Tasso Ham

Pigs might seem lazy, but ask Melissa Khoury and she'll say they're actually workhorses. "They're a magical animal," says the co-owner of Saucisson, an artisan cured-meat and sausage company. "Hogs are raised solely for their meat. They give us nothing else. That being said, you can turn 99 percent of the beast into amazing things." One of those delectable discoveries is Saucisson's tasso ham ($10 per pound), a Cajun-influenced delicacy. "Tasso ham doesn't go through the whole brining process that a traditional ham would go through," she says. Instead a pork loin - what Khoury uses in place of the standard shoulder butt - gets a one-day spice dry rub before smoking it for 12 hours. Use the peppery, tender meat in a variety of dishes such as red beans and rice or eggs Benedict - or to amp up your grilled cheese like Khoury does. "You buy a 1-pound piece and you can make it into 10 different things," she says. 330-242-9839, saucissoncleveland.com