Why it works: Meat and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 34% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,866 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
To Salt Bacon and Hams
Ingredients
Directions
Cure the meat
Mix the salt, saltpetre, and sugar well and dry it by the fire.
Rub the mixture thoroughly into the meat, allowing it to absorb as much as possible.
Place the meat in a cool place with the rind down and cover it with the remaining salt, especially around the knuckle of the ham.
Turn the meat over and wash it in the brine daily for 14 days to 3 weeks, depending on thickness.
Dry and store
After brining, hang the meat in a cool place for 1-2 days until a dry coat forms on the outside.
Store the bacon and hams in a chest with bran or clean straw.
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.
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Meat + sugartop 34% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,866 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Meat
- The main product; the cure penetrates it and preserves it over the curing period.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws out moisture and seasons the meat, slowing spoilage during curing.
- Powdered saltpetre
- Helps preserve the meat's colour and inhibits bacterial growth during long curing.
- Coarse sugar
- Balances the salt with sweetness and softens the harshness of the cure.
The step that matters
Turning and washing the meat in the brine daily. Salt must reach the thickest parts evenly, such as the knuckle of the ham. Daily turning keeps the brine in contact with all surfaces, so thick areas do not stay under-cured or spoil while the rest is already fully 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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