I assume you're here because you've been to a restaurant or party with a fantastic meat and cheese board. Or you're throwing a party and want your delicious and photogenic appetizer. The trick to making a perfect charcuterie board is simple. It's about creating interest. It would help if you had a variety of textures and taste profiles to develop that interest. How do you do that?

Meat

With meats, it's about providing a difference in flavor profiles. You want something salty, spicy, and unusual--like exotic spices or a long age time. My favorite things are thin-sliced salty ham, like Serano or prosciutto. For spicy items, something like a soppressata or spiced chorizo. A smoked pork tenderloin (usually called Lomo at the store) is also a good choice if you want to step out. Another stepping-out favorite would be spreadable meat, like a pate. Were you not wanting to step out? You can buy a sliced sausage variety pack in most places in the deli or cheese section.

Cheese

I like to do a four cheese combo here: one firm, one soft, one smelly, one sweet. These four cover all the flavor and texture bases. For a firm cheese, you can go classic with cheddar, a Swiss, or something like a gouda or Edam. You can find a lot of variety there. Soft cheese is like a brie, Havarti, or Munster. You can go as hardcore into this as you like for smelly cheese. I prefer blue cheese (classic, easy to find) or Roquefort. If you are reading this and feeling skeptical, there is a lot of variety in the "smelliness" of the blue cheese, so you can find a milder array that will still hit the right flavor profile. Okay, the hardest one is the sweet cheese. Choose cheese with fruit or honey flavors, like a Wensleydale or a block of goat cheese with additives like cranberries or figs.

Bread and Crackers

Just like we thought about the flavors of the meat and cheese, think about the flavors of the bread product you're using. Are they peppery? Bland? Try to complement the meat and cheese with these. Also, consider texture. A fragile cracker doesn't pair well with hard cheese but does with something softer.

Sweet Things

The board could use a little sweetness as well. Some of my favorites are chocolate-covered almonds or fresh or dried fruit. You can also consider fruit spreads like jam instead of whole fruit.

Extras

Last, any extra things! I love olives, so I usually add some of those. Nuts are also an excellent addition to a board. If I have pickles or vegetables, I'll also put some of those out.

The Complete Checklist

Meat
- Salty
- Spicy
- Interesting
Cheese
- Soft
- Hard or Semi-Hard
- Stinky
- Sweet
Crackers or Bread
Something Sweet
Any Extras

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