Start by placing paprika, pepper, juniper berries, and bay leaves in a mortar, blender, or coffee grinder and ensure they are well crushed.

Examine your pork neck and ensure that you remove the worst of the fat and tendons from the surface.

Place it in an ovenproof dish and add the salt over it. Massage it well into the meat and ensure it gets into all the crevices, as mold can form otherwise.

Take about a third of the spice mixture and massage it into the salt and meat.

The meat now needs to be brine-cured. This can be done in two different ways:1) Vacuum pack the meat in a vacuum bag and place it in the refrigerator for about 2 days.2) Wrap the meat in a bag and ensure to seal it thoroughly. Place it in the refrigerator and ensure the seal is always facing up, as the meat releases a lot of liquid, which you don’t want all over your refrigerator. Turn the meat at least once a day, but preferably every 12 hours. Let it brine-cure for about 4 days in the refrigerator.

Take your meat out of the bag and rinse it under a cold tap until you have removed all the salt/spice mixture from the meat. Pat it dry with a dish towel afterward.

Place the meat on the scale and note the weight (for later).

Massage the remaining (2/3) part of the spice mixture into the meat and again be very thorough with it.

The meat should now dry-age for 4-6 weeks. I use my dry aging bags for this.

The meat was placed on a rack in my refrigerator at 3-4 degrees Celsius (37-39 degrees Fahrenheit). It is important that air can circulate under the meat so it can release moisture.

After the first 4 weeks in the fridge, take the meat out approximately every other day and weigh it. When it has lost about thirty percent of its weight, the meat is fully dried/matured.

The meat should be sliced very thinly and enjoyed as a delightful piece of cold cut. It is incredibly good for tapas.