Ingredients
4 pounds/2 kilograms kosher salt, or as needed to coat the ham
One 12 – 15 lb fresh ham, skin on, aitch-bone removed
½ cup / 500 grams lard
Cracked black pepper
Cheesecloth
Directions
1) Rub the salt heavily all over the ham, especially on the exposed flesh and around the exposed femur bone.
2) Place skin side down in a non-reactive roasting pan or plastic tub, cover with plastic wrap, and place another pan on top. Weigh the ham with about 10 lbs (cans or clean bricks). Refrigerate for 1 day for each pound, checking every couple of days to make sure all areas are still covered in salt. Pour off any excess water and add more salt if necessary. Avoid touching the ham with your bare hands too much. You may want to use disposable rubber gloves for sanitation.
3) On the last day of curing, the ham should feel firm and dense to the touch. If it does not, resalt as necessary and cure for another 1 to 3 days.
4) Wipe the remaining salt off the ham, rinse under cool water, and pat dry with paper towels. Spread the lard over the exposed meat and pack the cracked pepper onto the lard (the lard helps to keep the exposed flesh from over-drying, and the pepper helps to keep bugs away). Wrap the ham in four layers of cheesecloth and tie with butcher’s string.
5) Hang the ham in a cool, dry place (ideally 60 degrees F (15.6C) with 60 to 70% humidity) with good ventilation for at least 4 to 5 months, or as long as a year. The ham should lose almost half of its original weight. You will know it is ready when there isn’t much give when you squeeze it. And you can also take a metal skewer and insert it in the center remove and smell – it should have a cured aroma. This takes practice.
6) When the ham has dried, wipe off all the lard and carefully remove the rind with a sharp boning knife. Slice paper-this, parallel to the bone with a sharp slicing knife.
