Make Your Own Charcuterie/Meat Board (+ Freezer Friendly)

It’s such a satisfying way to start a Yom Tov meal. And you don’t need to spend a lot! Plus, everything can be done ahead.

Thanks for Between Carpools, I’ve already served many of these. All of you have access to all of these recipes just like I do. Now, we’re just going to go through how to pull it all together and get these gorgeous charcuterie boards prepped for Yom Tov. Plus, it’s going to cost way less than you would ever think.

Another plus…you can put most of it into the freezer and I will include any make-in-advance instructions below.

First, the trays. I have lots of these wooden trays and also these coordinating wooden trays to use when serving crowds. They are a really great value and they look absolutely amazing on the table. I’ve used them tons of times over the past couple years and we just hand-wash afterwards. If you want to see how they look with other types of food, we also used them to shoot these photos and these too.

Now, for the recipes. The board has a variety of meats along with a couple of extras, like dips and store-bought olives. But let’s start with the easiest…

The garlic confit. We already showed you how to make (and freeze!) garlic confit over here. So, make it now, cross it over your list, and put it away. Let’s move on. Wait, don’t move on yet. You see the little bowls that the garlic is in? It’s these. They’re not fancy but I love them because they come with lids, so when I prep my dips, I can put them right into the fridge with their lids and take them out when ready to serve. And then cover them when it’s time to go back into the fridge again. If you want the same convenience using your fancier bowls, see this post called, “Do You Have Lids for Your Dip Bowls?”

Ok, next. The Hasselback Salami. This one is featured in Best of Kosher, and you know it as the iconic recipe by Chanie Apfelbaum. But what you might not already know is that you can make it now and put it in the freezer. Just take it out in the morning to thaw (and if you are in a rush and need to move things along, it’s fine to pop it back in the oven for a bit).

These pieces of glistening hot dogs are the Burnt Ends Hot Dogs. (In real life, I put these on the kids’ boards only, but if you’re only making one platter, you’ll please everyone in one rectangle.) They loved them. I used these bamboo forks so they’re easy to pick up. Some kind of skewer is necessary. And, YES, you can make and freeze these too!

Next up is the Turkey Wrapped Dates. Super easy. Super gourmet. And super freezer-friendly. Just thaw! That’s all!

Then comes the jerky. The highlight of the board. I haven’t bought jerky since we published this Homemade Beef Jerky. Have I saved money? That I don’t think so because they love it so much, I make a lot, a lot of jerky. Also this one is super, super freezer-friendly. Just store it in a Ziploc, and take it out earlier in the day to thaw!

This dip is the most popular in my house. It’s my truffle dip. It’s really good and goes with everything. It’s my family’s absolute favorite. And the secret recipe is…black truffle paste mixed with mayo. This one is the best value if you live near a Wegmans (the O-U is there, it’s just really, really tiny). I really shouldn’t tell anyone about it. If you want convenience, this is the one I sometimes see in kosher markets which carry gourmet items. It’s more expensive, but the same thing. Ok, secret out.

Finally, one really great meat board component that we have not featured here on BCP is New York Strip Steak. I’m sorry I didn’t save more strip steak to show you on this board, but it got all eaten up. New York Strip Steak is a great quality steak that’s the perfect size for a board. I drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with Montreal Steak Seasoning and Umami Spice. But, that doesn’t really matter, any good steak seasoning is fine. Then, I’ll freeze it and thaw the night before. I’ll sear it fresh on a grill pan for a few minutes on each side and then rest for a few minutes, then slice. The inside will be rare and that’s perfectly good. It looks really nice to have that long strip of red and pink-centered slices of steak running down the side of the board.