The black forest ham or Schwarzwälder Schinken is an immensely popular dish from Germany. It is a kind of boneless smoked variety of ham which holds an integral position within Germanic cuisine therefore it holds a protected status within the bounds of the European Union. As per the recent data, Schwarzwälder Schinken is the largest selling variety of ham within the whole of Europe. Moreover, as per the guidelines, all the Schwarzwälder Schinken sold has to come from the Black Forest region of Germany.
Traditionally, the meat is always boneless and contains about one-fifth of fat. Moreover, it can be eaten just the way it is or along with the famous holzofenbrot or rye bread. You can find many a households who preserve the black forest ham for over a months’ worth of time and enjoy its everlasting taste.
About Schwarzwälder Schinken
Smoked meats of different varieties are considered to be delicacies all over the world. Particularly, the Schwarzwälder Schinken or the Black Forest Ham is indeed something which every German blood craves for.
As far as the authentic recipe is considered, it is no easy piece of cake. The black forest ham, originally would take months to cook. This was because it involved cooking at low temperatures that is, it was cold smoked. Moreover, the process also would require the meat to be within the sight of an expert at all times.
Before embarking upon the methodology of the recipe it is important to familiarise yourself with the smoking process which is an integral part of cooking this ham. Smoking is a process of preservation. It developed as a method at a point in time when refrigerators or chemical preservatives where non-existent. You can associate this smoking method with the modern day barbeques where essentially smoking infuses favours and makes the meat tender.
Moreover, in a few North American regions smoking is an elaborate process and demands specific kind of equipment’s. In these regions while smoking implies that the smoke should be held and circulated within the particular container. Generally hard wooded chunks are used up in the smoking process. Furthermore, smoking has a lot to do with the kind of wood in use and the requirement of the taste. The following German make of the ham essentially requires Pine chips for the authentic taste to appear.
While smoking keeping the temperature in control is a crucial element of the process. Mostly meats are cooked at an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit whereas poultries are cooked at 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Furthermore, in today’s time spending endless hours on the smoker might be difficult hence the more advisable temperature for the meat is pegged at 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Despite that, it does take quite a bit of time to get smoked. Most cooks use two thermometers, one fixed in the meat and the other which measures the area inside the container. There is a reason that while smoking high temperatures is not recommended. This is because the smoke requires a considerable amount of time to enter the meat and the slow cooking process breaks down the fibres in the meat almost naturally. Exposing the meat with adequate smoke is thus extremely important and also, the smoke has to be in circulation so as to avoid any form of bitterness that might emerge within the meat. This is an indeed complex process and one can only attain mastery through practice.
Finally, in the case of a charcoal grill, keep in mind that the fire has to be away from the meat. The charcoal grills are meant to cook at a faster pace so you will have to keep the fire at low. Furthermore, as mentioned above keeping the smoke in circulation is important, hence the vents will have to be positioned in a proper way which allows the air to flow in and then it should also have an exit way. Generally, the smoke tends to escape from most of the modern grills rather too quickly because of their design so it is advisable to keep the lid shut as much as possible.
Recipe
The following recipe is an easy undertaking. The traditional way of cooking Schwarzwälder Schinken does not require elaborate techniques or fancy equipment’s. Everything in-fact depend on the quality of the ingredients. This recipe is a do it yourself guide for an easy and delicious way of cooking ham the German way.
A crucial thing to remember is that the following process requires the meat to be cured for about 4 hours and then after that it has to be smoked for another two hours. Moreover, to attain the perfect original taste, the traditional black forest spices are used and the smoking process is conducted using pine chips as it was done in the Black Forest or Schwarzwald. Today, there are a few health concerns that pop up around the use of Pine chips because of the serious content of tar in it, but most traditional cooks choose to ignore this form of advisory for the sake of the taste.
Ingredients:
- Pork: 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds.
The idea is to get the fatty portions from the loin or the ham and it should not be more than two inches thick.
- Dry cure:
- Kosher Salt: 4 ounces
- Sugar: 2 ounces
- Pink Salt: ½ ounces
- Spices Rub:
- Black pepper corns: 2 tablespoons
- Juniper Berries: 2 tablespoons
- Bay Leaves: 10 whole
- Coriander Seeds: 2 teaspoons
- Dry Marjoram: 2 teaspoons
- Equipment’s:
- Wood Chips: Pine or Juniper (depending on availability)
- A smoker or a grill
- Charcoal
- Meat thermometer
The preparation time in this recipe requires about 240 minutes and the cooking time requires 90 minutes.
The total time involved in this recipe is about 330 minutes and the final yield is of about 1 ½ pounds of black forest ham.
Moreover, there are no particular requirements concerning the kind of meat you will require from the hog while preparing this ham. Though, for better results, meat from the loins should be taken first and meat from the ribs and/or other regions can also be used and mixed together.
Preparation
You will first have to operate the meat. That is, you will be needed to maintain a uniform layer of fat coating on the meat, therefore, the thicker pieces will have to be removed or chopped off and made even.
Next, you can mix the ingredients from the dry cure section above and then coat the meat in a proper even manner. Furthermore, you will have to keep the mixture at bay from pets or other individuals because of the nitrite content in the salt. After this is done, you can allow this coated meat to rest in a non-metal container by also covering it with a plastic or a cellophane wrap and then refrigerate this mixture for 4 hours. You will notice that the meat will start to secrete liquids and that is a good sign and one should not worry. This shows that the meat is getting cured.
As the three hour mark approaches you can begin with the smoking process. Firstly, you can begin by starting a charcoal fire and also on the side soak 2 to 3 cups of wood chips in some water.
Now, will be the time to create the spice rub. For this purpose you will have to grind together the ingredients mentioned above in the spice rub section. For grinding, there are no specifications you can use a regular mixer grinder. Just keep in mind that the resultant mixture should be very fine.
When the 4 hours runs out, you will have to take the meat out and then allow it to settle at room temperature. After a while, wash the meat under running water. Keep in mind that all the salts run out and then you can pat dry the meat using paper towels.
Now, you can use the spice rub and sprinkle all over the meat and by using a little pressure make sure that the mixture sticks with the meat.
Next, preparation for the smoking process should begin. You can place aluminium or a regular smoking tray over the charcoal and then add about half a cup of the wet wood chips into the coal. Finally, you can place the grill on top of the tray.
You will have to place the meat on top of the grill and then also place a cover on top of the grill and allow it to get smoked for an hour and a half. The temperature should reach 150 degrees Fahrenheit or above. You will have to check the charcoal and the wood chip continent, keep on replenishing them and keep the smoke up.
The meat should be ready to eat after the time passes. You can of-course check the tenderness by using a fork or a toothpick. There is no particular way of eating the ham, but mostly it is eaten along with pea soup or lentil stew or just like a regular breakfast ham. You can chop it and sprinkle it on salads or make rolls out of them.