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Westmoreland Cure for Sweet Hams

Westmoreland Cure for Sweet Hams is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic method of curing hams salting in a mix of sea salt, common salt, sugar, saltpetre and beer before smoking and storing. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Westmoreland Cure for Sweet Hams.

prep time

30 minutes

cook time

2 months

Total Time:

2 months

Serves:

16

Rating:

Tags : Pork RecipesBritish Recipes

This is a traditional British recipe redacted from the redoubtable Mrs Beeton's 1861 volume Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the classic Victorian cookbook.

Original Recipe

TO CURE SWEET HAMS IN THE WESTMORELAND WAY.

818. INGREDIENTS.—3 lbs. of common salt, 3 lbs. of coarse sugar, 1 lb. of bay-salt, 3 quarts of strong beer.

Mode.—Before the hams are put into pickle, rub them the preceding day well with salt, and drain the brine well from them. Put the above ingredients into a saucepan, and boil for 1/4 hour; pour over the hams, and let them remain a month in the pickle. Rub and turn them every day, but do not take them out of the pickling-pan; and have them smoked for a month.

Time.—To be pickled 1 month; to be smoked 1 month.

Seasonable from October to March.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

2 fresh hams, about 6.5kg each
1.5kg rock salt
1.5kg coarse sugar
500g sea salt
6g saltpetre (0.5g per 1kg meat)
2l strong beer

Method:

Take fresh hams, straight from the pig, rub liberally with salt, place in a large pan and set aside in a cool place for 1 days to allow all the blood to drain from them. Discard the brine then combine the rock salt, coarse sugar, sea salt, saltpetre and beer (as above) in a pan. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 15 minutes then pour over the hams (there should be enough to completely cover them). Set aside in a cool place for 1 month. Every day, during this time, turn the hams over, but do not take them out of the pickling pan.

At the end of the month, clean off the hams then cold smoke for up to 1 month before storing.

For the an example of how you can make a home-made cold smoker with modern materials, see the article on: making a home-made cold smoker.

Find more Mrs Beeton Recipes Hereand more Traditional Victorian Recipes Here.