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Westphalian Ham, Mock

Hams may be cured at home in such a way that they will acquire something of the flavour which belongs to Westphalian hams. To do this, rub each ham with one ounce and a half of pounded saltpetre and one ounce and a half of moist sugar. Let the meat lie for twenty-four hours. Put a pound of strong, stale beer into a stewpan with a pound of common salt, a pound of bay salt, half a pound of brown sugar, one ounce of black pepper, and one ounce of pounded cloves. Let the liquor boil, skim it, and pour it boiling hot upon the ham, which should be turned and rubbed in it twice a day for a fortnight. Or make the pickle by boiling two gallons of soft water with two pounds of common salt, two ounces of bay salt, two ounces of saltpetre, and a handful of bay-leaves finely shredded. Pour the boiling liquor upon the ham, and turn and rub it every day as before. Burn juniper wood under the hams when smoking them. The Westphalian hams derive their peculiar flavour not from the way in which they are cured and smoked alone: the peculiar nature of the food of the Wesphalian pigs has a great deal to do with it.