The 3-3-3-3 Rule for Charcuterie Boards | Brattleboro Food Co-op (2024)

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The 3-3-3-3 Rule for Charcuterie Boards | Brattleboro Food Co-op? ›

When making a charcuterie board, try following the 3-3-3-3 rule: 3 meats. 3 cheeses. 3 starches.

The 3333 rule applies to the number of foods to create the perfect board. To follow the 3,3,3,3 rule, stick to three cheeses, three meats, three starches, and three accoutrements.

Stick with cuts of meat shaved from a larger piece of meat, like prosciutto or cured, thin-sliced ham, as opposed to blended meat like salami.) The flavors can be paired with the cheeses or chosen for their unique qualities, but always aim to have something spicy, something smoky, and something unexpected.

To make things easier, she generally recommends following the simple rule of three – three types of cheese, three types of meat, three types of crackers, and so forth. "A good rule of thumb is to work in threes," she said. "As long as you have three of anything on a board then I think it has enough variety."

No matter the style of the wood charcuterie board, you can always follow the 3-3-3-3 rule. Every charcuterie board should have three meats, three cheeses, three starch options, and three accompaniments, such as fruit, nuts, or veggies.

Here's some of the best cheese for charcuterie boards: Hard cheese: chunks of parmesan, aged gouda, asiago. Firm cheese: gruyere, comte, manchego, colby, cheddar. Semi-soft cheese: havarti, butterkäse, muenster.

3 Starches: we like Taralli (a traditional Italian cracker almost like a small, circular breadstick), Artisan Crisps by Rustic Bakery, and baguettes from Gilles Baguettes. 3 Accompaniments: Cerignola olives, Marcona almonds, French cornichons.

Three to four is a nice number to have a variety of flavors. I've also made really special cheese boards that spotlight one cheese and all the different pairings that could go with it. Plan on one to one and a half ounces per person per cheese for an appetizer board.

What is the secret to a great charcuterie board? ›

After all that meat and cheese, you're going to need something to balance those rich flavors. Cairo suggests accenting the board with acidic pickles, crunchy nuts, whole grain mustard (Maille is his favorite brand), tinned fish, and something sweet like quince jam or a drizzle of honey.

Many ingredients used in charcuterie boards are high in sodium, including deli meats, dry sausages, cheeses, salted nuts, pretzels and crackers. The recommendation for daily sodium intake for adults is 2,300 milligrams or less. To reduce the sodium load on your board, add more fresh or dried fruits and raw veggies.

Dry-Cured Pork: Thin-sliced, fatty and salty — dry-cured pork is a must. Serrano ham, prosciutto, country ham, Iberico ham, capicola and speck are all readily available. Look for meat that is pink or red in hue (not brown or gray) with fat that is white (not transparent or opalescent).