Homemade ham

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 1 ½ kg pork neck
• 35 g curing salt
• 1 tbsp juniper berries
• 1 tbsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp allspice berries
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• 1 tbsp rosemary, dried
• 3 tbsp sugar

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Rest period approx. 22 days; Cooking/baking time approx. 8 hours; Total time approx. 22 days 8 hours 20 minutes

Rinse and trim the pork neck, ensuring it is absolutely clean. Crush all the spices except the salt and sugar in a mortar and pestle. Mix the spices with the salt and sugar and rub the meat all over with the spice mixture. Quickly transfer the meat to a clean, airtight freezer bag, adding any leftover spices to the bag. Important: the entire spice mixture must be in the bag, as the amount of salt is perfectly matched to the amount of meat, and otherwise the curing process will not work. Press the air out of the bag as best you can, then seal it airtight, for example with a clip. It is best to double-secure it with string. Place the meat in the refrigerator for 14 days (the temperature should not exceed 7°C). During this time, massage and turn the meat daily so that the resulting brine can distribute well and the ham cures evenly. If the brine becomes slightly cloudy towards the end of the 14 days, please do not alarm; this is normal. Do not open the bag during the curing process. After 14 days, remove the ham from the bag. Rinse thoroughly, then pat dry thoroughly. Tie the ham with kitchen string, like a roulade, so that it can be hung up to dry later. Always keep your hands clean. Hang the ham in a place with a maximum temperature of 7°C (refrigerator or, in winter, attic, etc.). If it is hung in the refrigerator, the refrigerator should be briefly aired at least once a day. The ham will remain there for 4-5 days until the outer surface feels dry. This process is called burning through. Remove the ham from its net. Smoke in a smoker or lockable grill with a cold smoke generator at a maximum of 25°C. I recommend using beechwood flour for this. The ham should be smoked a total of 3 times for 8 hours, with breaks of 24 hours in between. Once the ham is finished smoking, it can be hung for a further few days at 10-15°C. This should continue until the ham has lost 30% of its original weight. Then the ham is ready to eat.