FROM ZERO
From the ground up - the process behind proper meat curing
From Zero is a long-form learning journey that began after a 2024 flood destroyed my curing equipment and much of the meat I had been curing. It is about returning to the craft properly, using more than 20 years of experience to start again from the beginning and build upward in a way that reflects how most people should actually learn.
WHAT IS FROM ZERO?
In February 2024, I was sitting in my basement office when I suddenly felt my feet getting wet. I looked down and saw water streaming into the room. I quickly went to investigate and found water pouring in through the door. When I stepped outside, the garden was already under a foot of water. Within thirty minutes, the entire basement was flooded to waist height.
In that short space of time, I managed to salvage a few things, my computer, my bike, and some important documents. Everything else was lost, including my entire meat processing facility, my curing chamber with cured meats inside, and the equipment I had built up over time.
It turned out that one of the main city water pipes ran beneath our property and had burst in our garden. The pressure was so severe that the water flooded in with extraordinary speed.
The worst part was that none of the equipment or meats were covered by insurance.
What followed was a period of real discouragement, and for quite some time the desire to cure disappeared with it.
By 2025, that began to change. Re-engaging with online curing communities brought an unexpected realisation: many people were still making the same mistakes that I made when I started more than twenty years ago – despite the internet and AI.
That led back to a bigger question: where do home curesmiths actually go to learn this properly? Apart from a small number of very good books, much of the information still felt fragmented, shallow, or unreliable.
That sense of absence brought the purpose back. And from that came the decision to start again properly, FROM ZERO, and document the journey as it unfolds.
WHAT IS FROM ZERO REALLY ABOUT
This is not just about rebuilding a chamber or replacing equipment. It is about rebuilding a curing process from the ground up, in the right order, and sharing that journey with like-minded curesmiths.
Too many people are drawn straight to the most ambitious projects, prosciutto, dry-cured sausages, and the most visually impressive end of the craft, without first developing the knowledge those projects demand.
There is a proper order to learning this. Had I known then what I know now, I would have progressed much faster and with far fewer mistakes. That is the idea that gave rise to this project. What if I combined my passion for teaching curing with the process of rebuilding my own practice, and documented it as it happened, step by step, week by week? I believe that would be valuable not only to beginners, but also to more experienced curesmiths looking to revisit the foundations.
From Zero begins where most people should begin, with the science, the fundamentals, the early projects, and the confidence that comes from learning one step at a time.
Watch the introduction
A short introduction to the project, why it began, and what you can expect as the journey unfolds.
What this short video covers
What From Zero is really about
How the flood led to a return to the craft
Why the project starts with the basics
How people can learn and build upward over time
What you'll find here
A practical learning journey through the fundamentals, the early projects, the mistakes, the progress, and the gradual path toward more advanced curing.
Foundations first
The science and understanding behind curing meat, including salt, cure, moisture loss, safety, fermentation, drying, and the principles that matter before equipment becomes important.
Starting with what you have
Practical projects and learning steps that do not depend on having a full curing chamber or a highly specialised setup from day one.
Building skill gradually
A structured path from basic projects toward more advanced work, helping people build confidence instead of jumping too far too soon.
Honest lessons from experience
What went wrong early on, what would be done differently now, and what home curesmiths most need to understand to avoid frustration and make better product.
Why follow this journey?
A lot of people still try to learn curing through disconnected recipes, scattered forum comments, and advice with very little context behind it. From Zero is my way of returning to the craft by addressing that problem directly, starting with the fundamentals and building toward the more advanced side of the hobby in a way that makes sense.
This is a return to curing, but it is also a roadmap for anyone who wants to begin properly and build real skill over time.
Beyond From Zero
From Zero sits alongside the calculators, recipes, videos, and practical guidance across The Curesmith. It is part of the same wider goal, helping people make better product through better understanding, better tools, and better process.