1large lamb, goat, or venison leg, with shank, about 6 pounds
1cup kosher salt or 8 teaspoons (40 grams) per pound kosher salt for legs of other sizes. This is more than you need, but you can't really over salt this.
1teaspoon instacure no2optional, not to be confused with instacure no1.
Instructions
Salting
Grind the peppercorns to the consistency of rough sand and combine with the salt, bactoferm and instacure no2 if using.
Rub the leg well with the salt mix, making sure to mind the ball joint and put extra salt around there. Keep the leg on a tray in a fridge, flipping every other day or so, whenever you can remember.
After two weeks, remove the leg and pat it dry completely.
Optional Smoking
Cold smoke the leg for 1 week, or at least a couple days, trying to keep smoke on it for about 4-8 hours each day, making sure the temperature doesn't get too warm by keeping the door of the smoker open, or a similar arrangement. You can aim for anywhere from approximately 45F-65 F here. This is not an exact science. If you have a way to cold smoke the leg you prefer, do it. The biggest thing to remember is that you don't want it to cook.
Hanging
Weigh the leg, write down the weight on a piece of tape or something similar. Tie the leg up and hang it in a cool, dry place for 3 months that won't freeze, with a temperature somewhere in the range of 40-55F, give or take a few degrees, keeping it cooler in the beginning as much as possible. Attach the tape with the starting weight to the string you used to hang up the leg.
As the leg cures, check on it here and there. If you see anything *other* than white mold a la camembert growing on it, spot treat/rub those parts with a towel wet with white vinegar until it's gone. White mold is normal and desirable.
Finishing and vacuum sealing
After 3 months, or when the leg has lost 25-30 % of it's weight, remove it, carefully cut out the bone, and vacuum seal the entire leg in a bag. Refrigerate the cured leg for 1 week to soften the meat. Save the bones to make really good stock.
After a week, trim off any still very hard portions of the outside crust, vacuum seal large chunks of your ham you can shave thin with a sharp knife.