Homemade Boiled Beef Ham in a Bag

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Ever dreamed of making your own deli-style ham at home, free from preservatives and full of flavor? This recipe for boiled beef ham is your perfect starting point! Using a simple yet effective technique of cooking the meat in a bag—similar to sous-vide—we lock in all the moisture and taste, resulting in an incredibly tender and juicy final product. The beef is first marinated in a fragrant brine of spices like star anise, cinnamon, and coriander, infusing it with deep, complex flavors. It's a game-changer for sandwiches, salads, and holiday platters!

Sliced homemade boiled beef ham served on a wooden board, ready to eat.

Homemade Boiled Beef Ham in a Bag

Preparation: 2 days
Cooking: 3 hours
Quantity: 8 Servings
Per serving
Calories: 272 kcal
Proteins: 24 g
Fats: 15 g
Carbohydrates: 10 g

Ingredients for Boiled Beef Ham in a Bag

  • 1 kg beef tenderloin
  • 70 g sea salt
  • 80 g sugar
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 3 chili pepper pods
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2-3 star anise
  • 3 cloves garlic

Ingredients for the Coating

  • sweet ground paprika
  • utskho-suneli (a Georgian spice blend with a mild, nutty flavor, often based on blue fenugreek)
  • dried celery and parsley

How to Make Boiled Beef Ham in a Bag

A hand with a knife trimming the silverskin off a raw beef tenderloin on a cutting board.

Trim the silverskin (the pearlescent, slightly bluish membrane on the outer surface of the meat) from the beef tenderloin.

A pot filled with water and various spices like bay leaves, peppercorns, and star anise for the marinade.

Prepare the marinade for the meat.

A pot of marinade with spices boiling on a stove.

Pour in one and a half liters of water and bring to a boil.


Trim the silverskin (the pearlescent, slightly bluish membrane on the outer surface of the meat) from the beef tenderloin. You need an even piece of beef without sinew or tendons.

Prepare the marinade for the meat. In a large pot, combine the salt and sugar. Add the bay leaves (along with the branch, if any), cinnamon stick, and star anise. Add one teaspoon each of mustard seeds, coriander seeds, and black peppercorns. Add the dried chili pepper pods.

Crush the garlic cloves with their skins on and add them to the marinade. Pour in one and a half liters of water and bring to a boil. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let the marinade cool to room temperature.

A piece of beef tenderloin being placed into a pot of cooled, spiced marinade.

Place the piece of beef into the pot with the cooled marinade.

Place the piece of beef into the pot with the cooled marinade. The water should completely cover the meat. If there isn’t enough water, add more cold boiled or filtered water.

Beef tenderloin marinating in a pot of spiced brine.

Marinate the beef for 48 hours.

A marinated and tied piece of beef being placed into a clear ziplock bag.

Place the prepared beef in the bag, squeeze out the air, and seal it.

A sealed bag containing the beef is submerged in a large pot of hot water.

Place the packaged beef into a large pot filled with hot water.


Marinate the beef for 48 hours: leave it at room temperature for the first 4 hours, then move it to the refrigerator for the remaining time. Turn the meat occasionally to ensure it cures evenly.

After 48 hours, rinse the meat under cold water and pat it dry with a paper towel. Tightly tie the beef in several places with kitchen twine.

Take a food-grade plastic bag with a zipper. Place the prepared beef in the bag, squeeze out the air, and seal it. Make sure the bag is suitable for heat processing; the temperature range (from -20 to +90 degrees Celsius) should be indicated on the packaging!

A zip-lock bag with seasoned beef submerged in a pot of hot water with a thermometer showing the temperature.

Place the packaged beef into a large pot filled with hot water (at a temperature of 75-80 degrees Celsius).

Place the packaged beef into a large pot filled with hot water (at a temperature of 75-80 degrees Celsius). For extra security, I also wrap the meat in several layers of plastic wrap and tie the ends with string.

The pot with the submerged beef ham simmering on a stovetop over low heat.

Cook over low heat for about 2 hours.

The cooked beef ham, still in its bag, is placed in a bowl of cold water to cool down.

Remove the ham from the pot and place it in cold water for 20-30 minutes.

A small bowl containing a mixture of ground spices like paprika for the ham coating.

Make the spice mix for the coating.


Cook over low heat for about 2 hours. The water should not overheat, so monitor the process closely. A culinary thermometer is essential for this step! If the temperature rises, turn off the heat for a while or add a little cold water to lower it.

Remove the ham from the pot and place it in cold water for 20-30 minutes. Cut open the bag and take out the finished ham.

Make the spice mix for the coating. In a bowl, mix 1 teaspoon of sweet ground paprika, 1 teaspoon of utskho-suneli (a Georgian spice blend with a mild, nutty flavor, often based on blue fenugreek), and 1 teaspoon of celery.

A finished piece of boiled beef ham being rolled in a plate of mixed spices.

Cut off the strings and coat the ham in the spice mixture.

Cut off the strings and coat the ham in the spice mixture.

And there you have it—a beautiful, aromatic, and incredibly tender homemade beef ham, ready to be sliced and enjoyed! This ham is wonderfully versatile. Serve it chilled in sandwiches with your favorite mustard, dice it into salads, or make it the star of a festive charcuterie board. Store it wrapped tightly in the refrigerator for up to a week. Feel free to experiment with the final spice coating to match your taste. We hope this recipe inspires you to explore the rewarding world of homemade charcuterie. Enjoy every delicious slice!