Midwest Charcuterie Board

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A Midwest Charcuterie Board ripe with regional offerings is perfect for all-day grazing and parties with people you love. Make a few things, buy the rest, and enjoy it all!

Selections of Midwestern snacks on a Midwest Charcuterie Board.


 

I never met a charcuterie board I didn’t like, but I never saw one that felt like home, either.

So, I decided to make a charcuterie board that appeals to my Midwestern sensibilities and Wisconsin roots: A selection of unfussy ingredients and all my favorite snacky bites gathered together on one big board.

It’s fun, easy, and if you plan it right, there won’t be a smidge left when the party’s over. (Psst…if you’re looking for a meatless option, try a Cheese Board or Veggie Platter!)

Equipment notes

  • Boards and platters: Tile, wood, slate, or any flat surface will do. It should be food-safe, free from harmful sealants or chemicals, and easy to clean. Treat raw wood or butcher blocks with a light coating of food-grade mineral oil, wiping off any excess before you start. To use a non-food-safe surface, line it with parchment paper.
A collection of boards and platters for charcuterie display.
  • Dishes: Small bowls and dishes hold dips, relishes, mustards, and ingredients that might roll off the board. They also add some much-needed height and dimension. If you’re serving olives or other food with pits or stems, always add an empty dish right next to it to collect what can’t be eaten (a lone olive pit left in the bottom will help clue people in).
A collection of bowls and dishes for charcuterie display.
  • Spreaders, skewers, knives, and picks: Use appetizer forks, small tongs, frill picks, tiny spoons, and cheese knives, and don’t worry about everything matching.
A collection of tools and utensils for charcuterie display.

Ingredient notes

  • Whole-grain mustard: Or substitute spicy brown, Dijon, or anything with horseradish. To make your own mustard, in a medium container with an airtight cover, add ¼ cup yellow mustard seeds, ¼ cup brown mustard seeds, ¼ cup cold water, and ½ cup white vinegar. Stir to combine, cover, and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight. In a blender, pulse mustard mixture with ¾ teaspoon salt until coarsely ground, about 1 minute. Transfer to a glass airtight container and allow to sit at room temperature until desired spiciness is reached, 1 to 2 days. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
  • Pepper jelly: Buy it at the store or make your own red pepper jelly with red bell peppers, habañero chiles, sugar, white vinegar, and liquid pectin. In the Midwest, we love to serve it over a block of cream cheese with crackers on the side.
Selections of Midwestern snacks on a Midwest Charcuterie Board.
  • Dill dip: To make your own dill dip, in a medium bowl, stir together 1 ½ cups sour cream, 2/3 cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsp dried minced onion, 2 tbsp dried parsley flakes, 2 tbsp dried dill weed, and 1 tsp celery salt. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes to blend flavors. Serve with plenty of fresh vegetables.
Selections of Midwestern snacks on a Midwest Charcuterie Board.
  • Venison sausage: Because anyone with a hunter in the family knows you run the risk of being saddled with venison sausage in all forms, forever and ever, amen. Or substitute beef summer sausage or even beef sticks or jerky.
Selections of Midwestern snacks on a Midwest Charcuterie Board.
  • Mini cheese balls: In a medium bowl, combine 8 ounces softened cream cheese and 6 ounces shredded Havarti cheese until blended. Using a tablespoon, place small mounds of cheese mixture on a plate (you should have 18 to 20 cheese balls), then roll into balls and chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, add ¼ cup minced fresh herbs to a bowl, ¼ cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes to a bowl, and ¼ cup finely chopped walnuts to a bowl. Drop chilled cheese balls in each topping as desired and roll to coat.
Mini cheese balls being assembled.
  • Ham roll ups: These little gems are cream-cheese-slathered ham slices (Badger brand baked ham, if you can get it) wrapped around pickle spears and cut into pieces or served whole. For each pound of ham, you’ll need 8 ounces whipped cream cheese and 8 dill pickle spears cut in half. Aka Lutheran sushi.
Ham roll ups being assembled on a cutting board.
  • Mozzarella pretzel sticks: Cut a piece of string cheese into 8 pieces (Baker brand smoked string cheese, if you can find it), and stab each piece with a pretzel stick. Repeat.
  • Candied pecans: To make candied pecans, preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk 1 egg white until frothy. Stir in ¾ cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ground ginger, ⅛ tsp cloves, ¼ tsp salt, and 2 tsp vanilla extract. Add 1 pound (4 cups) pecans and stir to coat. Pour onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and spread into a single layer. Bake, flipping nuts occasionally, until coating is dry, about 30 minutes.
Candied pecans on a baking sheet.
  • Baguette slices: For toasted baguette slices, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange baguette slices in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush the slices evenly with ¼ cup olive oil. Bake until lightly toasted, about 15 minutes.
Someone spreading oil onto baguettes.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Create some anchor points on the board with any bowls of mustard, cream cheese with red pepper jelly, dill dip, and olives. Add the grapes, still in a bunch, arranged in a position to create height.
  2. Arrange the sausage, cheese balls, ham roll ups, mozzarella pretzel sticks, and cheese into piles, layering and overlapping when needed (Martha calls that “shingling”). If you’re leaving chunks of cheese for guests to cut themselves, make sure it’s accessible on the board.
  3. Fill in the gaps with crackers, toasted baguette slices, and candied pecans. Garnish with herbs, edible flowers, and finally, add forks, spreaders, and picks where needed.
Selections of Midwestern snacks on a Midwest Charcuterie Board.

