Cure and Procedure for curing and smoking 'city' ham on WSM
- Thread starter Shawn W
- Start date
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
For a 19-20-lb skin-on fresh ham.
8 T Cure #1
3 c (23 oz) Kosher salt
1.5 c organic sugar (regular white is fine)*
1.5 c brown sugar (light)*
5 cloves garlic, crushed
2 T whole black peppercorns, slightly crushed
1 T whole white peppercorns, slightly crushed
2 T Aleppo
5 bay leaves
12 whole allspice
2 T whole coriander
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh sage
1 whole guajillo chilies, washed, dried and toasted
Put 5 qts cold water into a 10-qt pot and place in the fridge to chill.
Put the above ingredients in a pot along with 2.5 quarts cold water and bring just to a boil, stirring frequently so that the curing salt, salt and sugars completely dissolve. Reduce the temp, cover, and simmer gently 15-20 min. Remove from the heat. Allow to cool uncovered for a bit then add to the cold water in the fridge, stir well, and allow to chill thoroughly, to 37-39 degrees.
[Note: How much you make here will depend on the size container you have for your ham for curing. Take the ham--in its packaging or not--and place it in the container, cover completely with water, then remove the ham and measure the water. You will need 4 cups of the brine as an injection so account for that. If you need to make more then scale the ingredients up accordingly. The recipe above calls for 7.5 quarts of water total. You shouldn't need to scale up much but if you do you can likely just scale up by 50% from the get-go.]
Meanwhile, remove the skin and most of the surface fat from the fresh ham. Place the ham in a dishpan or roasting pan. Measure out 4 cups of brine, strain it, returning any spices/solids to the brine pot, then grab your injector. Start injecting by focusing first on the area near the bone at each end of the ham then inject to and around the bone covering all sides of the ham. Inject most of your cure at the bone and the rest as you remove the injector from the meat. Use all 4 cups.
Place your ham in whatever container you will use for curing and cover completely with the brine. Weight the ham to keep it totally submerged. Cure at 36.5-40 degrees for 10 days.
Remove the ham from the brine and rinse well, removing any stuck on spices. Soak the ham for 3 hours in cold water, in the fridge, changing the water twice. Trim off a little piece of meat and fry it in neutral oil. Taste for salt. Soak again if you want it less salty.
Smoke the ham using your smokewood of choice at ~240 to either 157 or so or, if glazing to finish, smoke to 140-145 first then glaze, applying thinly but evenly every 15 min, till the ham reaches 157.
* You can sub other sweeteners if you wish. In most cases it is better to reduce some of both the white and brown sugars, replacing with your sweetener of choice.
I Minion the start. For a ham of this type (more on the sweeter side) I tend to use fruit wood with a touch of hickory. Sometimes I make the ham more savory (less sugar in the mix) and smoke with sassafras or pecan, usually pecan--I like sassafras for savory bacon.
8 T Cure #1
3 c (23 oz) Kosher salt
1.5 c organic sugar (regular white is fine)*
1.5 c brown sugar (light)*
5 cloves garlic, crushed
2 T whole black peppercorns, slightly crushed
1 T whole white peppercorns, slightly crushed
2 T Aleppo
5 bay leaves
12 whole allspice
2 T whole coriander
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh sage
1 whole guajillo chilies, washed, dried and toasted
Put 5 qts cold water into a 10-qt pot and place in the fridge to chill.
Put the above ingredients in a pot along with 2.5 quarts cold water and bring just to a boil, stirring frequently so that the curing salt, salt and sugars completely dissolve. Reduce the temp, cover, and simmer gently 15-20 min. Remove from the heat. Allow to cool uncovered for a bit then add to the cold water in the fridge, stir well, and allow to chill thoroughly, to 37-39 degrees.
[Note: How much you make here will depend on the size container you have for your ham for curing. Take the ham--in its packaging or not--and place it in the container, cover completely with water, then remove the ham and measure the water. You will need 4 cups of the brine as an injection so account for that. If you need to make more then scale the ingredients up accordingly. The recipe above calls for 7.5 quarts of water total. You shouldn't need to scale up much but if you do you can likely just scale up by 50% from the get-go.]
