The Unique Meat Additions That Can Shake Up Your Charcuterie Boards

By now, charcuterie boards have seen all kinds of creative iterations, pairing a multitude of cheeses with cured meats, fresh fruits, pickles, and fancy flavored butters. Remember TikTok's viral butter board trend? While it may seem like charcuterie boards have maximized all creative variations, there's always room to add something new to the plate. For your next picnic, forgo your go-to salami or mortadella, and try a gamier charcuterie board with cured versions of duck, goat, venison, or even bison. 

The reason gamey meats work so well is because they stand out with new flavors, but their presentation needn't stray too far from tradition, with the use of salamis, smoked sliced meat, and even cold roasted meats. "Most places like to use the pork and cow's milk products because they are readily available for purchase and more cost-effective," Scott Rackliff, Excecutive Chef at Lōrea in Huntington Beach, told Tasting Table. He makes a charcuterie board that goes all-in on duck, with both smoked duck breast and duck prosciutto. 

Thin slices of cured duck — or your choice of gamey meat — therefore present a robust and wild, yet elevated, take on charcuterie, and bring a rich and intense flavor. Of course, in adding a gamey meat, you'll want to be intentional about your board's other ingredients. A delicious charcuterie board is all about the big balanced picture, after all.

Choosing your preferred form of cured meats is only half the battle. The next step to any successful charcuterie board is choosing cheeses, nuts, and the like that complement the dominating flavors of a board's starring meats.

"When creating, we try to create a well-balanced dish that you can eat different combinations of the ingredients and still have balanced bites," explains Scott Rackliff. "This is our version of a choose your own adventure."

Goat cheese is an easy way to bring complementary big flavor to your game-meat board. Its bold taste profile works well with meats like duck or venison. To offset the intensity of those ingredients, opt for some sweeter and acidic additions such as a fig compote that will complement rather than overpower the meat. Fresh fruit achieves a similar effect, yet still affords you the opportunity to choose your own adventure by picking your favorite fruits. Ripe figs, sweet grapes, and slices of apple or pear all work. It's good to pick whatever fruit is in season.

Pickles are another ideal addition for game-meat platters, bringing their vinegary tang to the table along with sweetness, which work to bring out gamey flavors. And home-pickled vegetables of all kinds are a tasty way to introduce that sharpness. With just a little innovation and creativity, you can reinvent your next charcuterie board altogether.