Carnivore Club Review May 2018

I have to admit, I squealed when I opened my mailbox to see a packaged wrapped with the words Carnivore Club on the side. Two years ago I was eating a primarily vegan based diet. Today not so much, mama needs her meat! Carnivore Club is impressive from the get go. The care and artistry that has gone into the branding, the construction of the box itself and the selected items is evident. The package arrives in a waterproof envelope and upon opening it you have a sturdy and structured red box, with the logo emblazoned upon the front.

Inside you have your “monthly meat menu” – a passport card of sorts that guides you through the products included. Included in the Meat Menu is a brief write up of the featured companies, a brief description of the included products with suggested food pairings and possible uses, and on the back they go as far as to make a wine and beer pairing!

Carnivore Club – May Details

For May, the Carnivore Club features two companies: Monte Nevado (www.montenevado.com) hailing from Spain, prides itself on the lengthy curing process of 24 months and high quality selection of meats, and Amesellem, (www.amsellem.ca) a Quebec based company who takes great pride in their French Canadian History, harnessing it to perfect their production techniques. Included in the box are 5 different samples, 2 spanish hams, and 3 cured beef samples with a range of interesting flavours, from sweet pepper to a white wine and beet flavour! I was really impressed to see a range of products and interesting flavours included and immediately wanted to try the white wine, because, well…wine!

Monte Nevado

Monte Nevado provides 2 samples for you to try, an Iberico Jamon and a Serrano Jamon. What’s the difference you ask? The Iberico jamon is deep and dark in colour, with a creamy melt in your mouth feel while Serrano jamon can be lighter in colour and occasionally will form small crystals. The meat menu notes that this is a natural result of the lengthy curing process, and we know that Monte Nevado prides itself on its 24-month process! The jamon is delicious and they are not kidding when they note a “melt in your mouth sensation” the ham is so thinly sliced and delicate you must take care when removing it from the package but with a bit of care and carefulness you will soon be rewarded.

Amesellem

Amesellem provides three products this month, all beef. There is a Beef Rosette which is a cured salami infused with white wine and beets. Initially I was a bit unsure. Beef and white wine and beets? I was intrigued to see the white wine inclusion because traditionally I think of red wine as the pairing for beef. One bite in and I was eating my words. It is delicious. You can definitely pick up on the taste of the white wine and beets but it adds a light sweetness and freshness to it, which is an interesting experience from a cured meat which can often be heavy and indulgent. The meat menu suggests pairing it with a creamy goat cheese and I couldn’t agree more!

The Milano Sausage has a sweet peppercorn in it that is quite delicate but adds some complexity to the flavour. The final product included is a Smoked Chorizo Sausage. Again I was a bit unsure. Beef chorizo? All my experiences of chorizo in Spain have been with pork and I was interested to see how it would translate into a beef product. Again. They did not disappoint! The smoked flavor is not overpowering and just enough to give it a little kick.

Carnivore Club Review May 2018 – Final Thoughts

One of the things I really appreciated with the Carnivore Club selection this month was that 4 out of 5 products did not have added nitrates. Nitrates are a hot topic of debate among paleo eaters or anyone who consumes meat products on a daily basis, (of which I am neither, but I am interested in health, food, and wellness) and so when I mentioned I would be receiving a subscription box of cured meat and had several people ask me if I was concerned about my nitrate consumption I decided to have a read over of the packaging and ingredients list. I expected to see nitrates in all products, this was after all a box of charcuterie meat! So to see that the majority of this month’s box was nitrate free (other than naturally occuring nitrates in celery extract) was an added selling feature. Like you really need any justification to subscribe to a charcuterie meat box, because let’s be honest – doing so is a good life decision, but if you were on the fence due to the nitrate issue, this is good information to have.

For my first experience with Carnivore Club I must say I am walking away a fan! I have already told many friends and family members about it. A few friends even noted that they wanted to put in a special request to have this as their Father’s Day gift. I say why wait for Father’s Day and why not treat yourself to a “charcuterie just because” gift? You will not be disappointed!

Jennifer Hulley – http://jenniferhulley.com