StretchLearn Course

Cure Your Own Meats — Safely and Deliciously

Learn the science and craft behind bacon, pancetta, bresaola, and cold smoking from scratch.

Beginner9 hrSelf PacedRegistered

Course Overview

What this course is designed to develop

This course covers the full arc of home charcuterie: understanding water activity and pH, formulating dry and wet cures with accurate nitrate/nitrite dosing, cold-smoking fundamentals, and producing classic whole-muscle cures. You will learn the microbiology that makes curing safe, the math behind equilibrium curing, and how to store and serve your products with confidence.

Learning Outcomes

What the learner should be able to understand, build, or execute.

Calculate equilibrium cure ratios for dry-rub and brine applications using meat weight and target salt percentage

Distinguish between curing salt #1 (sodium nitrite) and curing salt #2 (sodium nitrate) and select the correct one for each product

Control water activity and storage conditions to suppress pathogen growth in finished cured meats

Apply cold-smoking technique with appropriate wood species to enhance flavour without cooking the product

Produce at least three whole-muscle cures — bacon, pancetta, and bresaola — from raw ingredient to finished product

Assemble a balanced charcuterie board using contrast in texture, fat content, and flavour profile

Curriculum Preview

Inside the curriculum: a structured path from fundamentals to execution.

Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.

Module 1

Module 1: Curing Science and Safety Foundations

Understand the microbiology, chemistry, and regulatory framework that underpin all safe charcuterie — water activity, salt concentration, pH, and the role of nitrates.

3 lessons

Why Meat Spoils and How Curing Stops ItContent · 45 min

Preview Enabled

Salt, Nitrates, and Nitrites — Choosing and Measuring Curing SaltsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Water Activity, Storage, and the Cold ChainContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 2

Module 2: Dry Rubs and Brine Curing

Master both primary curing methods — equilibrium dry rubs and immersion brines — with worked formulas, timing guides, and troubleshooting for the most common failures.

3 lessons

Building a Dry Cure: Formulation and ApplicationContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Brine Curing: Immersion and Injection MethodsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Troubleshooting Cured Meats: Off-Flavours, Texture, and SafetyContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 3

Module 3: Cold Smoking Fundamentals

Set up a cold-smoke environment, choose the right wood species, control temperature, and apply smoke to cured meats at below-cooking temperatures to build flavour without cooking the product.

3 lessons

Cold Smoke vs Hot Smoke — Equipment and SetupContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Wood Species, Smoke Density, and Flavour PairingContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Applying Cold Smoke to Bacon and Whole-Muscle CuresContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 4

Module 4: Classic Whole-Muscle Cures and Charcuterie Board Assembly

Produce three iconic whole-muscle cured meats — bacon, pancetta, and bresaola — and learn to build a balanced, professional charcuterie board.

3 lessons

Making Bacon and Pancetta from ScratchContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Bresaola — Cured and Dried Beef TopsideContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Building a Professional Charcuterie BoardContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Built for Application

A complete learning path, not a one-off inspiration hit.

This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.

charcuteriecured meatsdry curingcold smokingfood safetybaconbresaolanitrates