Christmas Ham ~ 2008


 
Bill Hays

Bill Hays

TVWBB Platinum Member
I bought an 8.5 lb fresh ham (cryo/frozen) from Redlinski Meats today. Wanted a whole but all they had left (2+ weeks before Christmas) were these. No butt end and shank less as well. No problem.
icon_smile.gif
It is bone in but it's tied in 2 places which is confusing.

I’ve done a little research on smoking fresh hams here on TVWB for some alternatives .. I’m looking at Rytek Kutas’ curing brine and Michael Ruhlman’s (Charcuterie) as well. Kevin’s sounds interesting but I don’t have access to some of the ingredients. This IS Buffalo, after all… I would like to add some flavor to the brine but using common ingredients. Any and all ideas are appreciated.

While I have done some wet curing/brining in the past, two questions always come to mind .. The amount of cure #1 that is recommended is the 1st and, is the cure and water amounts a ratio? Meaning, if I need to put the curing meat in a container that needs, say, twice as much liquid to cover the meat as the recipe specifies for a certain weight of meat, do I double the cure amount as well (and other ingredients) or use the amount of cure recommended for that weight? I believe it’s the 1st but it would be nice to know for sure.

I had one more question but have Hockey on the brain at the moment. LOL Here are a few pics..

Bill

EDIT: Just remembered .. I plan on on injecting and am thinking that 5-7 days will be fine with this cut. Is 5 days too short after injecting?

 
For mine (or anyone else's) you can simply eliminate or sub ingredients--as long as the salt/cure:water ratio is maintained. This brings us to your first question and, yes, you are correct, for brine cures the ratio is salt/cure-to-water that must be maintained. Weight is immaterial. In order to maintain the proper flavor variables you would scale them as well, accordingly, but the must-do operative issue is the salt/cure-to-water ratio.

For a cut that size (~8 lbs, yes?) you would make enough brine to cover depending on your container, and 2 cups of it you would inject (about 1 c/4 lbs meat) starting at the ends and injecting to the bone. I see no reason why 5 full days after injecting would be an issue. Do not let your cure temp fall below 36 (38-39 is preferable) and you should be fine.
 
Thanks Kevin. Yeah, it's 8.5 lbs but after trimming the skin and extra fat, it'll be a bit under 8 lbs I think. The other question was the cure to water ratio .. Are you familiar with these recipes and do you think the cure amounts are correct with them or can they be reduced a bit? If you don't recall or have them with you, I can post the proportions here.

Thanks again.

Bill
 
I have a 6 kg (12 lb) leg that I had pickled during the week by my butcher. I am going to demonstrate cooking this and turning it into a Xmas Ham on Saturday.

Regards
 
Originally posted by Phil Hartcher:
I have a 6 kg (12 lb) leg that I had pickled during the week by my butcher. I am going to demonstrate cooking this and turning it into a Xmas Ham on Saturday.

Regards
Click to expand...
Phil, take pics!
icon_cool.gif

I'm going to document my progress as well.

Bill
 
Originally posted by Bill Hays:
Thanks Kevin. Yeah, it's 8.5 lbs but after trimming the skin and extra fat, it'll be a bit under 8 lbs I think. The other question was the cure to water ratio .. Are you familiar with these recipes and do you think the cure amounts are correct with them or can they be reduced a bit? If you don't recall or have them with you, I can post the proportions here.

Thanks again.

Bill
Click to expand...
Neither, Bill. I have the book but don't recall, and I am in Dallas at the moment--kind of stuck. So if you could post...
 
Kevin, I am sure when answering Bills question with regards to the recipe, you'll answer mine. I'll ask regardless.

When using a brined cure or wet brine, how do you figure out the ratio between the cure and liquid? Lastly, if you remember how you sent me the dextrose combo (with the pink salt), when exactly do you use that? Can it be used interchangeably with the pink salt? Thanks.

Erik
 
Originally posted by K Kruger:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bill Hays:
Thanks Kevin. Yeah, it's 8.5 lbs but after trimming the skin and extra fat, it'll be a bit under 8 lbs I think. The other question was the cure to water ratio .. Are you familiar with these recipes and do you think the cure amounts are correct with them or can they be reduced a bit? If you don't recall or have them with you, I can post the proportions here.

Thanks again.

Bill
Click to expand...
Neither, Bill. I have the book but don't recall, and I am in Dallas at the moment--kind of stuck. So if you could post... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
OK .. Let's see if I can get this formated on this ... format..

Kutas (25 lbs)

Water.............5 Qts
Salt.................1 Lb
Dextrose.........1 Cup
Instacure #1...? Cup
Note: Recipes in Kutas' book call for Non-Iodized table salt.


