German Kochschinken (Cooked Cured Ham)
Authentic German Kochschinken made at home using pork shoulder, injected brine, nitrite curing salt, and sous vide cooking for precise texture and safety.
Servings: 1 ham
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg 53 oz lean pork (leg, shoulder, or loin)
- 1 L water
- 20 g 0.7 oz sugar
- 100 g 3.5 oz nitrite curing salt (Nitritpökelsalz)
- 5 g juniper berries
- 2 g caraway
- 2 g garlic granules
- 2 g black pepper
- 1.5 g coriander
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Boil water with all brine ingredients. Turn off heat and steep until cold. Strain.
- Trim pork clean of cartilage and glands.
- Inject 20–30% of the meat’s weight in brine, spacing injections about 1 inch apart.
- Vacuum seal with an additional 10% brine. Refrigerate 1–3 days, turning occasionally.
- Rinse meat under cold water. Optionally hot smoke for 30–60 minutes.
- Vacuum seal and sous vide at 72°C / 161°F until core reaches 67°C / 153°F (about 3 hours).
- Chill in refrigerator for 24 hours before slicing.