Cooked ham "Sechsämterland"

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 2 ½ kg pork (preferably roast from the shoulder)
• 3 liters of water
• 0.3 kg curing salt (nitrite curing salt)
• 1 tsp, heaped pepper, mixed
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp, heaped juniper berries
• 1 tbsp, heaped mustard seeds
• 1 chili pepper(s), dried
• 1 tbsp, heaped sugar
• 3 tbsp, heaped soup vegetables, dried
• 1 medium-sized white onion(s), quartered
• 1 garlic clove(s)
• 1 pinch of ginger powder
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• 0.2 liters of liqueur (Sechsämtertropfen or other herbal liqueur)

Instructions

Working time approx. 4 hours; Rest period approx. 12 days; Cooking/baking time approx. 3 hours; Total time approx. 12 days 7 hours

homemade cooked ham from the Fichtelgebirge

Add all ingredients except the meat to the water and simmer gently for about 20 minutes. Let the brine cool overnight. Transfer the meat to a sealable container and pour the brine over it. The meat must be completely covered with the brine. I always finish with a porcelain plate. It is important that there is no air trapped under the plate. Now let everything cure for about 12 days in the refrigerator at about +6°C. There is no need to turn or rearrange the meat during this time. Then remove the meat and rinse it under cold, clean water. Since I don’t want such large portions, I divide the meat into eight pieces. Now let the ham drain on a rack in the refrigerator for about 8 hours. Preheat the smoker to about 70°C, place the meat on a stainless steel rack, and smoke for about 45 minutes. Then lightly pat the ham dry with kitchen paper and place it in a roasting bag (see the roasting bag manufacturer’s instructions). Place the ham in the bag on a cold baking sheet and cook in an oven preheated to 80°C for about 2 hours. After cooking, cool in ice water for about 2-3 hours and then refrigerate in the roasting bag. The next day, pat the meat dry (do not rub) and leave uncovered in the refrigerator for about 24 hours. Now vacuum seal the ham and let it mature for about 5 days. If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, you can also wrap the meat tightly in cling film. However, without a vacuum seal, the ham will last after about 8 days. In an airtight container, it will keep for 2 months without any problems and will improve even further with the ageing. If you like, you can “embalm” the meat with coarse pepper, paprika, chili, etc. before smoking. In this case, however, I would omit the herbal liqueur during the curing process.