Dry Salt Cure for a 14-Lb Ham

Curing your own ham at home is old-world charcuterie at its most satisfying. This dry cure method uses rough salt, brown sugar, and saltpeter rubbed directly into a skin-on leg of pork, then left to rest and draw moisture over three weeks.

The order of application matters. Sugar and saltpeter go on first, worked thoroughly into the bone ends where spoilage starts. Half the salt follows immediately, and the rest gets rubbed in after a week. Turning the ham regularly during the cure ensures even salt penetration throughout the meat.

After curing, hang the ham in warm moving air for a day or two to dry. From there, you can smoke it over hardwood sawdust or skip straight to aging.

Kitchen Tips

• A salting trough with drainage channels keeps the ham above the pooling brine. Sitting in its own liquid creates uneven curing and can encourage off flavors
• Pay extra attention to the bone ends when rubbing in the cure. These are the spots most vulnerable to spoilage
• Keep the smoker fire smoldering constantly if smoking. Temperature fluctuations during smoking compromise the cure
• Use beech, birch, or oak sawdust for smoking. Resinous softwoods like pine will give the ham a bitter, acrid taste
• This same method works for bacon with a shorter smoking time of about 6 hours

Variations

• York-style ham: After smoking, hang to mature for 2-3 months in a temperature and humidity controlled space for a deeply flavored aged ham
• Unsmoked cure: Skip the smoking entirely for a salt-cured ham similar to Italian prosciutto-style preparations
• Bacon adaptation: Use the same cure on a pork belly instead of a leg, and reduce the total cure time proportionally to the thinner cut