About
Curing since 2004
The hands behind the craft.
I am Gilbert Ferreira. For more than twenty years I have cured meat: at home, commercially, in the classroom, and in the long, patient work of learning what truly matters. The Curesmith brings that experience into one place.
the meat is real. the rest, I am still drawing.
Behind The Curesmith
Why it exists
Good learning resources for home curers are still surprisingly rare.
There are a few excellent books, but much of what people find online is fragmented, shallow, or unreliable. Too often you are left piecing 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. The aim is not simply to share recipes and tools, but to help you understand the craft, make fewer mistakes, and build confidence through better process.
My story
18 frames · 2004 to now
Twenty years, one reel.
The backyard
2004
The first smoker
My dad and I built it from two 44-gallon drums. It could only hot-smoke at first, so I added an offset firebox from an old kettle braai. Humble as it looks, it is still one of the most effective smokers I have ever used.
The backyard
2007
The first cured meats
I had made biltong for years, but around 2007 I began proper cured meats the European way. My first setup was a cabinet in the garage with no temperature or humidity control. Worse, I thought pink salt was simply pink Himalayan salt.
Getting serious
2012
The first whole pig
Until then I had only worked with precut meat. My kitchen was far too small for a carcass, and I suspect my wife would not have been pleased. Breaking down my first pig was a steep learning curve, and the moment this became more than a hobby.
Getting serious
2012
The first market
A friend talked me into a stand at a Christmas farmers market. I was reluctant, but the response was extraordinary. The bug bit hard, and from there the commercial venture began to take shape.
Getting serious
2013
Built to last
My first purpose-built chamber, made from cold-room panels a friend gave me and powered by a proper cooling motor. Living a stone's throw from the sea meant the salt air handled the humidity naturally. A genuine step up from the garage cabinet.
On the map
2015
Taste of Cape Town
Our first major food festival, and it exceeded every expectation. The response from the public was overwhelming. This was the event that truly put The Curesmith on the map.
On the map
2015
First time on TV
The momentum from Taste of Cape Town led to radio and then television. Our first shoot was in early spring 2015, and it opened doors we had never anticipated. Several more appearances followed.
On the map
2015
In print
Print followed broadcast. From 2015 our work began appearing in food magazines and newspaper features, carrying The Curesmith beyond the markets and into homes across the country.
On the map
2015
On the road
With orders coming in from restaurants, shops and hotels, a delivery van became a necessity. We kept the markets going too. That direct connection with customers was something we never wanted to lose.
On the map
2015
The shop
We opened our own deli and coffee shop with cured meat at the centre of everything. A proud moment, and it quickly became a destination in its own right for lovers of quality charcuterie.
On the map
2015
Growing production
Opening the shop meant scaling up significantly. We expanded the curing facility and added a larger chamber to meet demand. What had started in a garage was beginning to look like a proper operation.
Passing it on
2016
Teaching the craft
I launched my first four-day curing courses. I had no formal teaching background, but it turned out to be one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. Sharing this craft sits at the very heart of what I do.
Passing it on
2016
Where science meets craft
The head of the meat science department at Stellenbosch attended a course, then invited me to work with his PhD and Master's students on their curing research. Bridging artisan practice and academic science is a privilege I treasure.
Starting over
2019
A new country
Our family left South Africa for 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.
Starting over
2020
Back to basics
A Polish apartment called for creative thinking. I turned a single-door drinks fridge into a working curing chamber and got back to what I love. From a backyard drum smoker to a commercial operation, and back to a hobbyist with a fridge full of salami.
Starting over
2023
The home of culatello
Visiting Antica Corte Pallavicina, the spiritual home of culatello, had been a long-held ambition. Walking those ancient cellars among hundreds of curing hams was as close to a pilgrimage as a charcutier can get. Deeply humbling, deeply inspiring.
From zero
2024
The flood
A flood destroyed my equipment and everything I had been maturing since the move. In a single night, years of careful work were gone. For a while it genuinely felt like the end of the road.
From zero
2026
The story continues
But it was not the end. From Zero was born from that loss: a project built on more than two decades of experience, to teach curing from the ground up, the right way. I am more energised than ever. Come and join me.
Where to start
The journey continues