Make pork loin ham yourself- mildly smoked and super tasty
- Type
- Ham
- Level
- Medium
- Rating
- Rate this recipe
In this post I’ll show you how to make pork loin ham yourself. It is super easy to make.
My recipe is pretty puristic. However the taste is extraordinary. The ham is dry cured and then cold smoked. I smoked it 2 times, 12 hours each.
A pork loin ham is an excellent alternation to the classic dry cured ham. Its low-fat content and tenderness make it something special.
You want to know more about ham? No problem, I have written down all my knowledge in my ham book. You can have a look at the book “Make Dry-Cured & Cooked Ham Easily At Home (Incl. 28 Recipes)” here.
In this post you’ll can find the complete pork loin ham recipe as a video or to read through.
Have fun and good luck making it yourself!
Table of Contents
Pork loin ham – What do you need to make it?
Ingredients per 1 kg
| Ingredient | Grams | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| boneless pork loin | 1,000 g | 100 % |
Spices per 1 kg
| Ingredient | Grams |
|---|---|
| salt | 27.5 g |
| Cure #1 | 2.5 g |
| black pepper | 2 g |
| sugar mixture (50/50 dextrose and regular sugar) | 2 g |
The sugar mixture gives the best results for me. If you don’t have dextrose, you can just use regular sugar.
The equipment to make pork loin ham
Smoker
You need the smoker to smoke your pork loin ham.
Cold Smoke Generator and smoking flour
The cold smoke generator burns for about 12 hours. This saves you to constantly refill the smoking flour.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Trim the pork loin
Remove any tendons, fibers and silverskins from the meat. Make sure there are no large incisions or “pockets” in the meat. This is because the pockets could lead to mold.
Weigh the spices
Weigh out all the ingredients. To do this you multiplicate the weight of your meat with the spices in my recipe. If your meat has exactly 1000g = 1 kg you can just take them as they are. If you want to make a larger piece, let’s say 1.5 kg you multiplicate the spices with 1.5. Same applies for smaller meat pieces.
Massage in the curing mixture
Mix the salt and spices together and rub them evenly on all sides of the piece of meat.
Vacuum-seal
Place the pork with the remaining salt and spices in a bag and vacuum seal. It is important to include all the salt and spices you weighed out before.
Cure in the fridge
Put the vacuumed pork loin in the refrigerator for the minimum curing time (1.5 days / cm of meat thickness). Turn the bag over occasionally.
Rinse after curing
After the curing time you can take the meat out of the bag and rinse off the seasonings with cold water.
Pat dry
Pat the meat dry with a kitchen towel.
Dry off before smoking
Hang in a cool, dark place, ideally about 12 °C and 75 % humidity. Dry off for half the calculated curing time, rounded up to whole days; my 10-day cure meant 5 days of drying. This removes moisture before smoking. Slightly higher or lower humidity is fine.
Cold-smoke
Cold smoke at about 15 °C. I use two sessions of 12 hours each with a 12-hour rest between them for a gentle smoke flavor. Keep the smoke flowing evenly around the ham.
Leave to mature and enjoy
Your pork loin ham is ready. I recommend at least 4 more weeks of maturation for a more intense flavor. If a dry rim bothers you, vacuum-pack the ham again and refrigerate it. I personally do not mind it. Try it on fresh buttered bread. Enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
How long should pork loin ham cure?
How long should pork loin ham cure?
Allow at least 1.5 days per centimeter of meat thickness. For a typical loin, that is about 7–10 days. If in doubt, cure a few days longer. This doesn’t harm vacuum-packed meat and lets the flavors develop further. Turn the bag occasionally.
How long should I smoke it?
How long should I smoke it?
I use two 12-hour cold-smoking sessions at about 15 °C, with a 12-hour rest between them. This gives a mild smoke flavor. Use three or four sessions if you prefer it smokier.
How long does pork loin ham keep?
How long does pork loin ham keep?
Whole, vacuum-packed and kept cool, it keeps for several months. Once sliced, use it within 7 days, airtight in the fridge. Longer drying before storage also extends its vacuum-packed shelf life.
What is Lachsschinken?
What is Lachsschinken?
It is a tender, lean ham made from pork loin, cured and cold-smoked. The name refers to the loin cut, not salmon.
Which cut should I use?
Which cut should I use?
Use boneless pork loin for classic Lachsschinken. It is lean and fine-grained. Choose good-quality meat because the simple seasoning lets its flavor stand out.
Which spices suit pork loin?
Which spices suit pork loin?
I keep it simple: salt, Cure #1, pepper and a sugar mixture. Good meat and a little smoke are enough for me. Juniper, coriander or bay leaf also works.
Can I freeze it?
Can I freeze it?
Yes, preferably vacuum-packed in portions. Thaw slowly in the fridge to retain the flavor.
How should I serve it?
How should I serve it?
Slice it very thinly on fresh buttered bread. It is also great on an antipasti platter or in a salad.
Hi: I’m loving your website, and your ebook. We hosted an AFS German daughter (Carola is from Hamburg) a long time ago. Carola is like my own daughter now. We have visited with she and her parents in Hamburg. While there, we traveled north to Rolph’s mother’s home near the Danish border. The smoked hams and sausages there were/are wonderful! So – thanks for your recipes from multiple reasons.
Now, I have a question: I am making pork loin ham. I started yesterday. In the night, I realized I have a 2 Kg loin, but I only used the salts, etc. for 1. So, I’m thinking I could just rinse it off and re-apply with the corrected amounts. It has only been in the vac bag for one day. Thoughts? Again, thank you so much.
Tim Inman
Randolph, Iowa USA
Hey Tim, no rinsing, just add more. Should still work with such short timeframe. daniel
Hello, reading through the recipe, I see it’s smoked multiple hours up to 78f and I’m wondering is that considered cooked?
So the instructions don’t say to “cook” the ham sot is it okay to eat even though it has not been brought up to a higher temperature?
If im following this correctly, you are not cooking this at all. and after the curing time, I can eat it.