Recipe tips and variations

  • Yield: This charcuterie platter as shown feeds about 8 as an appetizer, or 4 generous servings as the “main event.”
  • Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
  • Serving size: How much meat and cheese per person depends on your budget, the group’s appetite, and what else you’ll be serving. I usually plan on 2 to 4 ounces of meat and cheese per person. If the charcuterie is all I’m serving (for a cocktail party, for example) I might veer towards 4 ounces so no one leaves hungry.
  • Think OUT, but also UP: Yes, you want to cover every inch of your board with snacks, but try to make it a little three-dimensional, too. Sometimes I even use an overturned bowl as a pedestal for another bowl of dip, with crackers mounded underneath to conceal the prop. The two keys to gorgeous platters: plenty of layers and ensuring your platter is fully loaded (so choose your board size accordingly based on your guest list and fill in any gaps with more fresh herbs).
  • Temp check: Serve anything that’s supposed to be eaten hot or chilled separately, on a different platter or in other bowls.
  • Mix it up: Variety is key. Consider adding local and seasonal favorites like Braunschweiger, Milwaukee brand pickles, Door County cherries, or apples from The Elegant Farmer. Or add pickled garlic, pickled asparagus, orange marmalade, pieces of honeycomb, or honey.

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Midwest Charcuterie board on a gray countertop.

Midwest Charcuterie Board

A Midwest Charcuterie Board ripe with regional offerings is perfect for all-day grazing and parties with people you love. Make a few things, buy the rest, enjoy it all!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Calories 645
5 from 11 votes

Ingredients 

  • 4 ounces whole grain mustard (see note 1)
  • 8 ounces red pepper jelly over cream cheese (see note 2)
  • 8 ounces dill dip with fresh vegetables (see note 3)
  • 6 ounces pitted black olives drained or pimento-stuffed green olives
  • 1 bunch red grapes
  • 10 ounces venison sausage or beef sausage, quartered and sliced (see note 4)
  • 18 mini cheese balls (see note 5)
  • 16 ham roll ups halved (see note 6)
  • 8 pieces mozzarella string cheese sticks cut into 8 pieces each and skewered with pretzel sticks (see note 7)
  • 8 ounces cheese sliced, or cheese curds
  • 2 cups Ritz crackers or Townhouse or Club crackers
  • 2 cups candied pecans (see note 8)
  • 1 bunch fresh herbs or edible flowers, for garnish
  • 1 baguette (about 1 pound), sliced on the bias into 1/4-inch slices (about 20 slices, see note 9)

Instructions 

  • Create some anchor points on the board with any bowls of mustard, cream cheese with red pepper jelly, dill dip, and olives. Add the grapes, still in a bunch, arranged in a position to create height.
  • Arrange the sausage, cheese balls, ham roll ups, mozzarella pretzel sticks, and cheese into piles, layering and overlapping when needed (Martha calls that "shingling"). If you're leaving chunks of cheese for guests to cut themselves, make sure it's accessible on the board.
  • Fill in the gaps with crackers, toasted baguette slices, and candied pecans. Garnish with herbs, edible flowers, and finally, add forks, spreaders, and picks where needed.

