When you have left the ham for the allotted time, remove it from the box and wash thoroughly with fresh cold water to remove excess salt. Rub the whole joint with white wine vinegar and wrap completely in a double layer of muslin, tied tightly with butcher’s string.
Hang in a cool, well-ventilated place for 4–6 months to ‘wind dry’. Ventilation is essential, and the more ‘wind’ the faster and better the cure.
A draughty barn or garage would be a suitable location; I hang mine in the porch at River Cottage. Or, like my friend Victor, you could construct a rainproof frame for your hams and hang them in a tree.
Surround the frame with chicken wire to make it bird- and squirrel-proof, but not windproof.
A squeeze with the fingertips will tell you when your ham is ready: it should be very firm but not quite rock hard – still giving just a little.
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