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LIFESTYLE
CURED that,” he said. “It eats like butter and looks on a saltine or a po-boy. If the name gives
like icing. I spread it on cornbread but I’ve you pause, here’s the chef speaking in terms
learning the restaurant ropes in New Orleans seen people put the whipped pork butter on we Texans can understand: “It’s bursting with
working with John Besh for 10 years, Steve a sausage. “There’s no wrong way to eat it.” flavors and textures and it’s like the best bar-
McHugh relocated in 2010 to run a new Curedatpearl.com | 210.314.3929 bacoa that you’ve ever had.”
eatery for the acclaimed chef in San Antonio. Lukesanantonio.com | 210.227.5853
Around the same time, he was diagnosed LUKE
with lymphoma. He calls the move SALT & TIME
“serendipitous — because I couldn’t get the LÜKE
care I needed back in New Orleans.” Photography by ROBERT LEMA
Photography courtesy of BESH RESTAURANT Sometimes you don’t have to pick between
He went through treatments of chemother- GROUP
apy, got cured and then got Cured. quality and quantity — at Salt & Time, you
At Lüke San Antonio, the recipes have get both. This capital city lunch-and-dinner
“When you have that kind of scare in your been around the world, but the food is from spot is also a full-service retail butcher that
life, you reevaluate,” he said. “My wife and I right here. “It’s the food of the Alsace region an produce 80 to 100 different types of char-
decided to do something on our own. Some- of France and Germany mixed with Texas in- cuterie items, with 40 to 50 of those available
times things like that jumpstart you.” gredients and a whole scoop of New Or- on any given day.
leans,” said executive chef John Russ. “Out
Since December of last year McHugh’s of all the menu items, 100 percent of that “We do a lot of things but try to do them
been making what he calls “the best ham plate comes from within 65 miles from us — all well,” co-owner Ben Runkle said humbly.
you’ll find in San Antonio,” plus blood with the exception of the glass of the plate.”
sausage, braised kidneys, a super-popular Order a salumi board to sample a variety
smoked duck ham, bresaola and more in a Whole animals are transformed into of meats or try putting charcuterie to use an-
giant custom-built curing case that greets pancetta, ham and sausage, and sometimes other way: as a component of entrees like
customers as they step through the door. The the process takes up to a year. “It’s so fun be- pastas or sandwiches. Runkle suggests adding
seasons dictate the daily changes in the cause we can show people the product at dif- coppa, which is cured pork shoulder, to ri-
Southern-style menu, which features charcu- ferent stages,” Russ said. “We’re not buying cotta gnocchi or slathering spicy, spreadable
terie made from all parts of a hog because, a Cryovaced product and opening it up. We salami called n’duja tejano to your burger.
McHugh said, “there’s no such thing as a buy it from producers and let it hang and
pork belly farm.” cure it.” Hankering for those Texas flavors? Salt &
Time uses classic techniques to create cured
As Cured’s curator, McHugh creates his A selection of about five charcuterie items meats with a local flavor profile. Try the
charcuterie boards as a mix of animals — varies, but two constants are a pâté de cam- pecan-studded salami or the salami flavored
from a lamb-and-citrus terrine to venison to pagne of pork shoulder and a chicken and with chili pequin and Mexican oregano.
a “very approachable” chicken liver mousse rabbit liver mousse (“earthy, buttery and saltandtime.com | (512) 524-1383
— plus housemade brewer’s crackers flavored spreads so nicely on toast,” Russ raves). A
with coriander and cumin, mustard, mar- wintertime special is hog’s head cheese, a SALT & TIME
malades and pickles of cucumbers, broccoli, semigelatinous forcemeat that’s great spread
cauliflower, pumpkin and more. One of the
chef/owner’s favorite items? Whipped pork
butter. “I don’t know of anyone who is doing
visit us at www.bcms.org 25