Ruhlman (12-15 Lbs)

Water...............4 Qts
Salt (Kosher)....1 ½ Cups
Sugar, Drk Brn..2 Cups
Instacure #1....1 ½ oz. (8tsp)

Hope that works..
icon_rolleyes.gif


Bill
 
i was also curious about the water to salt ratio (same question as Erik) And i have in front of me from long ago (from you, Kevin) 1lb. of kosher 13 oz Dextrose and 3 oz. pink salt as a base for bacon.... not ham... correct.
 
Originally posted by Bill Hays:
Kutas (25 lbs)

Water.............5 Qts
Salt.................1 Lb
Dextrose.........1 Cup
Instacure #1...? Cup
Note: Recipes in Kutas' book call for Non-Iodized table salt.


Ruhlman (12-15 Lbs)

Water...............4 Qts
Salt (Kosher)....1 ½ Cups
Sugar, Drk Brn..2 Cups
Instacure #1....1 ½ oz. (8tsp)

Hope that works..
icon_rolleyes.gif


Bill
Click to expand...
Bill, same thing I went through when I did the cured turkey breast over Thanksgiving vacation. Ryteks recipe called for a lb of pink salt.
icon_eek.gif
With Kevins help, this is what I did and they came out fantastic. It would work equally as well on a ham. Link for you.
 
I agree, Bryan. It would work for ham, especially as an injectable, though I'd likely up the salt a bit.

Kutas's numbers are high, imo. The recipes I've either worked up or am working on are closer to Ruhlman's. I like a ratio of 12-12.5 oz salt to 1 gal water for most hams. For Bryans's turkey breasts I felt that a lesser amount was more appropriate due to both structural and flavor concerns.

I have been using a ratio of from 1.25-2.25 oz of cure #1 to 1 gal of water so here, as well, my numbers are more in line with Ruhlman's. Generally, I have been using the higher number for items likely to be eaten cold (or not cooked further after smoking), but I'm not sure this is really necessary so am planning to test and make some verifications when I can.

As for sugar or other sweeteners they are at your discretion. Sugar does add distinctiveness to many if not most cured items that most of us are well familiar with. Non-sweetened cures do have their place but can be odd for those unfamiliar with them (think salt-cured only country hams). I do add sweet but vary the amount, often cutting it back severely for some items, especially those that I want to read as more savory. As Bryan did with his turkeys, distinctive sweeteners other than sugar can be used with very good effect.

Bill, I hope this helps. (Btw, I just re-read the OP. You might want to consider granulated onion, perhaps sage and thyme and/or bay leaves, and some background pepper from peppercorns. This sort of combo, imo, works well with ham, especially if you are planning a sweet glaze at the finish.)


Erik-- The 'how' is pretty much based on what has worked for you before. If you are new to it then the best way is to seek info, as Bill has done looking at Kutas's, Ruhlman's and my recipes, and then either asking questions or trying them all(!). The other part of the answer has to do with what you are smoking and how you plan on serving it. As I touched on above, meats that are cured but that will be further cooked, as most bacon is, are a bit different than meat that is cured and meant to be eaten as is, or, like for sandwich meats, cold. Some variations can occur depending on what you are doing but keep this in mind: the operative issues for curing meats that will be smoked are salt, smoke and safe internal temps. Those are the key variables in cured smoked products and it it those that are the most important in terms of safety. Pink salt adds another measure of safety but is really only essential safety-wise for cold-smoked items. Its inclusion in hot-smoked items like the ham we are discussing, most bacons, Bryan's turkey breast, is much more for flavor and color. Again, salt is the operative safety item, smoke is both bactericidal and bacteriostatic, and safe internals are, of course, essential, especially if the item being smoked will be eaten as is without further cooking for service.

The mix I sent you is not interchangeable with pink salt. It is a dry cure mix, pretty much for belly bacon though it could be used for other things as well. It is meant to be used as a dredge. About a 1/4 c for a half-belly (about a 3- to 5-lb piece) is all you need to start with. Either dump on a sheetpan and dredge the belly piece in the appropriate amount (scale according to the size piece you have), making sure the meat is evenly coated, or simply put the belly in a Ziploc, dump in the cure, shake well to distribute. Flavorings, savory or sweet or both, can be added at the time of use.

Dan-- The mix you quote is a dry cure mix, the same as I sent Erik.
 
Bill, I hope this helps. (Btw, I just re-read the OP. You might want to consider granulated onion, perhaps sage and thyme and/or bay leaves, and some background pepper from peppercorns. This sort of combo, imo, works well with ham, especially if you are planning a sweet glaze at the finish.)
Click to expand...
Thanks Kevin .. Yeah, that helps a great deal.

Bryan, thank you too.

Bill
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top