8 Charcuterie Board Ideas to Add Color, Creativity and Culture to Entertaining

You are in charge. You choose. This thought process is the primary motivation behind creative charcuterie board ideas that will allure your guests. Although traditionally, charcuterie boards center around meat selections, the everyday individual can craft incredible spreads that include meat and a variety of other ingredients with just a few pointers.

Here we’re sharing some suggestions for how to come up with charcuterie board ideas that are on point for any occasion, meaningful and of course delicious.

What is Charcuterie

Chef Felicia Grady knows a lot about charcuterie board fundamentals from her early culinary days to meeting the needs of her current client roster. For beginners, Grady shares that charcuterie is a French term that actually means meat. Traditionally, charcuterie was a culinary skill that drew on the artist’s ability to arrange different types of cut meats in an extraordinary way to grace the occasion. Simply explained, charcuterie is a detailed decorated spread of food placed on a platform to entice.

In today’s time, many have strayed far away from only a meat platter arrangement and variety is currently what’s common and almost the expectation. Charcuterie board arrangements are a wonderful way to introduce different types of foods that some may not be familiar with or ever had the pleasure of trying.    

Selecting the Right Charcuterie Board

Selecting the right board is just as important as the foods placed on it.

Charcuterie boards come in all kinds of different sizes, shapes and materials. What is important is for the preparer to first ask themself, “What am I making this for?” or “Who am I servicing?” Then take into account the occasion or type event as well as guests or client requests.

In terms of sizes, this will depend on the number of guests and if the board will serve starters or be used for grazing throughout an event. A good rule of thumb will be to think start with 2 oz of meat and other ingredients per person. In addition, the size of a charcuterie board needed will also depend on how you style the foods on the board.  Save room by stacking or use more space by staggering and doing a more detailed layout.

You’ll also want to keep in mind the space where you will entertaining.  How big is the table and how much room will be allotted for a board or boards?

In terms of materials, wooden charcuterie boards are most common, coming in all sizes and shapes. They also add a decorative look to the table.  Round, square, oval, the possibilities are endless so just so creative.

Keep in mind a wood charcuterie board may feel appropriate but if you’re planning to cut on it then this would not be the best choice because it could lead to bacteria growth. You also have plastic boards and platters that do the trick that are more on the casual side as well as acrylic that are light and easy to clean.

Lastly, picking the right board for your charcuterie ingredients should include color contrast as well as complement the occasion or event theme, creating a seamless flow from decor to food.

Our favorite places to shop for boards include Etsy, home decor stores such as Home Goods, and craft markets.

Charcuterie Board Ideas That Add Meaning

“You can add whatever you want to it,” Grady simply explains. This means any kinds of meats along with cheeses and even chocolate and fruit. To begin with, when thinking about charcuterie, Grady recommends having enough different types of protein, cheese, crackers, and vegetables. For example, consider adding tomatoes, olives, pickles, mangos, smoked gouda, aged white cheese, sliced chicken, cut-up brats, or fried chicken bites.

For a charcuterie board that is full of Black heritage as a theme for example, consider adding andouille sausage which Grady says is a native African Creole meat along with mini crawfish, shrimp and chicken lemon pâtes with Cajun spices.

Not to be forgotten, could be spicy jack smoked cheddar, pickled okra, mini cornbread muffins, along with candied pecan, grapes, or orange slices. Beef jerky is a good protein to pair with aged goat cheese, plantain chips, stuffed dates, roasted peanuts, or cashews. Consider topping it off with a colorful leave or flower garnish such as rosemary or thyme.

Ingredients or foods that Chef Grady says do not belong on charcuterie boards are those that are chilled. Considering this, the integrity of the food should be kept in mind along with the size of the crowd when considering the charcuterie board shape. The bigger the crowd, the bigger the board.

As a matter of fact, when Grady comes across budget-conscious clientele, she always recommends charcuterie boards as an option, which simultaneously is referred to by some as a grazing table. With this option, the styling is so bountiful that it literally can fill an entire table allowing for guest to still get an ample food experience.

Overall, the entire concept is to make the charcuterie board appeal to the eye. This means charcuterie boards ideas need to be arranged with precision and full of color. Depending on the audience, the charcuterie board can tell a story through the arrangement. Therefore, the theme of the event is important as well.

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How to Make a Charcuterie Board

When preparing your charcuterie board, always have all of your items laid out first; think of mise en place or everything in its place. This is important because you want to create an appealing and balanced board. Therefore, double-check to make sure that you have all of your desired charcuterie ingredients needed before you begin.

It doesn’t matter if your board is round, triangular, or rectangular, you want to start your placements in the upper right corner overlapping and placing the ingredients in a pattern formation. Be sure not to stack. The ingredients should flare out. Use gloves and be prepared to move a few items around to create just the right style and color formation.

Also, when creating your charcuterie board, use pre-sliced or precut meats and cheeses. With cheese, think about including sliced cheese along with cubed cheese on your layout.  In addition, sometimes the cheese needs to be placed in the middle of the board, at other times it needs to be placed near meat flaring out from a corner. Always be guided by color and do not allow too much space between all the charcuterie board ingredients.

If an item is wet, like red butter pickles, place them in a decorative cup or individual lettuce to catch the juices.

At times when arranging charcuterie board ingredients, it is best to think about how you would build a sandwich and spread the items out in that manner while still watching to never lose the colorful attraction.