How to cook Easter ham?

First, it starts with the quality of the ham. Industrial goods, quick-cured meat, etc. are not suitable for a good Easter ham. For real lovers, we recommend a Mangalitza ham like ours from Kövér Tanya.

Here are the steps to cooking yourself:

1. Remove the net and any cords attached to the ham.

2. Place the ham in a saucepan and soak in water (without adding salt) overnight, changing the water as often as possible.

3. Cover the ham with fresh, cold water and, with the lid closed, bring to a boil over low heat.

Any spices can be added to the water. Here is our recommendation for a 1kg piece of ham:

1 piece of red onion cut into quarters
3-4 cloves of garlic
about 10 whole black peppercorns
4-5 bay leaves
approx. 15 juniper berries, fresh or dried
Small piece of star anise
3 cloves

Since the ham is already salty itself, the water does not need any additional salt.

4. Cook the ham over low heat for about 1.5-2 hours for a 1 kg piece, and an additional hour for each additional kilo.

5. Remove the ham from the heat and let it cool in the water. This water can later be used to cook other dishes such as soups.

6. Remove any layer of fat from the surface of the water and carefully remove the ham after it has cooled. Let dry, then serve with boiled eggs, spring onions, radishes and horseradish cream.