Homemade White Ham

A mouth-watering homemade white ham that’s perfect for any occasion.

4.95 (35)

Prep Time: 1 10

Cook Time: 2 45

Resting time: 5

Total Time: 5 3 55

Course: Ham

Cuisine: French

Servings: kg ham

MetricUS Customary

To make the brine, bring 1.8 kg coarse salt, 200 g sugar, the chilies, onions, shallots, bay leaves, thyme, cloves, and 10 L water to a boil.
Allow the brine to cool completely.
Immerse the meat in the cooled brine, ensuring it is fully covered.
Refrigerate at 4 °C for 3 days.
Remove excess salt by soaking the meat in fresh water, changing the water several times over 24 hours.
Slip a stainless-steel mixing bowl into the ham netting to hold it open.
Add the shank rind to the net (optional).
Cut the remaining meat into cubes.
Add the diced meat, shaping it into a tight round.
Close the net and pack the meat as firmly as possible. Ask a helper to tie it while you compress the meat into a perfect ball.
Make a broth with the carrots, leeks, turnips, onions, shallots, thyme, and bay leaves.
Poach the ham in the broth at 80 °C, keeping the internal temperature below 66 °C. Allow about 2 hours 45 minutes for a 3 kg ham.
Set the ham on a rack to cool.
Refrigerate the cooled ham for 24 hours.
Remove the netting and enjoy.
Slice and vacuum-seal for freezing, if desired.

Choose a container deep enough to completely cover the meat with brine and weight it down if necessary.

Strain and reserve the brine for future batches.

Keep the ham under gentle pressure as it cools to prevent air pockets from forming.

Stored in the refrigerator, the ham will keep for up to one week—longer if vacuum-sealed.