To Preserve Hams
Ingredients
Directions
Combine 4 gallons of water with 8 lbs of coarse sea salt and 2 oz of saltpetre in a large pot.
Add 1 quart of molasses to the mixture.
Boil the mixture and stir well until the salt is dissolved.
Allow the mixture to cool before using.
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
- Seasons the meat and draws moisture out, helping the brine penetrate and cure the ham.
- Saltpetre
- Helps cure the meat and gives cured ham its pink color.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness and a mild depth of flavor that balances the salt.
The step that matters
Boil until the salt is fully dissolved. Undissolved salt leaves the brine unevenly concentrated, so some parts of the ham may cure unevenly or taste too salty. Boiling and stirring ensures a uniform solution before it cools.
“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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