To Keep Hams
Ingredients
Directions
Cure
Combine salt, saltpeter, and water in a large container.
Submerge the hams in the brine, ensuring they are fully covered.
In April, remove the hams and drain for 3 to 4 days.
Pack and seal
Slice the hams as for cooking and fry them until nearly cooked.
Pack the slices into stone jars, pressing them down as you layer.
Once the jars are full, place a weight on top and cover with fat when completely cool.
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
- Meat
- The hams are the main protein that the brine cures and preserves.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws out moisture and seasons the meat, slowing spoilage during curing.
- Saltpetre
- Helps preserve the meat's pink colour and adds to the curing action.
The step that matters
Fully submerging the hams in the brine. Any part of the meat left above the brine can stay unprotected and spoil, because salt only preserves the areas it actually penetrates.
“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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