Curing ham in wood ash - easy to do, tender and superior taste to dry curing or smoking

Hi all,

in northern Germany my family use to cure meats in wood ash.

The outcome was beating everything what I have had so far.
Tender, equal dried ham with a nutty taste similar to Parma ham and definitely superior to air dried or smoked.

It was a straight forward operation.
Just that all tricky factors like constant temperature control (we did in 15-25 degrees Celsius) and humidity are closed out.

You start like any other meat you prepare for smoking or air drying.
Then you take a cardboard box and cover the meat in sieved with ash from natural wood. (15cm minimum around all sides) and let it cure by hanging the box free or at least lift it with wood pieces off the ground.
The box needs to have an air flow all around.

The only thing was you need to have patience and not dig in-between to check the meat, because you might destroy the micro climate.
(Rule of thumb = 1-1.5 week for every centimeter meat thickness)
If done right I can promise a taste that is absolute unique and won't stand behind Parma or Iberico ham.

I still can do it BUT:
Now that I live in the tropics I am wondering if anybody has done it already in such a hot climate?

Cheers

See & Will

Did you ever give it a shot? Never heard if this. Very interesting

Just to make sure I understand......you're curing the ham using a salt brine, and then covering in wood ash both to add smoke flavor, and to preserve the meat?

Or are you covering an uncured ham with wood ash, and the ash provides the curing?

James Bridger wrote:Just to make sure I understand......you're curing the ham using a salt brine, and then covering in wood ash both to add smoke flavor, and to preserve the meat?

Or are you covering an uncured ham with wood ash, and the ash provides the curing?

You take all steps that you do for smoking and instead of smoking you ripen the meat in wood ash.

To add: As far I remember Granny used beech and apple tree wood cuttings from a neighbor carpenter and her apple tree prunings.