Westphalian Mode of Pickling Hams

Ingredients

• two fine legs of dairy-fed pork
• lib. of brown sugar
• lib. of salt
• 2oz. of saltpetre
• lqt. of vinegar

Method

1. 1

   Rub Hams with salt and leave for three days.

2. 2

   Mix sugar, salt, and saltpetre, rub into Hams, and leave for three days.

3. 3

   Pour in vinegar and cure for a month, turning often.

4. 4

   Drain, dredge with flour, and hang to dry.

As published

This recipe was extracted from The encyclopaedia of practical cookery (1892) by Theodore Francis Garrett, William A. Rawson, page 39. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

2oz. of saltpetre, lib. of sugar, and 41b. of salt, put it over the fire, and boil till all the dirt from the salt and sugar has risen to the top and been skimmed off, then pour into a tub and let it stand till cold. Pack the Hams into an iron-bound cask, laying clean bricks or stones over to keep them down; pour the brine over, when quite cold, till they are well covered, and let them remain for a month or five weeks ; then take out, drain, and dry. (3) Strew the Ham over with common salt, and leave it until the next day; then throw over it a mixture of 141b. of salt, 2oz. of saltpetre, 2oz. of pounded coriander-seeds, loz. of black pepper, lib. of coarse brown sugar, and 4oz. of treacle. Rub the Ham well with the mixture every day for three weeks. Afterwards, soak it for one night in cold water, then let it be dried in the usual way. When boiling the Ham, put Jib. of treacle and a bunch of sweet herbs in the water with it. (4) For a Ham weighing 141b. allow lib. of salt, lib. of dark brown sugar, 2oz. of sal-prunella, loz. of bay-salt, loz. of saltpetre, and 4oz. of pepper. Rub the Ham well with these. Leave the Ham in the pickle for a month, basting it well every day, then take it out and dry. (5) For a Ham weighing about lSlb. allow 41b. of common salt, fib. of bay-salt, and loz. of saltpetre ; pound these ingredients together, and rub the Ham with them. Continue the rubbing once every day for a week, then take the Ham out of the pickle, pour lib. of treadle over, and leave it for a month, turning occasionally. Hams prepared in this way do not require soaking'. Dry in the usual manner. (6) American Mode. — Put in a large tub 1 peck and ljgalls. of fine salt, lflb. of saltpetre, lqt. of hickory ashes well sifted, lqt. of molasses, 1 breakfast-cupful of cayenne, and 1 teacupful of black pepper. The above quantities are sufficient for 5001b. of Ham. Mix these ingredients together, rub it into each Ham with an ordinary brick or something- rough to get the pickle well in, pack in a light clean tub, and press down by laying bricks over the Hams. Let the Hams soak for six weeks ; then take them out and rub each one on the fleshy side with some black pepper. Hang them in the meat-house, and smoke with green hickory from ten to twelve hours a day for six weeks, not allowing the wood to blaze. In the spring of the year take them down, and pack in any well-slaked coal ashes or pine ashes. (7) Virginian Mode. — Rub 1 teaspoonful of saltpetre on the fleshy side of each Ham. Salt, not too heavily, for five weeks (if in frosty weather, for six weeks), then brush the Hams well, and rub them with hickory ashes ; let them lie for one week, then hang and smoke them for six weeks with green-hickory chips. After brushing, pack them in hickory ashes. (8) Westphalian Mode. — Select two fine legs of dairy-fed pork, cut off the round knobs of the hip-bones, and then rub the flesh well with salt, and leave them in a large pan for For details respecting Culinary Processes, Utensils, Hams — continued. three days, by which time the salt will have drawn the blood out ; then take the Hams out of the brine. Mix together lib. of brown sugar, lib. of salt, and 2oz. of saltpetre, rub the Hams well with it, put them in a large vessel, leaving them for three days, then pour in lqt. of vinegar

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.