{"id":204338,"title":"Homemade Jambon Blanc","modified":"2026-11-04T17:37:24+01:00","plain":"A fresh ham steak brined for three days, then gently cooked in a vegetable broth\n\n\n\nA thick slice of homemade jambon blanc, tender and fragrant with thyme and bay leaf, tucked into a buttered baguette: it’s hard to think of anything simpler, or more satisfying. Jambon blanc, also called cooked ham, is a pillar of French charcuterie, prized for its delicate flavor. Making it at home mostly takes time, and a ham sock.\n\n\n\nWhat Is Jambon Blanc?\n\n\n\nIt’s a brined pork leg, cooked slowly in broth until tender. Here, you start with a fresh ham steak, a thick slice from the leg, packed tightly into a sock to give it its round shape. Pork shoulder is prepared the same way, but the result is then called cooked shoulder.\n\n\n\nIt goes into everything: jambon-beurre, croque-monsieur, quiches, gratins, pasta with ham and cheese, or composed salads. With pre-dinner drinks, it gets rolled around asparagus or slices of melon.\n\n\n\nA Matter of Brine and Patience\n\n\n\nLike Alsatian cervelas, jambon blanc has been part of French cooking for centuries. It is traditionally made by brining a pork leg, then cooking it slowly: the meat keeps better and takes on a mild flavor.\n\n\n\nOver time, the technique has been refined, and both the brine and the broth have been enriched with herbs and spices.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Main Ingredients in Jambon Blanc\n\n\n\nStart with a good-quality cut of pork: a leg or, as in this recipe, a fresh ham steak.\n\n\n\nThe brine adds flavor and preserves the meat. It is made with coarse salt and sugar in the right proportions, scented with thyme, bay leaf and clove. The cooking broth, made with carrots, turnips, leeks and onions, gives the ham its final layer of flavor.\n\n\n\nTechnical Tips for Good Jambon Blanc\n\n\n\nLeave the meat in the brine, in the refrigerator, for at least three days so it fully absorbs the flavors.\n\n\n\nThe cooking must stay gentle and slow. Keep the broth at 80 \u00b0C and monitor the internal temperature of the meat, which must not exceed 66 \u00b0C.\n\n\n\nAfter cooking, let the ham cool on a wire rack, then refrigerate it for a day before eating it. The flavors develop and the texture sets.\n\n\n\nA recipe posted by R\u00e9my Bach\n\n\n\n\n\n\tHomemade Cooked Ham\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\tHam nettingWire rackLarge containerTemperature probeThermometer\t\n\t\n\t\t3 kg fresh ham steaksFor the brine:1.8 kg coarse salt200 g sugar10 L waterThymeBay leavesClovesChili peppersOnionsShallotsFor cooking:WaterCarrotsTurnipsOnionsLeeksThymeBay leaves\t\n\t\n\t\tMake the brine by bringing 1.8 kg salt, 200 g sugar, chili peppers, onions, shallots, bay leaves, thyme, cloves and 10 L water to a boilLet the brine coolPlunge the meat into the cooled brine and make sure it is completely submergedLeave to rest in the refrigerator at 4\u00b0C for 3 daysDesalt the meat by soaking it in a water bath for a day, changing the water several timesOpen a ham net and hold it open with a stainless steel mixing bowlPlace the rind from the ham steaks in the net (optional)Cut up the remaining meatAdd the cut meat to form a round shapeClose the net and pack the meat down, squeezing it as tightly as possible. Ask someone to help tie it while you compress the meat to get a perfect ballMake a broth with carrots, leeks, turnips, onions, shallots, thyme and bay leavesCook the meat in the broth at 80\u00b0C, making sure the internal temperature of the meat does not exceed 66\u00b0C. Cook for about 2 hours 45 minutes for a 3 kg hamLet the ham cool on a wire rackRefrigerate the ham for a dayRemove the netting and enjoySlice and vacuum-seal for freezing if desired\t\n\t\n\t\tUse a suitable container so the meat can be completely submerged in the brine. Place weights on the meat to keep it submerged.\nStrain the brine so you can reuse it for future batches.\nPress the ham while it cools to keep it from coming apart in the center.\nThe ham will keep for a week in the fridge, or longer if vacuum-sealed.\n\t\n\t\n\t\tJambonFran\u00e7aise","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204338"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204338\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/202129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=204338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=204338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}