Why it works: Molasses and pepper work together. They rank in the top 31% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 897 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
To Cure Hams So As to Preserve Them From Flies
Ingredients
Directions
Cure the hams
Mix the salt, molasses, black pepper, and saltpeter together well.
Lay the hams on a table with the rind side down.
Rub the mixture over the hams, ensuring every part without rind is covered.
Let the hams sit for a week.
Rub them with clear salt once a week for 4 to 5 weeks, depending on their size.
Smoke and hang
After curing, smoke the hams or place them in brine for 2 to 3 weeks before smoking.
Hang the smoked hams in a dry place.
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
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 + peppertop 31% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together897 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
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws moisture out of the meat and preserves it during curing.
- Saltpeter
- Helps preserve the meat and gives cured ham its pink color.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness and flavor that balances the salt.
- Black pepper
- Adds aroma and a sharp, spicy flavor to the cured surface.
The step that matters
Rubbing the cure over every uncovered part of the ham. Salt and cure must penetrate evenly; any area left without rub can spoil or cure unevenly, since salt moves into meat slowly and only where it contacts the surface.
“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.
More ham curing recipes
You might also like
Molasses Sauce32 recipes
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.