How long does it take before the cured leg is ready?

Count on around four months. The leg is rubbed with the salt mixture and sits 1 week (turned in the brine every day), then 8 days in ordinary brine, is hung up freely for 6 days to drip off, is smoked – and is only ready to use after about 4 months of maturing.

What does the salt mixture consist of?

60 g sugar, 40 g saltpeter, and 2 liters of table salt are stirred together with water, and the leg of lamb is rubbed well with this.

Why must the leg hang freely for 6 days before smoking?

So that the brine drains off well, so the surface becomes dry before the smoke sets in. The recipe is from Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), p. 649.

How many servings does a cured leg yield?

The recipe is calculated for around 10 servings.

Cured leg of mutton (leg of lamb)

Name: Cured leg of mutton (leg of lamb)
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 2999 h 15 min
Total time: 3000 h
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients: 1 pcs leg of lamb (well cooled after slaughter); 60 g sugar; 40 g saltpeter (may be omitted or replaced with curing salt (nitrite salt)); 2 l table salt (coarse salt, measured by volume as in the original); dl water (the amount is illegible in the original; use about 2 dl); ordinary salt brine (for further salting over 8 days)

Erken's 1914 method for curing a leg of lamb: the leg is rubbed with sugar, saltpeter, salt, and water, sits one week, then 8 days in ordinary salt brine, hangs 6 days, is smoked, and cures for about 4 months.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 649 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

From the slaughtering chapter of "Stor kokebok" (1914), where Erken gives instructions for how the household itself salts, smokes, and cures meat after slaughter. Leg of lamb was cured in the fall and ready to use by late winter.

How to make it

1
Mix the salt blend
Stir together sugar, saltpeter, salt, and water into a moist mixture.
2
Rub the leg
Rub the leg of lamb thoroughly with the mixture on all sides, and place it in a tub. Let it sit for one week, turning it in the brine every day.
3
Place in brine
Then place the leg in ordinary salt brine for 8 days.
4
Hang to drain
Hang the leg up freely for 6 days so the brine drains off well.
5
Smoke and cure
Smoke the leg, then hang it to cure. It is ready to use after about 4 months.

Changes from the original

The amount of water is illegible in the OCR text and is given as approximate. Saltpeter is kept as the original states, but marked as optional/replaceable by curing salt in the modern kitchen. Units have been modernized (grams, dl, liters).

Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From1914 1949 Modernised

To1914 1949 Modernised

Modernised → 1914 (proofread, p. 649)~87% of the text changedremovedadded

~~1 stk fårelår (godt avkjølt etter slakting).~~ 60 ~~g sukker.~~ gr. sukker 40 g gr. salpeter ~~(kan sløyfes eller erstattes med nitritsalt).~~ 2 l l. kjøkkensalt (grovt salt, målt i volum som i originalen). dl vann (mengden er uleselig i originalen; bruk ca. 2 dl). vanlig saltlake (til videre salting i 8 dager). Rør sammen sukker, salpeter, salt og vann til en fuktig blanding.. Gni fårelåret godt inn med blandingen på alle sider, og legg det i et kar. La det ligge i én uke, ... del. vand. Alt røres sammen, og ~~vend det~~ faarelaaret indgnides hermed, ligger 1 uke; vendes i laken hver ~~dag.. Legg deretter låret~~ dag; ligger derefter i ~~vanlig saltlake~~ almindelig lake i 8 ~~dager.. Heng låret fritt opp~~ dage. Hænges frit op i 6 ~~dager så~~ dage, saa laken ~~renner~~ kan rinde godt ~~av.. Røyk låret,~~ av; røkes og ~~heng det deretter til speking. Det~~ er ~~ferdig~~ færdig til bruk ~~etter omtrent~~ efter 4 ~~måneder.~~ maaneders forløp.

Note on Modernised

Mengden vann er uleselig i OCR-teksten og er angitt som omtrentlig. Salpeter er beholdt slik originalen angir, men merket som valgfritt/erstattes av nitritsalt i moderne kjøkken. Enheter er modernisert (gram, dl, liter).

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Frequently asked questions

How long does it take before the cured leg is ready?: Count on around four months. The leg is rubbed with the salt mixture and sits 1 week (turned in the brine every day), then 8 days in ordinary brine, is hung up freely for 6 days to drip off, is smoked – and is only ready to use after about 4 months of maturing.
What does the salt mixture consist of?: 60 g sugar, 40 g saltpeter, and 2 liters of table salt are stirred together with water, and the leg of lamb is rubbed well with this.
Why must the leg hang freely for 6 days before smoking?: So that the brine drains off well, so the surface becomes dry before the smoke sets in. The recipe is from Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), p. 649.
How many servings does a cured leg yield?: The recipe is calculated for around 10 servings.

Equipment for this dish

Casings, spices and sausage gear →Natural casings, sausage spices and stuffing horns for curing and sausage-making.Foodstuff.no

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