Good Ham
Ingredients
Directions
Cure
Rub the leg of mutton all over with coarse sea salt and a little saltpetre for 10 minutes.
Place it in a dish and cover with a cloth for 8 to 10 days.
Afterward, rub it slightly again for about 5 minutes.
Hang
Hang it in a dry place, like the roof of a kitchen, until used.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Leg of mutton
- The main meat, which the salt cure penetrates and preserves over the curing period.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws out moisture and seasons the meat, slowing bacterial spoilage during curing.
- Saltpetre
- Helps preserve the cured colour of the meat and inhibits spoilage bacteria during curing.
The step that matters
Rubbing the salt and saltpetre in evenly. Salt and saltpetre must reach all parts of the meat to cure it evenly. Missed spots can spoil during the long cure, so the leg should be coated thoroughly before it rests in the dish.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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