Ham cure recipe

A simple ham cure recipe using our multi award winning Artisan Malt Vinegar.

Vinegar is used as a part of meat curing processes all over the world. So, it’s used in making chorizo. Over the years we’ve supplied a number of people and businesses using our Artisan Malt Vinegar as part of the biltong curing process. Chatting to one of those biltong makers, he told me that a quality, unpasteurised malt vinegar was key to getting the best quality biltong.

I don’t know anything about biltong I’m afraid. But I do know that our Artisan Malt Vinegar makes an unbelievably good cure for home-made ham.

We tend to raise our own pigs from time to time – they thrive on our spent grain, so they cost us next to nothing to feed. They have a pretty good time.

And when the time comes we cure our own bacon and hams. They are both simple processes – you can do it just as easily with shop-bought pork.

Ham Cure Recipe

If I was to choose one use which I think brings out the very best in our Artisan Malt Vinegar, it would probably be in a cure for ham. if I say so myself I think this cure makes the best ham you’ll ever taste. Artisan Malt Vinegar has strong notes of oak, treacle and dark chocolate – and the curing process allows all those flavours to work their way into the meat. It really isn’t hard to do.

Boil some water and dissolve 250g salt and 250g sugar per litre of water. Then add 400ml Artisan Malt Vinegar per litre of water. Let that cool. We make about 20 litres of cure for a binful of meat, but for a single joint you would only need a couple of litres. Allow the cure to cool, then pop in your joint of meat. Leave for a few days in a cool place – you’ll see the meat turn from a pink into an oaky-brown colour as the cure does its thing.

Once you can’t be bothered waiting any more (we usually manage 4 or 5 days) take it out of the cure and soak it overnight in cold water.

Then I usually coat it in honey and mustard – or treacle and mustard – and roast it.

It’ll spoil you for any other ham.

https://artisanvinegar.co.uk/artisan-malt-vinegar/