Carnivore Club sends artisanal cured meats from around the world.
Each month’s box is themed around a different producer that specializes in a particular style of cured meat. Boxes feature everything from French charcuterie and Italian salumi to Spanish chorizo and South African biltong.
Items typically arrive in a sturdy cardboard box, but this month’s shipment arrived in a Carnivore Club tin. What a nice, festive surprise!
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription Box: Carnivore Club
The Cost: $50 per month with a recurring subscription. (Single boxes can be purchased for $55.)
The Products: Artisanal cured meats from around the world.
Ships to: U.S. (Note that Carnivore Club also operates clubs in Canada, Europe, and the UK.)
Check out all of our Carnivore Club Reviews and visit the Food Subscription Box Directory to find other meat-centric subscription boxes!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
Carnivore Club includes a brochure that provides information about the shipment’s featured producer(s) and details the month’s meats.
This box features a selection of cured meats from La Quercia.
(FYI- on their website, Carnivore Club says that all of the meats they send are cured and shelf stable for at least a month; however, they recommend refrigerating everything immediately after receipt to maintain quality and increase shelf life.)
This box also contained a promotional code for Broquet.
La Quercia Speck Americano (3 oz.) - Value $10.99
La Quercia is carried at my local Whole Foods, so I’ve sampled a few of their products before, including Speck Americano. I’ve been very impressed with the quality and flavor of the meats I’ve tried, so I’m happy that I get to try more in this month’s Carnivore Club! Speck is a type of smoked prosciutto that has a deep, smoky flavor and a sweet, earthy finish. Carnivore Club recommends eating it alone or on sandwiches and suggests pairing it with a cold lager or hard cider. I tore up a few slices and added it to a salad of arugula, figs, almonds, and vinaigrette. So good!
La Quercia Prosciutto Picante (3 oz.) - Value $10.99
Next, I tried La Quercia’s Prosciutto Picante, a product that’s new to me. To give this meat it’s spicy flavor, La Quercia dry-cutes it with a fennel and red chili spice rub. The little bit of heat is delicious, and it goes nicely with the sweetness of the prosciutto. Carnivore Club suggests a pairing of mahon reserva, taleggio, or comte, but I’ll be honest— I ended up eating most of this on its own! (It’s so good!) I’m planning to save the rest to serve on a holiday cheese plate.
La Quercia Berkshire Prosciutto (3 oz.) - Value ?
La Quercia’s Berkshire Prosciutto is handcrafted from 100% Berkshire heritage breed pork, a rare British breed prized for tenderness, flavor, and juiciness. This prosciutto is utterly delicious: it’s rich, creamy, and meaty, with flavor lasts a long time after you finish eating. (It looks like the prepackaged slices are currently sold out online, but I did find this whole ham available at Zingerman’s for $375.)
La Quercia Spicy Borcellino (6 oz.) - Value $12
This spicy borcellino is made with Spanish pimenton and red chili, and it’s definitely spicy!The flavor is a little similar to pepperoni, but it’s definitely a bit spicier and more flavorful than most of the pepperoni I’ve had. I paired this with some aged gouda and an earthy Cabernet Sauvignon, and it was heavenly.
La Quercia ‘Nduja (5 oz.) - Value $7.99
‘Nduja seems to have been trending in 2016. I’d never heard of it a year ago, and it seems to have popped up everywhere this year: I spotted it on several restaurant menus and Carnivore Club featured it three different times! If you haven’t yet had a chance to try it, I highly recommend seeking it out. The spreadable cured meat can be used in cooking (like spaghetti sauce) or eaten as-is (on crackers or with cheese). La Quercia’s ‘nduja is made with fully cured prosciutto and speck, sea salt, and red chili pepper. It’s spicy, flavorful, and really delicious.
Verdict: This was an excellent box from Carnivore Club! All of the meats were fantastic, and I love that everything came packed in a festive, reusable tin. Since I wasn’t able to find one of the products available for sale online, it’s hard to do a value breakdown for this month, but I’m definitely happy with the items I received.
What do you think of Carnivore Club? Have you tried any of the products featured this month?
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