Bayonne Bladder Ham

Ingredients

• Neck cutlets
• Fine salt
• Aromatic brine
• Beef gut
• Juniper berries

Directions

1. Cut neck cutlets down to the sixth rib and remove the bones.

2. Remove the outer layer of fat and the meat from the five ribs, leaving a nice lump of neck cutlet meat.

3. Rub the meat with fine salt and layer salt between each layer.

4. Pour in enough aromatic brine to cover the meat, leaving an inch of liquid on top.

5. Weigh down the meat and let it brine for 8 to 10 days.

6. After brining, let the meat dry in a heap for four to five days.

7. Press the meat into a round shape and place it into a beef gut, tying it lengthwise.

8. Wind string around the gut, spacing rolls about one-third of an inch apart.

9. Make a noose on one end and insert a stick through the casing to prevent dropping out.

10. Boil the hams in water for 8 to 10 seconds, piercing the casings for air.

11. Hang the hams in a dry place until they resemble a dry bladder.

12. In winter, use a warmed room at 68 to 70°F and smoke the hams with juniper berries.