Make your own ham

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• ½ pork ham without bone, with rind
• 45 g curing salt
• 4 g sugar
• ½ g clove powder
• 4 g black peppercorns
• 3 g juniper berries, crushed
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 g garlic, finely chopped

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest period approx. 45 days; Total time approx. 45 days 30 minutes

The ingredients are given per kg of meat. This means: Weigh the meat and convert the spices accordingly. Mix the spices with the curing salt and dust the entire ham thoroughly. Then pack it in a foil bag (I use an artificial casing of the appropriate caliber). Add the rest of the spice mix to the bag. Tie the bag tightly, leaving as little air as possible. Place the ham in the refrigerator for 4 weeks. Turn it every 2 days to ensure the brine is evenly distributed. Then unwrap the ham and pat it dry, then hang it up for 3-4 days; this is important. The ham is then cold smoked (max. 20-25°C) and smoked 10-12 times (depending on the color). If you want a Black Forest flavor, you can add 1-2 pine cones to the smoke dust during cold smoking. I always use beech dust. Do not use sawdust from a carpenter’s shop, as this may contain treated wood. After smoking, let it mature for another 4-6 weeks. But be careful, the temptation is great!