New England Hams
Ingredients
Directions
Cure the hams
Beat the sal-prunella finely and rub it into the hams.
Let the hams sit for 24 hours.
Mix the coarse sea salt, common salt, saltpetre, and coarse sugar, then rub this mixture into the hams.
Let the hams sit for 2-3 days.
Brine
Prepare a strong brine with 2 gallons of water and ½ pound of brown sugar, then boil, skim and cool it.
Submerge the hams in the brine.
Turn the hams every 2-3 days for 3 weeks.
Smoke
Hang the hams in a chimney.
Smoke the hams for 1-2 days.
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
- Sal-prunella
- Provides the curing agent that preserves the meat and sets its colour and flavour.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws moisture out of the meat and seasons it, helping to preserve it during curing.
- Saltpetre
- Helps preserve the meat and gives cured ham its characteristic pink colour.
- Coarse sugar
- Balances the salt with sweetness and helps soften the saltiness of the cure.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and mild flavour to the brine.
The step that matters
Rubbing in the dry cure and waiting. The cure must reach evenly through the meat before brining. Salt and curing agents move slowly into thick muscle, so uneven rubbing or cutting the resting time short can leave spoilage risks or uneven preservation.
“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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