Oak-smoked cured ham from the Éislek, Luxembourg’s northern Ardennes, served in slices with fries. The region’s cool damp air is what suits the slow drying, and the ham carries a protected geographical indication.
It is a PGI ham, and cold smoking holds raw meat for days at a temperature too low to kill anything — the cure and the Ardennes air have to carry the whole safety burden across months.
What goes into it
- a pork leg
- salt
- juniper, pepper and bay
- oak or beech for smoke
How it is made
The leg is dry-salted for two to three weeks, then rested cold so the salt equalises through the muscle. It is cold-smoked over oak — below the temperature at which it would cook — for several days, and then hung to dry in the Éislek’s cool damp air for months.
How long it takes: three to six months
How it is eaten
Sliced with fries and a mustard sauce at a fair, or thin with bread and butter.
History
Raw ham salted and smoked in the Éislek, Luxembourg’s northern Ardennes, whose cool damp air suits slow air-drying.
Frequently asked questions
What is Éisleker ham?
Éisleker ham is a charcuterie & cured from Luxembourg: oak-smoked cured ham from the Oesling, served with fries. Raw ham salted and smoked in the Éislek, Luxembourg’s northern Ardennes, whose cool damp air suits slow air-drying.
How is Éisleker ham made?
The leg is dry-salted for two to three weeks, then rested cold so the salt equalises through the muscle. It is cold-smoked over oak — below the temperature at which it would cook — for several days, and then hung to dry in the Éislek’s cool damp air for months. It takes three to six months.
Can I make Éisleker ham at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is a PGI ham, and cold smoking holds raw meat for days at a temperature too low to kill anything — the cure and the Ardennes air have to carry the whole safety burden across months.
What goes into Éisleker ham?
A pork leg, salt, juniper, pepper and bay, oak or beech for smoke.
How is Éisleker ham eaten?
Sliced with fries and a mustard sauce at a fair, or thin with bread and butter.
