ABOUT THE CURESMITH
Practical curing knowledge built on experience, process, and a desire to help people learn the craft properly
The Curesmith is where I share calculators, recipes, videos, and practical guidance to help people make better product with more confidence. It brings together more than 20 years of experience in curing, sausage making, teaching, and process control.
BEHIND THE CURESMITH
I have been involved in meat curing for more than 20 years, across hobby curing, commercial work, teaching, and the long process of learning what truly matters in the craft. The Curesmith brings that experience together in a practical way, with calculators, recipes, videos, and guidance designed to help home curesmiths avoid common mistakes and build real confidence over time.
One of the reasons I created The Curesmith is that good learning resources for home curesmiths are still surprisingly limited. There are a few excellent books, but much of what people find online is fragmented, shallow, or unreliable. Too often, people are left trying to piece the craft together from scattered comments, incomplete explanations, and advice that lacks context.
The Curesmith exists to offer something more practical, more structured, and more trustworthy, rooted in experience, process, and a genuine desire to help people learn the craft properly.
What The Curesmith stands for
Practical guidance over guesswork
Understanding before ambition
Better process, better product
Building skills - step by step
Why this matters
The aim is not simply to share recipes or tools in isolation. It is to help people understand the craft more clearly, make fewer mistakes, and build confidence through better process.
That is why The Curesmith brings together calculators, recipes, videos, and the wider learning journey around From Zero. Each part supports the same goal: helping people make better product through better understanding.
Our Story
From a homemade drum smoker to a commercial charcuterie house and back again — a journey driven by obsession.
My First Smoker
My dad and I built this smoker together from two 44-gallon drums. It could only hot-smoke at first, so I later added an offset firebox using an old kettle BBQ. Humble as it looks, it remains one of the most effective smokers I have ever used.
My First Cured Meats
I had been making biltong for years, but it was only around 2007 that I began exploring proper cured meats the European way. My first curing setup was a basic cabinet in the garage with no temperature or humidity control. To make matters worse, at the time I thought pink salt was simply pink Himalayan salt.
Butchering My First Whole Pig
Until this point I had always worked with precut meat. My home kitchen was far too small for a whole carcass, and I suspect my wife would not have been pleased. Breaking down my first pig was a steep learning curve, but it was the moment I realised this passion was becoming something more than a hobby.
First Market
A friend persuaded me to take a stand at a Christmas farmers market. I was reluctant, but I agreed. The response was extraordinary. The bug bit me hard, and from that point my commercial venture began to take shape.
First Proper Curing Chamber
In 2013 I built my first purpose-built curing chamber from cold room panels gifted by a friend, powered by a proper cooling motor. Living a stone's throw from the sea meant the salt air handled humidity naturally. It was a genuine step up from the garage cabinet.
Taste of Cape Town
Taste of Cape Town was our first major food festival, and it exceeded every expectation. The response from the public was overwhelming, and it was this event that truly put The Curesmith on the map.
First Time on TV
The momentum from Taste of Cape Town led to invitations onto radio programmes and, eventually, television. Our first shoot took place in early spring 2015 and opened doors we had never anticipated. Several more appearances followed, each one bringing a new wave of interest in what we were doing.
Magazine Articles
Print followed broadcast. From 2015 onwards, our work began appearing in food magazines and newspaper features, steadily building the reputation of The Curesmith beyond the farmers markets and into homes across the country.
First Delivery Van
With orders coming in from restaurants, shops, and hotels, a delivery van became a necessity. We kept the markets going too, because that direct connection with customers was something we never wanted to lose.
Our First Retail Outlet
In 2015 we opened our own shop: a deli and coffee shop combination with cured meat at the centre of everything. It was a proud moment, and the shop quickly became a destination in its own right for lovers of quality charcuterie.
Expansion of Curing Chamber
Opening the shop meant scaling up production significantly. We expanded our curing facility and added a larger chamber to meet the growing demand. What had started in a garage was beginning to look like a proper operation.
Educating People
In 2016 I launched my first 4-day meat curing courses. I had no formal teaching background, but it turned out to be one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. Seeing the passion ignite in other people was deeply satisfying, and sharing this craft sits at the very heart of the From Zero project.
Helping PhD Students
Among those who attended my courses was the head of the meat science department at the University of Stellenbosch. He later invited me to collaborate with his PhD and Master's students on their research into meat curing. Bridging the gap between artisan practice and academic science was a privilege I genuinely treasure.
New Adventures
In 2019 our family made the decision to leave South Africa and begin a new life in Poland. It meant closing the business and stepping away from everything we had built commercially. But a new chapter was beginning, and the curing instinct never really goes away.
Back to Basics
Setting up in a Polish apartment called for creative thinking. I converted a single-door drinks fridge into a functioning curing chamber and got back to what I love. It felt poetic: from a backyard drum smoker to a full commercial operation, and back again to a hobbyist with a fridge full of salami.
Home of Culatello
Visiting Antica Corte Pallavicina, widely regarded as the spiritual home of culatello, had been a long-held ambition. Walking through those ancient cellars, surrounded by hundreds of curing hams, was as close to a pilgrimage as a charcutier can get. Deeply humbling, and deeply inspiring.
The Flood
A flood destroyed my curing equipment and everything I had been maturing since our move to Poland. In a single night, years of careful work were gone. It was a dark moment, and for a while it genuinely felt like the end of the road.
The Birth of From Zero
But it was not the end. From Zero was born from that loss: a project built on over two decades of experience, designed to teach meat curing from the ground up, the right way. I am more energised than ever, and I would love for you to be part of it. Come and join me.
The journey continues
Where to start
Whether you want to use the tools, explore the recipes, or follow the deeper story behind the site, these are the best places to begin.