Salt Cured Ham: Old-Fashioned Preserving

3.98 from 77 votes

Salt cured ham has been around for centuries as an old-fashioned preservation method. It's simple to cure your own ham at home with this easy recipe.

Prep Time10

Cook Time18

Course: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cured Ham, Dry Cured Ham, Salt Cured Ham

Servings: ham

Calories: 69.7kcal

Author: Lee Totten

Mix salt, red pepper, black pepper and brown sugar in a bowl and set aside, this is your curing mix.
With a ham that's between 36 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit, rinse in cold water and pat dry.
Put a layer of curing mix ¼” – ½” deep on a tray to act as a bed for the ham.
Place the ham on top of the layer of curing mix.
At the H-bone (hip) and the hock joints, cut slits down to the bone then pack with as much of the salt mixture as possible.
Rub and cover the rest of the ham with the curing mix.
Leave the tray in a cool place (such as a refrigerator or a cooler packed with ice) for 18 days at 36-40 degrees.
Cure for 18 days (or more - see recipe notes).
Once the ham is cured, rinse well with cool water then smoke it, cook it or freeze it for later (see recipe notes for cooking tips).

If using a cooler, be sure to check your ice daily and replenish it as needed.
If you are going to smoke your ham, it has to be firm to the touch. If it's not firm to the touch, continue curing and checking it daily.
If ham is ready to be smoked, thoroughly rinse off the salt and pat dry before smoking.
If you are freezing then firmness does not matter. Slice the ham and freeze or freeze whole.
When ready to eat, you can bake the whole ham.
If you'd like to serve the ham in slices, we recommend soaking the slices in cold water for an hour up to 12 hours in the refrigerator. Then cook up in a frying pan. (You can also simmer the ham slice in a little water in the frying pan, remove the water, then continue cooking.