Sam Gundy is co-owner of Olliffe, Purveyor of the Finest Meats located at The Shops of Summerhill in Toronto. Gundy will be contributing to The Appetizer as our resident meat expert, dissecting the fine points of meat.
At Olliffe we boast about the selection of high-end charcuterie encompassing pig, fowl and beef bits and bobs. But in reality our fresh deli meat counter is a busier hive of activity on any day. Our customers enjoy the simplicity of making their own signature sandwich using deli style turkey breast, black forest ham, Hungarian salami and roast beef. These simple sliced meats are an efficient and economical way to satisfy hunger at any time of the day.
You can be sure that there is a quality difference in the many deli counters across the country. Here are a few quick considerations next time you are at your favourite meat purveyor.
Pre-Wrapped v Sliced-to-Order
Sometimes you are in the situation when a pasta recipe calls for 50 grams of pancetta. However larger stores seem to prefer to portion and/ or pre-wrap their deli meat for whatever reason. We find deli meats that are sliced fresh and to the customer specification tastes better and last longer.
Artificial v Natural Aging
It is important to ask your butcher or meat purveyor if their deli meats are artificially or naturally aged. Many store bought salamis are artificially (chemically) aged overnight which can be an attractive method for some producers to speed their product to market.
A good Salami should be cold fermented in the traditional German or Italian style and aged for at least six week depending on the taste/texture objective of the final product. Most importantly fillers such as water or starches should never be included and if they are then the retail handlers should be aware of this fact.
In-House Made Product
Rare sliced roast beef, pork loin and fresh turkey breast are a great way to avoid preservatives that are inherently used in deli meats. The best stores rotate their “fresh deli meats” very quickly and avoid spoilage. You want to look for freshness; is the meat drying out? Are the holding trays clean and maintained? Has it been rotated recently? Feel free to ask these questions and expect forthright answers.
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