Highlights
Quick Look
Period
November to February
Difficulty
Beginner to Advanced
Acommodation
Blue Sardine Boutique Hostel
Duration
7 days
Group Size
12 students max
Cost
2026: €29502027: €3450
Introduction
A 5-day, hands-on course in Spanish meat curing and preserving.
This course is a deep dive into Spain’s extraordinary charcutería culture — a hands-on journey through the techniques, ingredients, and products that have shaped Spanish cured meats for centuries.
Over five intensive days in our professional lab, you’ll learn to transform pork into a wide range of Spanish-style products: fresh sausages, semi-cured chorizos, long-aged cuts, cooked specialties, and preserved offal preparations.
We’ll cover:
During our course, you will taste several genuine Spanish meat products.
You’ll work side-by-side with expert instructors, using professional equipment, while tasting, analyzing, and making Spanish products from scratch.
What You Will Learn
This course will give you the knowledge, skills, and confidence to create your Spanish-style charcutería, from butchery to finished product.
Objectives
During the Course, You Will Also
Here, even mealtimes are a lesson. Every menu is carefully crafted to share a piece of Spain’s culinary culture with you.
Lunches and dinners are included. The menu is inspired by traditional Spanish cooking and uses many products made during class.
This course is for chefs, butchers, hunters, and food artisans who want to understand, respect, and apply the proper techniques of Spanish charcutería — far beyond jamón.
Who teaches this course?
Juan Penzini Granier
Academic Director
Check Bio
Juan Penzini-Granier is the founder and academic director of the Artisan Culinary School. With a career spanning over 15 years, Juan is a seasoned professional with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the culinary industry. Juan’s culinary journey began with formal training in baking, which he then complemented with education as a professional cook, then turned his career towards the managerial part of the culinary business. He went on to own and manage several successful restaurants in Venezuela, where he was awarded the largest concessions system at the most prestigious country club in the city. He also had the opportunity to go back to the school where he started his career, but this time as a kitchen instructor and food and beverage cost professor. Then, seeking to expand his horizons, Juan moved to Italy to pursue an education in professional charcuterie and cheese making and ended up being the director of an international culinary school. As a teacher and instructor, Juan has trained over 500 people from more than 45 countries, instilling in them a passion for culinary artistry and a commitment to excellence. With the Artisan Culinary School, Juan aims to offer a unique and immersive culinary education experience that empowers aspiring food artisans to realize their full potential. Juan’s dedication to culinary education and his vast expertise make him an invaluable leader and mentor at the Artisan Culinary School. His vision and leadership drive the school with excellence and inspire its students to reach new heights in their culinary careers.
Gallery
Itinerary
Discover everything we have planned for you in our itinerary.
Day 1
Arrival & Orientation
Settle into Altea and meet your fellow students. We’ll begin with a short orientation, followed by a welcome dinner prepared by our chefs.
Day 2
Meat Selection & Spanish-Style Butchery
Begin the course with an in-depth theory session on pig carcass evaluation and charcutería standards. Then, join your instructor for a full demonstration and hands-on butchering session.
Day 3
Whole Muscle Charcutería & Ground Meats: Part I
Tend to the salted whole muscle cuts and prepare and season your dry ground meat mixtures.
Day 4
Ground Meats: Part II & Fresh Sausages
Stuff fermented meat mixtures into casings and start production of traditional fresh sausages.
Day 5
Cooked Charcutería: Morcilla & Headcheese
Prepare traditional Spanish blood sausages and produce cabeza de jabalí (headcheese) and other cooked specialties.
Day 6
HACCP, Equipment & Aging Cellar Design
We will review essential charcutería equipment and food safety planning, followed by an in-depth session on aging cellar setup and long-term product care.
Wrap up the course with a final Q&A and celebration. Certificates are awarded before heading out to dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 7
Departure
Enjoy a relaxed morning in Altea before your scheduled transfer to the airport or train station.
A light lunch is available for late departures.
Specifics
When you join us at the Artisan Culinary School, everything is designed so you can focus entirely on learning, creating, and enjoying the experience.
Course Fees (2025/26)
Course Fees (2027)
Inclusions
*Our wines are carefully selected by our resident sommelier and served at dinner, following European hospitality customs.
Not Included
Who is this course for?
Anyone who loves food. Culinary students, professional cooks, butchers, farmers, entrepreneurs, home cooks, charcutería aficionados, and Spanish culture lovers. No prior butchering training is necessary, although having some basic food knowledge will enhance your experience during the course.
Did you know?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between salumi and salami?
“Salumi” is the Italian word for the branch of salt-preserved and cured meats. “Salami” is a part of the salumi family, and refers to salt-cured or cooked sausage.
Will we also learn how to conserve meats in the refrigerator?
Even when the purpose of the program is to teach how to make artisan Spanish meat products, you will also learn how to butcher, or select and buy different cuts, process them appropriately, and the best ways to conserve them refrigerated or frozen.
In addition to charcutería making, will we learn other related subjects?
Our programs are full immersion. You will learn the techniques stated in the course curriculum and also have the opportunity to learn how to use each product i.e. putting together a traditional Spanish charcuterie platter, cooking with charcutería products, and accompanying them with fruits and vegetable conserves, and breads. Some other recipes and formulas are part of the program that enhance your experience i.e. artisan bread.
Can I combine this program with other ACS courses?
We highly recommend taking this course along Artisan Bread: France, Italy, and Spain or any of our meat courses for a 360º view of artisan European gastronomic traditions.
Will we review health, nutrition, and well-being topics during lessons?
We will hold honest objective conversations about healthy eating habits based on science. Also, health professionals supervise all our course programs and menus.
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