Recipe Video

Notes

  1. Whole-grain mustard: Or substitute spicy brown, Dijon, or anything with horseradish. To make your own, in a medium container with an airtight cover, add ¼ cup yellow mustard seeds, ¼ cup brown mustard seeds, ¼ cup cold water, and ½ cup white vinegar. Stir to combine, cover, and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight. In a blender, pulse mustard mixture with ¾ teaspoon salt until coarsely ground, about 1 minute. Transfer to a glass airtight container and allow to sit at room temperature until desired spiciness is reached, 1 to 2 days. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
  2. Pepper jelly: Buy it at the store or make your own red pepper jelly with red bell peppers, habañero chiles, sugar, white vinegar, and liquid pectin. In the Midwest, we love to serve it over a block of cream cheese with crackers on the side.
  3. Dill dip: To make your own dill dip, in a medium bowl, stir together 1 ½ cups sour cream, 2/3 cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsp dried minced onion, 2 tbsp dried parsley flakes, 2 tbsp dried dill weed, and 1 tsp celery salt. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes to blend flavors. Serve with plenty of fresh vegetables.
  4. Venison sausage: Because anyone with a hunter in the family knows you run the risk of being saddled with venison sausage in all forms, forever and ever, amen. Or substitute beef summer sausage or even beef sticks or jerky.
  5. Mini cheese balls: In a medium bowl, combine 8 ounces softened cream cheese and 6 ounces shredded Havarti cheese until blended. Using a tablespoon, place small mounds of cheese mixture on a plate (you should have 18 to 20 cheese balls), then roll into balls and chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, add ¼ cup minced fresh herbs to a bowl, ¼ cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes to a bowl, and ¼ cup finely chopped walnuts to a bowl. Drop chilled cheese balls in each topping as desired and roll to coat.
  6. Ham roll ups: These little gems are cream-cheese-slathered ham slices (Badger brand baked ham, if you can get it) wrapped around pickle spears and cut into pieces or served whole. For each pound of ham, you’ll need 8 ounces whipped cream cheese and 8 dill pickle spears cut in half. Aka Lutheran sushi.
  7. Mozzarella pretzel sticks: Cut a piece of string cheese into 8 pieces (Baker brand smoked string cheese, if you can find it), and stab each piece with a pretzel stick. Repeat.
  8. Candied pecans: To make candied pecans, preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk 1 egg white until frothy. Stir in ¾ cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ground ginger, ⅛ tsp cloves, ¼ tsp salt, and 2 tsp vanilla extract. Add 1 pound (4 cups) pecans and stir to coat. Pour on to a baking sheet lined with parchment and spread into a single layer. Bake, flipping nuts occasionally, until coating is dry, about 30 minutes.
  9. Baguette slices: For toasted baguette slices, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange baguette slices in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush the slices evenly with ¼ cup olive oil. Bake until lightly toasted, about 15 minutes.
  10. Yield: This charcuterie platter as shown feeds about 8 as an appetizer, or 4 generous servings as the “main event.”
  11. Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
  12. Serving size: How much meat and cheese per person depends on your budget, the group’s appetite, and what else you’ll be serving. I usually plan on 2 to 4 ounces of meat and cheese per person. If the charcuterie is all I’m serving (for a cocktail party, for example) I might veer towards 4 ounces so no one leaves hungry.
  13. Think OUT, but also UP: Yes, you want to cover every inch of your board with snacks, but try to make it a little three-dimensional, too. Sometimes I even use an overturned bowl as a pedestal for another bowl of dip, with crackers mounded underneath to conceal the prop. The two keys to gorgeous platters: Plenty of layers and ensuring your platter is fully-loaded (so choose your board size accordingly based on your guest list and fill in any gaps with more fresh herbs).
  14. Temp check: Serve anything that’s supposed to be eaten hot or chilled separately, on a different platter or in other bowls.
  15. Mix it up: Variety is key. Consider adding local and seasonal favorites like braunschweiger, Milwaukee brand pickles, Door County cherries, or apples from The Elegant Farmer. Or add pickled garlic, orange marmalade, pieces of honeycomb, or honey.

Nutrition

Calories: 645kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 24gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 1441mgPotassium: 319mgFiber: 4gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 988IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 362mgIron: 5mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @culinaryhill on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece! #culinaryhill
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

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Comments

    1. Hi Heather, I usually use the largest board I have, but also have used several small boards. You absolutely can split this between dishes. Enjoy! – Meggan

  1. It’s nice to see braunschweiger incorporated. I’m making my first official charcuterie board tomorrow morning and I grabbed some braunschweiger hoping I could fit it in. I see it. It works. I’m doing it!5 stars

    1. Hi Melissa, I’m so sorry for the really late reply. I just wanted to say I’m always happy to meet another person who likes braunschweiger, I LOVE IT, and people think I’m weird because I do. :) It’s amazing, the best. And yes, it belongs on a charcuterie platter! I hope it worked out for you. Happy New Year! -Meggan

  2. Lovely idea for a post, Meggan… my husband loves things like this! We often have something similar, but Mediterranean style. I think I should branch out next time and try Wisconsin-style!

    Love the pretzels in mozzarella!5 stars

    1. Thanks, Helen! You should do a Med-style one for your blog, you’re totally the expert there. :) But yes pretzels in mozzarella are silly and FAB! :)

  3. Beautiful!!!  That wouldn’t last five minutes. Now put that between two trays of your deviled eggs. Now I’m hungry again. :-))5 stars

    1. Hey Dave!!! Thanks. Yes, I was thinking about deviled eggs when I was constructing this. :) But they really just deserve a platter of their own because I eat at least 6 at a time. So great to hear from you. Stay cool!