Meanwhile, remove the skin and most of the surface fat from the fresh ham. Place the ham in a dishpan or roasting pan. Measure out 4 cups of brine, strain it, returning any spices/solids to the brine pot, then grab your injector. Start injecting by focusing first on the area near the bone at each end of the ham then inject to and around the bone covering all sides of the ham. Inject most of your cure at the bone and the rest as you remove the injector from the meat. Use all 4 cups.
Place your ham in whatever container you will use for curing and cover completely with the brine. Weight the ham to keep it totally submerged. Cure at 36.5-40 degrees for 10 days.
Remove the ham from the brine and rinse well, removing any stuck on spices. Soak the ham for 3 hours in cold water, in the fridge, changing the water twice. Trim off a little piece of meat and fry it in neutral oil. Taste for salt. Soak again if you want it less salty.
Smoke the ham using your smokewood of choice at ~240 to either 157 or so or, if glazing to finish, smoke to 140-145 first then glaze, applying thinly but evenly every 15 min, till the ham reaches 157.
* You can sub other sweeteners if you wish. In most cases it is better to reduce some of both the white and brown sugars, replacing with your sweetener of choice.
I Minion the start. For a ham of this type (more on the sweeter side) I tend to use fruit wood with a touch of hickory. Sometimes I make the ham more savory (less sugar in the mix) and smoke with sassafras or pecan, usually pecan--I like sassafras for savory bacon.
Shawn W
TVWBB Emerald Member
Kevin, you are absolutely the best!!! Thanks a bunch for making the time to post this recipe.
We either have similar preferences or you know my taste so well by know you must know I am salivitating all over my keyboard.
I try to keep my back bacon flavor neutral and versatile, but I think for this cook I'm going to go with a flavor profile that interests me!
We either have similar preferences or you know my taste so well by know you must know I am salivitating all over my keyboard.
I try to keep my back bacon flavor neutral and versatile, but I think for this cook I'm going to go with a flavor profile that interests me!
Shawn W
TVWBB Emerald Member
Ok, leg is skinned and back in the fridge. I have water chilling and I'm about to start simmering the brine.
I used dried sage and thyme, ancho powder instead of Aleppo (didn't find aleppo), turb and demerra sugars but I did find dried guajillos! (Those guajillos smell great toasting ... I'll have to try them out for enchilada sauce).
The leg is quite small perhaps 8 - 10 lbs. I'm making 14 C of brine to cover it (pre-measured with leg in bringe container). Used half of all the ingrediants you listed.
Should I still inject the leg and cure for 10 days?
Also, I was going to use an SS stock pot for brining ... but is this a bad idea at that salt level?
I used dried sage and thyme, ancho powder instead of Aleppo (didn't find aleppo), turb and demerra sugars but I did find dried guajillos! (Those guajillos smell great toasting ... I'll have to try them out for enchilada sauce).
The leg is quite small perhaps 8 - 10 lbs. I'm making 14 C of brine to cover it (pre-measured with leg in bringe container). Used half of all the ingrediants you listed.
Should I still inject the leg and cure for 10 days?
Also, I was going to use an SS stock pot for brining ... but is this a bad idea at that salt level?
Shawn W
TVWBB Emerald Member
Injection is done. Will smoke it up next weekend.
Not sure what hunk of pig it is to be honest. The package said Pork Leg Roast. At first I thought that meant rear leg, but given it's size I suppose it could mean front leg. It doesn't look like a picnic. It didn't really look like anything on the meat charts either. It was very 'L' shaped with a bone down one side, and the mass of meat predominantly to one side of the bone starting at 1/3 of the way down the bone if that makes sense. Bah, I'll post a pic when it's done.
Not sure what hunk of pig it is to be honest. The package said Pork Leg Roast. At first I thought that meant rear leg, but given it's size I suppose it could mean front leg. It doesn't look like a picnic. It didn't really look like anything on the meat charts either. It was very 'L' shaped with a bone down one side, and the mass of meat predominantly to one side of the bone starting at 1/3 of the way down the bone if that makes sense. Bah, I'll post a pic when it's done.
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Hmm. Not quite getting the 'L' part of it--although picnic might be described that way--but hams (the rear legs) and picnics (the front, upper leg, lower shoulder) do have the meat predominently on one end. On a ham, the meat tapers a bit more dramatically down to the shank but picnics can look pretty close to that too.
