In this article, you will learn how to make your own red wine cured ham. With a moderate amount of effort, you can achieve a super tasty result.
Red wine cured ham is a raw ham and a really delicious delicacy. The combination of tender meat and the spicy depth of the red wine tastes simply heavenly. It is fascinating how the red wine imparts its flavors to the meat.
Making it at home allows you to customize the taste and create something that is just right for you.
If you are looking for more great ham recipes, I have my whisky ham, pork tenderloin or smoked ham recipe for you here.
Want to learn more about ham? No problem, I wrote down all my knowledge in my ham book. Interested? Then click here.
But now enough talking…
Here you can find the complete red wine cured ham recipe as a video or to read through.
Have fun and good luck making it!
Table of Contents
Red wine cured ham – What do you need to make it?

The perfect ingredients and a little patience are all you need to prepare this tasty treat in no time at all.
Ingredients per 1 kg
- 100% pork neck (1000g) Important: The piece of meat must be neatly trimmed and have no pockets!
Spices per KG mass
- 29.5 g salt
- 2.5 g Cure #1
- 2 g sugar mixture (1 g dextrose, 1 g sugar)
- 2 g black pepper
- 1 g white pepper
- 1.5 g bay leaves
- 0.5 g garlic powder
- 0.5 g juniper berries
- 75 ml dry red wine
The equipment to make red wine cured ham
Spice grinder/ mortar:
Freshly ground spices taste best. But of course, you can also use ground ones. It is best to use a spice grinder. Alternatively, you can use a mortar. You just need to take care, that the spices are completely ground.
Place to dry and mature the ham
To age the ham, you need an environment where both humidity and temperature are relatively constant. There are several possibilities for this. I have already matured cured hams in the fridge or cellar without any problems.
Optional: If you want to be on the safe side, then a ripening cabinet is the best choice. My recommendation: Dry Ager DX 500
Red wine cured ham – Step-By-Step Instructions
Follow these simple steps to prepare your red wine cured ham to perfection.
1. Coarsely grind all the spices in a mortar. You can also use a spice grinder for this.

2. Pour the spice mixture over the piece of meat and distribute the spices evenly on all sides of the piece of meat

3. Place the meat in a bag. Make sure that all the spices end up in the bag.

4. Now add the red wine to the bag.

5. Vacuum seal the pork neck. Here you must be careful not to pull the wine out of the bag too quickly. To do this, stop the vacuum sealer manually. Your vacuum sealer may even have a function for liquids.

6. Place the bag in the refrigerator for the minimum curing time (1.5 days / cm meat thickness). Turn the bag occasionally. You can also cure your pork neck for longer, but not shorter.

7. Pat the meat dry with a kitchen towel. I also remove most of the spices. This reduces the risk of your red wine ham going moldy.

8. Then insert a hook into the piece of cured meat. This will make it easier for you to hang it up afterwards. Alternatively, you can also tie the red wine cured ham with kitchen twine and hang it up.

9. Now hang the red wine cured ham in the fridge/cellar/maturing cabinet to dry. It is important that the humidity is 75 % and the temperature remains below 15 °C (59.0°F). My piece lasted approx. 1.5 months.
Important: The better the humidity can be controlled, the more evenly the red wine cured ham will dry. If it dries too quickly, this can lead to a dry edge. In this case, I recommend vacuum-sealing the piece of meat again and then leaving it in the fridge for 2 – 3 weeks.

10. Your red wine cured ham is ready. The red wine cured ham is delicious sliced wafer-thin on delicious bread. Enjoy it for yourself.😄

Frequently asked questions
What is the shelf life of your red wine cured ham?
Your red wine cured ham will keep for about a week in the refrigerator. The alternative is to vacuum-seal the red wine cured ham in portions. It should keep for 2-3 weeks in the fridge if vacuum-sealed. You can also freeze it. This increases the shelf life many times over.
Can I also use a lean piece of meat?
Yes, you can also use a lean cut of meat for the red wine cured ham. A pork nut or a piece of ham is suitable for this.
Which red wine should I use?
It’s up to you which red wine you use. In the end, it’s a matter of taste. You have to like the ham, so I recommend using a red wine that suits your taste.
How do I deal with a dry edge?
If your red wine cured ham dries too quickly, this can lead to a dry edge. In this case, I recommend vacuum-sealing the piece of meat again and then leaving it in the fridge for 2 – 3 weeks.