Why it works: Pork and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 22,121 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
To Cure a Ham
Ingredients
Directions
Cure
Sprinkle the pepper all over the meat.
Mix the sugar, salt, saltpetre, and remaining ingredients.
Lay the pork in a tub and rub the mixture well into it.
Let it lie for 18 to 20 days, rubbing it once daily.
Dry and store
Wash it well and dry it on a rough cloth.
Sprinkle with flour and hang in a cool, draughty place until dry.
Once dry, wrap it well in paper to prevent rust.
It should be kept for at least 4 months before eating.
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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Pork + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,121 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Sugar + peppertop 32% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together19,401 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Pork + sugartop 37% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,579 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 19,401 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Leg of pork
- Is the meat being cured, so its structure and moisture determine the final texture.
- Salt
- Draws out moisture and slows spoilage by making the meat less hospitable to microbes.
- Sugar
- Balances the saltiness and adds mild sweetness while softening the cure's harshness.
- Saltpetre
- Acts as a curing agent that helps preserve the meat and gives it a reddish color.
- Pepper
- Adds aroma and a sharp, spicy flavor to the outside of the meat.
The step that matters
Rubbing the cure in and turning it daily. Salt and curing agents must penetrate evenly through the meat over many days. Uneven or skipped rubbing leaves dry or untreated patches where spoilage can start.
“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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