To Keep Hams
Ingredients
Directions
Make the brine
Mix the salt, saltpetre, and soft water to create a brine.
Cover the hams with the brine to keep them through the winter.
Pack and seal
Cure and slice the hams, trim off the rind, and pack them tightly in a stone jar.
Pour melted lard over the hams to completely exclude air.
Use the stored ham
When needed, scrape off the lard, remove a layer of ham, and return the lard to the jar.
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
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws water out of the meat, slowing spoilage and firming the ham.
- Saltpetre
- Acts as a curing agent that helps preserve the meat and keep its colour.
- Lard
- Forms a fat layer that seals the ham from air during storage.
The step that matters
Pouring the melted lard over the hams. The lard must fully cover the hams so no air reaches the meat. Air allows bacteria and oxidation to spoil the surface, so an unbroken fat seal is what keeps the ham preserved.
“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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