Charcuterie Meat

Charcuterie meat, meet cheese.

Charcuterie meat is great and all, but on its own it can be little…uninspiring. A tad one-note. Dare we say, monotonous? To create a killer culinary encounter, charcuterie needs friends. So next time your prosciutto feels a little plain, your bresaola seems a bit boring, or your jamon is causing you to yawn, just introduce your charcuterie meat to some Wisconsin Cheese.

Try pairing a Wisconsin blue cheddar with some coppa and watch the relationship bloom. Treat your salami to a ricotta salata and see the sparks fly. And when you're ready to get this party started, introduce your finocchiona to a Wisconsin fontina.

You'll find platters full of interesting Wisconsin cheeses on our website. Search our index to find recipes for gourmet cheese platters and lots of other dishes. Or read on for suggestions on ways to spice up your charcuterie cheese board.

Our tips for a charcuterie meat and cheese board

When choosing ingredients for a charcuterie tray, the goal is to provide ingredients with an array of tastes and texture while also focusing on color and appearance. Here are our best recommendations for your charcuterie board shopping list.

Charcuterie meat

• Cured sausages: soppressata, pepperoni, salami, speck, chorizo, capicola, saucisson sec
• Whole-muscle cuts: coppa, bresaola, prosciutto, Jamón Serrano, Jamón Ibérico,
• Patés and terrines: chicken liver mousse, salmon rilletes, duck terrine

Cheese

• Hard cheeses: parmesan, asiago, romano, aged cheddar, pecorino, manchego,
• Semi-firm cheeses: provolone, gouda, emmenthal, colby, alpine style
• Semi-soft cheeses: muenster, fontina, havarti, brick, monterey jack,
• Soft cheeses: burrata, brie, mozzarella, feta, mascarpone, stracchino
• Blue-veined cheese: gorgonzola, roquefort, marbled blue jack, cheddar blue,

Bread and accents

• Fruit: slices of apples and pears, figs, dates, olives, berries, grapes, dried fruits, sun-dried tomatoes
• Vegetables: pickles, artichokes, sweet cherry-red peppers
• Bread: baguette slices, toasted crostini, hearty crackers
• Nuts: marcona almonds, cashews, pistachios, pine nuts, candied pecans, macadamia nuts
• Dips, spreads, jams: honey, roasted red pepper dip, mustard, hummus, artichoke dip, cherry preserves, olive tapenade

Meet the best cheese in the world

Here in Wisconsin, choosing the best cheeses for a charcuterie board is no easy task. That's because every Wisconsin cheese is vying for the Best Cheese title.

Some of our cheeses have reached that lofty mark. We've got asiagos and parmesans, for example, that have beat out their counterparts in Italy to win Best in Class awards at the World Championship Cheese Contest. And we have lots of other varieties that have come darn close. In fact, Wisconsin cheeses have taken home more than 5,552 cheese awards – more than any other state in the country and any other country in the world.

That's what happens when a whole state is dedicated to doing one thing really well – making the best, tastiest, highest-quality cheese in the world. So next time you want to impress your dinner guests, pair your charcuterie meat with some Wisconsin cheese. With 600+ styles, flavors, and varieties to choose from, it's easy to find an amazing cheese for every palate.