Prosciutto is a cured Italian ham originally hailing from the region of Parma. Usually served sliced paper thin with figs, fruit or cheese, it is a staple of Italian cuisine. At the deli, prosciutto can be quite expensive, as it's usually imported from Italian or Swiss regions; even its American counterpart can be quite pricey. If you're willing to do a little extra work, you can make your very own right at home!
Instructions
1. Mix ingredients. First chop the 12 to 15 cloves of garlic coarsely. Then mix the garlic, 1/2 cup salt, 2 tbsp. pepper, 2 tsp. nutmeg, 2 tsp. cinnamon and 2 tsp. ground cloves in a bowl.
2. Rub the meat. Lay the ham on a surface that will not absorb the juices. Then take your well-mixed rub and rub it on the prosciutto intensely so that the entire ham is covered. If for some reason, you do not have enough rub, make more in the same ratio as described above. But the entire ham should be covered.
3. Let the ham rest for 3 days, absorbing the rub in a cool, dry place. Wipe up any excess liquids that may emerge.
4. Repeat rub. However, this time use only garlic and sea salt, again covering the ham in its entirety.
5. Rest the ham again, this time for a period of 5 days, after which salt the ham abundantly.
6. Salt the ham again. Now that your ham has begun the curing process, let it age for 30 days. Be sure to rotate or turn the ham every few days, knocking off any excess salt that may emerge and wiping off any excess liquids as well.
7. Rinse the ham. At this ham is salted. Now you want to rinse the ham with equal parts of warm water and vinegar.
8. Hang the ham. Now the ham is fully ready to cure. You want to hang it in a cool dry place that is impervious to flies for 7 to 8 months. Also, be sure to rub exposed parts of the ham with rendered lard. And be very cautious of hanging it where flies have access. They are attracted to prosciutto.
9. Eat! At this point your ham is ready to eat. Your prosciutto should be sliced very thin. It goes fantastically fried with goat cheese, enhancing a turkey sandwich or even just by itself as a light snack.
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