How To Cure Hams

Total Time: 984 hrs Preparation Time: 24 hrs Cook Time: 960 hrs

Ingredients

• 100 lbs ham
• 3 ounces saltpeter
• 1 pint salt
• 1/2 lb brown sugar
• 2 pints salt
• 1/8 lb black pepper

Recipe

• 1 use only corn fed hogs.
• 2 mix the last three ingredients thoroughly and rub over the hams (being certain to get plenty in the hock) and let stand for 24 hours.
• 3 then rub the meat with the remaining salt and pepper.
• 4 let stand for five days and then rub meat again with fine salt.
• 5 set aside in a cool place for 30 days (a good curing temperature is approximately 40f).
• 6 at the end of that time, hang the meat up and brush off salt.
• 7 have hams smoked at a good smoke house, smoking them for ten days with hickory or apple wood.
• 8 when finished, dust entire surface of hams with ground red pepper; wrap carefully in brown paper, followed with muslin bags.
• 9 hang up with the hock down.
• 10 hams prepared in this manner will keep indefinitely, and flavor and quality improves with time.