Why it works: Meat and molasses work together. They rank in the top 37% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 441 recipes. The science ↓
To Cure Hams
Ingredients
Directions
Make the brine
In a large pot, combine the molasses, saltpetre, rock salt, and water.
Boil over a gentle fire, skimming off the froth as it rises.
Continue boiling until all ingredients are dissolved.
Cool the mixture sufficiently and pour it over the hams.
Cure the hams
Ensure the hams are fully covered with the brine.
Let the hams cure in the brine for 3 to 6 weeks, shaking the container well every week.
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 + molassestop 37% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together441 recipes
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rock salt
- Draws moisture out of the meat and seasons it while helping preserve it during curing.
- Saltpetre
- Helps preserve the meat and gives cured ham its characteristic pink color.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness and flavor that balances the salt in the brine.
The step that matters
Ensure the hams are fully covered with the brine. Any part of the meat left above the liquid can spoil or cure unevenly, because the brine must reach every surface to preserve and season the meat consistently.
“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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