Beef ham

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 1 kg beef brisket or rump
• 25 g curing salt (nitrite curing salt)
• 5 g black pepper, crushed
• 2 g sugar

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest period approx. 10 days; Total time approx. 10 days 30 minutes

very lean, very suitable as a starter

Mix the curing salt, pepper, and sugar. Trim the meat and massage the mixture thoroughly. Place it in a vacuum-sealed bag, add the remaining spice mixture, and vacuum seal. The curing time is 1 day per cm of meat thickness (measured at the thickest part) plus 3 days. Since a fixed amount of salt is used, oversalting is impossible, and there is no need to add water after curing. Massage the meat once daily during curing to help distribute the spices. After curing, rinse the ham and pat dry with kitchen paper. You can now season the ham with a spice/herb mixture. To do this, pour the spice/herb mixture (e.g., crushed black pepper, paprika, chili, Italian herb mixture, etc.) into a suitable container and roll the ham in it until it is well coated. Hang to dry for 1-3 days at 10-15°C. After drying, cold smoke for at least 12 hours. For longer storage times, several smoking sessions with a day’s rest in between are necessary. Then place the ham in a linen bag or cotton swab and allow it to mature in a draft-free place at 8-15°C. The maturing time is a total of 1-3 weeks, depending on taste. After maturing, cut the ham into pieces as needed, vacuum seal, and store in an unheated cellar/pantry. Shelf life: still excellent after 1 year – a divine treat. The following can be added to the basic curing spice mix: 10 juniper berries, crushed in a mortar (variant), 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped and ground in curing salt (variant), 1 sprig of thyme (variant), and 1 g of cinnamon (variant).