Why it works: Molasses and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,225 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Pickle for Ham
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Rub the hams well with salt, then pack in tub.
For one hundred pounds take four gallons of water, seven pounds of salt; boil well and skim.
Make the brine
When cold, add four ounces of saltpetre, one pint of molasses, and one pound of brown sugar, boil and skim.
When cold, put over the meat, and if not enough, add water to cover.
Cure
Weight them heavy enough to keep them under the brine from four to six weeks.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Molasses | 1 tbsp (20g) | 58 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
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. See the original page.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Molasses + sugartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Salt
- Draws moisture out of the meat and carries seasoning deep into it while curing.
- Saltpetre
- Helps the meat keep its pink colour during long curing.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness and a darker, richer flavour to the cured meat.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the salt and rounds out the flavour.
The step that matters
Keeping the hams under the brine. Meat that rises above the liquid can spoil or cure unevenly, so the hams must stay fully submerged for the whole curing period.
“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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