risks involved with factory farming and its relatively bland flavor, duck and goose are excellent alternatives. These birds are typically raised in more natural environments, which makes their meat ideal for dry curing.

While duck and goose meat costs more, it’s worth it for the rich taste, as long as you have a trusted source. Traditional dry-cured goose recipes date back to the Middle Ages, highlighting the long history of preserving these flavorful birds.

Duck Prosciutto: This is a luxurious alternative to traditional prosciutto. Duck breasts are salted and air-dried for several weeks. The result is rich, slightly gamey, and decadently flavorful meat.
Cured Goose: Goose Leg Ham, or Prosciutto d’Oca, is a cured meat made from the leg of a goose. Similar to prosciutto made from pork, the goose leg is carefully salted, seasoned with herbs and spices, and then air-dried over an extended period to develop its rich, savory flavor.

Dry-Cured Wild Game Recipes

Wild game is likely where the tradition of curing meats began, as preservation methods predate agriculture itself. While you won’t find Neolithic meat curing recipes, there are plenty of modern hunters who are perfecting the art with their wild-caught meats.

Wild game, raised in natural environments, is ideal for curing due to its grass- or acorn-fed diet, which makes the meat more flavorful and nutrient-dense. This also helps the fats resist rancidity during the curing process, as the higher ratio of Omega-3 fatty acids in these meats ensures better preservation.

While hunting your own game is an option, you don’t have to be a hunter to enjoy these exceptional meats, as several places online offer wild game to home cooks.

Venison or Bison Bresaola: A cure made from the backstrap is a lean, flavorful cured meat that showcases the rich, slightly gamey taste of venison. The backstrap, a tender cut from along the spine, is seasoned with a mixture of salt, sugar, garlic, and spices before being air-dried for several weeks. The result is a smooth, delicate texture with deep, earthy flavors, perfect for slicing thinly and serving on charcuterie boards or in sandwiches. It’s a unique and savory alternative to traditional beef bresaola, ideal for those who enjoy wild game.
Venison Mocetta: A traditional Italian cured meat made from goat, but it’s exceptional with venison too, typically using lean cuts like the hind leg. The meat is seasoned with a mix of salt, garlic, black pepper, and aromatic herbs, then air-dried for several weeks to allow the flavors to develop.
Wild Boar Coppa: This is a traditional Italian cure made from the shoulder of the wild boar. The coppa is seasoned with herbs and spices before being air-dried for several months. The wild boar imparts a bold, almost smoky flavor that’s perfect for this cure.

Ways to Preserve Meat Without Refrigeration

If you’re interested in other ways of preserving meats without refrigeration, there are plenty of techniques worth exploring:

Wet Cured Meat (Salt Pork): This involves curing the meat in a brine solution of salt, water, and sometimes sugar or spices. Salt pork is a classic example, used often in stews and soups.
Potted Meat: A method of preserving meats by cooking them in their own fat and storing them in a jar. It’s a great way to preserve tougher cuts of meat.
Rillettes: This French dish is similar to potted meat but often involves slow-cooking pork or duck in fat, then shredding the meat into a spreadable paste.
Jerky: A simple method of dehydrating meat to preserve it without refrigeration, often using salt, sugar, and spices.
Pemmican: Pemmican is made by drying meat (often venison or bison), mixing it with rendered fat, and sometimes adding dried berries. The fat acts as a preservative, helping to extend the meat’s shelf life while providing a nutrient-dense, portable food that lasts for months or even years.
Canning Meat: Canning involves packing meat into jars and sealing them under high pressure to create an airtight seal, which prevents spoilage without refrigeration. It’s a great method for storing large quantities of meat while retaining much of its flavor and texture.