In this article, you will learn how to make your own wild boar cured ham. With a moderate amount of effort, you can achieve a super tasty result.
Wild boar cured ham is a delicious game specialty made from wild boar and a great change from classic ham. Curing and drying gives it a unique aroma.
It tastes best on freshly baked bread, but is also excellent on a snack platter.
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 wild boar cured ham recipe as a video or to read through.
Have fun and good luck making it!
Table of Contents
Wild boar 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% wild boar meat (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
- 4 g fresh rosemary
- 3 g fresh thyme
- 3 g black pepper
- 3 g sugar mixture (1.5 g dextrose, 1.5 g sugar)
- 1 g garlic powder
- 0,5 g. bay leaves
The equipment to make wild boar cured ham
For the stress-free “curing in vacuum” method you need a vacuumizer. If you don’t have one yet, you can check out my recommendation here.
Alternative: “Real dry curing” doesn’t require a vacuum sealer, read my article on the subject of curing.
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
Wild boar cured ham – Step-By-Step Instructions
Follow these simple steps to prepare your wild boar 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 wild boar cured ham in a bag. Make sure that all the spices end up in the bag.
4. Vacuum seal the meat.
5. Place the bag in the refrigerator for the minimum curing time (1.5 days / cm meat thickness). Turn the bag occasionally. You can cure your piece of meat for longer, but not shorter.
Book recommendation: The Full Guide On Making Dry Cured & Cooked Ham Easily At Home – Step-by-step instructions & 28 delicious recipes
6. Now pat the meat dry with a kitchen towel. I also remove most of the spices. This reduces the risk of your wild boar cured ham going moldy.
7. Then insert a hook into the cured piece of meat. This will make it easier for you to hang it up afterwards. Alternatively, you can also tie the wild boar cured ham with kitchen twine and hang it up.
8. Now hang the ham in the fridge/cellar/maturing cabinet to dry. It is important that the humidity is 75 % and the temperature remains below 15 °C. My piece lasted approx. 1.5 months.
Important: The better the humidity can be controlled, the more evenly the wild boar 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.
9. Your wild boar cured ham is ready. Enjoy the taste.😄
Frequently asked questions
What is the shelf life of your wild boar cured ham?
Your wild boar cured ham will keep for about a week in the fridge. The alternative is to vacuum-seal the wild boar cured ham in portions. It should keep for 2-3 weeks in the fridge once vacuum-sealed. You can also freeze it. This increases the shelf life many times over.
Which part of the wild boar is best for ham?
The best part is the leg, especially the upper or lower skin, as it contains little sinew and fat and is nice and lean.
How long does it take for the ham to mature?
Depending on size and air temperature, approx. 6-12 weeks, sometimes longer.