SMOKE THIS
Smoking Goose salumi, sausages, and slow cured + smoked meats handmade in Indianapolis since 2011
“We’re never gonna be Italy in Indiana, or the Spain or France of the Midwest – and we don’t want to be,” butcher and chef Chris Eley explains as he pulls a knife through the elk salame, jowl bacon, and duck prosciutto among the 40+ varieties of charcuterie that Smoking Goose handcrafts in downtown Indianapolis.
"The meat expert rethinking one of the world's most ancient food traditions." ~ New York Magazine's Grub Street on what sets Smoking Goose apart
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Chris’ culinary path brought him back to his native Indy, but only after a taste of what the world’s menu had to offer. Growing up in Indianapolis, his first kitchen gig at a family-owned restaurant inspired culinary school and college then chef positions overseas and in Chicago where landmark cooks like Rick Tramanto and Gale Gand tapped Chris to open restaurants and create menus.
When Chris and his wife Mollie looked to open their own neighborhood butcher shop, they came back to the Midwest where they could partner with farmers, foragers, brewers, and more to source flavors uniquely true to home. They named their market Goose after Mollie’s childhood nickname, and that corner butcher shop soon grew into Smoking Goose in 2011. As a USDA-inspected meatery, Smoking Goose now handcrafts over 40 varieties of charcuterie for fine food shops and restaurants across the country.
Working by hand in small batches with proteins and ingredients raised as nature intended: these are the craft commitments upon which Smoking Goose forges new flavors. And these new flavor traditions have earned Smoking Goose hat tips from Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Good Food Awards, James Beard Foundation, Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, and more. Smoking Goose organizes its meat treats into five delicious categories: explore them all, and be sure to ask the Berkeley Bowl staff for their favorite pairings and serving suggestions, too!
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“We use a lot of the techniques that have been traditions in Europe and beyond for centuries: curing without compound nitrates, smoking over real wood, butchering by hand,” Chris continues.
But Smoking Goose’s distinctive style—like their Gin & Juice Salame of lamb spiked with juniper berries and orange peel, or their Spruce Tip Bresaola of whole-muscle beef eye of the round cured with locally foraged spruce tips—showcases the tempting flavors that make these meat treats stand out.
• pork, duck, elk, lamb, wagyu beef, rabbit, goose, wild boar + more
• cold smoking + hot smoking over real wood: apple, cherry, mulberry, hickory, pecan, spirit barrel staves + more
• foraged and organic herbs, spices, seasonings
• desirable bloom that naturally develops as salumi ages
• unique fermenting cultures + no added compound nitrates
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