Black Forest ham: dry-cured with salt and juniper, then cold-smoked over fir and spruce until the outside is almost black. It won PGI protection in 1997 and is sliced thin onto bread.
Cold smoking holds raw meat for weeks at a temperature too low to kill anything, so it works only on top of a correctly measured cure; the ham is also a PGI made only in a defined Black Forest area.
What goes into it
- a boned pork leg
- salt
- juniper berries
- garlic, coriander and pepper
- fir and spruce wood for smoke
How it is made
The boned leg is dry-cured with salt and juniper for two weeks, then rested for a fortnight so the salt equalises through the muscle. It is cold-smoked over fir and spruce for several weeks at under 25°C (77°F), which colours and flavours it without cooking, and then hung to mature.
How long it takes: three months at minimum
How it is eaten
Sliced thin with dark bread and butter, or with melon and asparagus.
History
Cured with salt and juniper then cold-smoked over fir and spruce in the Black Forest; the ham won PGI protection in 1997.
Frequently asked questions
What is Schwarzwälder Schinken?
Schwarzwälder Schinken is a charcuterie & cured from Germany: black Forest ham, dry-cured and cold-smoked over fir, sliced thin. Cured with salt and juniper then cold-smoked over fir and spruce in the Black Forest; the ham won PGI protection in 1997.
How is Schwarzwälder Schinken made?
The boned leg is dry-cured with salt and juniper for two weeks, then rested for a fortnight so the salt equalises through the muscle. It is cold-smoked over fir and spruce for several weeks at under 25°C (77°F), which colours and flavours it without cooking, and then hung to mature. It takes three months at minimum.
Can I make Schwarzwälder Schinken at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. Cold smoking holds raw meat for weeks at a temperature too low to kill anything, so it works only on top of a correctly measured cure; the ham is also a PGI made only in a defined Black Forest area.
What goes into Schwarzwälder Schinken?
A boned pork leg, salt, juniper berries, garlic, coriander and pepper, fir and spruce wood for smoke.
How is Schwarzwälder Schinken eaten?
Sliced thin with dark bread and butter, or with melon and asparagus.
