Preparation of Bacon, Hams
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the pig
Cut off the hams and head of the pig, leaving the spare ribs.
Salt the meat with common salt and a little saltpetre.
Let it sit for 10 days to drain brine.
Salt it again for 10-12 days.
Turn it daily after the second salting.
Dry and hang
Scrape it clean.
Rub a little salt on it.
Hang it up.
Scrape off any white froth.
Rub on dry salt to prevent rusting.
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
- Common salt
- Draws moisture out of the meat and preserves it by inhibiting spoilage microbes.
- Saltpetre
- Helps preserve the meat and gives cured meat its characteristic pink colour.
- Dry salt
- Coats the surface to draw out moisture and help prevent rust on the curing equipment or hanging area.
The step that matters
Turning the meat daily after the second salting. Salt must penetrate evenly and brine must be allowed to drain. Uneven salt contact lets some areas spoil while others stay under-cured, so daily turning keeps the cure uniform.
“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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