Suffolk black ham gets its black crust from its curing process, using molasses, brown sugar, and a local black porter. Soaking the ham in this sweet marinade doesn’t just turn it black; it helps balance the flavors of the ham and breaks away from the salty flavors of hams that are dry-cured using only salt. The whole process takes 10 weeks, in which the ham is first dry-cured, then marinated, and then smoked. We visited Emmett’s in Suffolk, England, where the ham has been made for 200 years.
