Curing Hams
Ingredients
Directions
Rub the hams
Hang the hams for a week to ten days in a cool, dry place.
Mix the salt, molasses, and saltpetre in a bowl.
Heat the mixture and rub it well into the hams, focusing on the bones and recesses.
Repeat the rubbing process until all the mixture is used.
Cure and soak
Let the hams sit for two to three days.
Submerge the hams in brine strong enough to float an egg for three weeks.
Soak the hams in cold water for eight hours.
Dry and smoke
Hang the hams to dry in a convenient place for a week or more.
Smoke the hams for three to five days, avoiding heat.
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
- Salt
- Draws moisture out of the meat and preserves it during curing.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness and flavour and helps the cure taste rounded.
- Saltpetre
- Helps the meat keep its colour and adds preservation during curing.
The step that matters
Submerging in brine. The brine must be strong enough to float an egg, because salt concentration controls how well the meat cures and resists spoilage. A weak brine leaves the ham less 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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