Charcuterie at Deer Valley

Deer Valley has set the standard by which resort dining in Utah is judged. Cuisine choices at the Park City resort offer a myriad of tasteful selections—from fresh seafood at Seafood Buffet to Raclette cheese melted by a roaring fire at Fireside Dining.

With the utmost care and thought put into each of Deer Valley’s restaurants, it should therefore come as no surprise that Deer Valley runs its own charcuterie program that appears on menus across the resort.

By definition, charcuterie involves prepared meat products—such as bacon, ham, sausage, terrines, galantines, ballotines, pâtés and confit—primarily of the pork variety. And Deer Valley has curated a vast selection of cured meats served throughout the resort’s properties.

Chris Gibson, Silver Lake Sous Chef, explains the goal of the charcuterie program. “We wanted to showcase the breadth of what charcuterie can be,” he says. “A lot of restaurants do all dry-cured meats and charcuterie encompasses so much more than that—it’s the art of turning meat into something else.”

While classics such as prosciutto require little more than a quality muscle and then salt and time, emulsified products begin to require some finesse and talent. You’ll taste some of this expertise in Deer Valley’s spicy andouille sausage, which harkens to Louisiana, while the Spanish-style chorizo flavored with Pimentón de la Vera—the world’s best smoked paprika—tempts the palate.

Then there’s the mortadella—a stunningly high-quality bologna with cured pancetta and peppers—and fermented sausage that involves adding a culture into the meat (similar to the process of making cheese or beer) and waiting for the chemical reaction to occur.

Because Deer Valley produces all the charcuterie they sell on property, the chefs can carefully adjust supply to demand while ensuring the meats meet the resort’s exacting standards. “We let the fermented sausage cure for 90 days. It’s going to be a lot tangier, with an umami flavor—and I defy you to eat just one slice,” laughs Gibson.

But of all the charcuterie that Deer Valley prepares, nothing is more memorable than the oxtail terrine featuring Nimen Ranch oxtail with luscious chunks of Hudson Valley fois gras studding the terrine. It’s an acquired taste for some while an exquisite delicacy for others and sure to become a Deer Valley standard of excellence.

To enjoy the many tastes of charcuterie available at Deer Valley, visit the Seafood Buffet, Fireside Dining, Mariposa, The Brass Tag and other resort restaurants.