The meat texture is different between the two though. With picnics the meat is grainier; hams have a finer grain, more like loin though not as fine and not as 'white'. Hams tend to be about twice the weight of picnics. Commercially raised pigs tend toward 17-22-lb hams.
The meat texture is different between the two though. With picnics the meat is grainier; hams have a finer grain, more like loin though not as fine and not as 'white'. Hams tend to be about twice the weight of picnics. Commercially raised pigs tend toward 17-22-lb hams.
Shawn W
TVWBB Emerald Member
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Smoke the ham using your smokewood of choice at ~240 to either 157 </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Gonna smoke this thing tomorrow Kevin. Was rereading to plan my day. 240?
I thought I was going to smoke this thing all day (or all week)
.
Is there any advantage to lower cook temp?
Gonna smoke this thing tomorrow Kevin. Was rereading to plan my day. 240?
I thought I was going to smoke this thing all day (or all week)
Is there any advantage to lower cook temp?
Shawn W
TVWBB Emerald Member
Here are the pics. Something rather urgent came up that took me out of town during the cook. Fortunately one of my daughters finished the cook to 160ºF internal in about 6 hours.
Anyway, had my first taste today. Really good! A bit salty, I'll be sure to do the taste test next time and soak longer & squeeze more often.
I was suprised by the subtlety of the flavor. The brine smelled quite strong but the meat was not overpowered in the end. Very nice!
The meat has a great texture, a little more tooth and a lot less water than store bought. I'd certainly do it again.
Thanks Kevin!
Anyway, had my first taste today. Really good! A bit salty, I'll be sure to do the taste test next time and soak longer & squeeze more often.
I was suprised by the subtlety of the flavor. The brine smelled quite strong but the meat was not overpowered in the end. Very nice!
The meat has a great texture, a little more tooth and a lot less water than store bought. I'd certainly do it again.
Thanks Kevin!
Clark Deutscher
TVWBB All-Star
I have a 27 pound ham curing in this right now, tossed it in the fridge this morning. Is there any way that a week would be enough curing time? 10 days is going to be a little problematic (I'll be out of town). Thanks for any advice.
Clark
Clark
Clark Deutscher
TVWBB All-Star
I injected a little over the four cups so I'll proably see how it goes. I guess worse case scenerio I get some discoloration?
Thanks Kevin - at this rate I will have 7 or 8 days for the cure if I go that route. I like the idea of fresh ham as you mention/reference. It's actually my preference (second to lamb on the rottis, which was my original plan). I too get tired of cured ham but folks are really requesting that since I haven't done one in awhile. Didn't want to do the typical spiral (not that there's anything wrong with that).
Just tired of that "same old" I do remember my grandmother curing her own when I was a kid and always enjoyed the milder flavor.
Anyway thanks folks! Going to run to restaurant supply first today to see if they will take my KCBS card and let me buy else just pick up a fresh ham at Ardmore Market (Stoltzfus) or go to Colonial Market (Manoa). Nicer if the fresh ham is cheap but not going to shop around much for price at this point.
Knocked the temps down in the fridge for now to stabilize at higher temps.
Just tired of that "same old" I do remember my grandmother curing her own when I was a kid and always enjoyed the milder flavor.
Anyway thanks folks! Going to run to restaurant supply first today to see if they will take my KCBS card and let me buy else just pick up a fresh ham at Ardmore Market (Stoltzfus) or go to Colonial Market (Manoa). Nicer if the fresh ham is cheap but not going to shop around much for price at this point.
Knocked the temps down in the fridge for now to stabilize at higher temps.
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Good. Go for it.
Unless you are needing the skin for something else, no need to get one skin on. If you can't get one skin off you can remove before curing. I do fresh hams skin on but smoke-roast at higher temps, primarily for skin texture (a few of us love it; we eat it all before the rest of the ham is sliced and served).
Unless you are needing the skin for something else, no need to get one skin on. If you can't get one skin off you can remove before curing. I do fresh hams skin on but smoke-roast at higher temps, primarily for skin texture (a few of us love it; we eat it all before the rest of the ham is sliced and served).
Ham went in Friday through Friday (today). I tasted some it seemed too salty but realize it was the meat on the outside and just out/rinsed from the brine, a good bit of salt/residue in left in the pan.
I have it rinsed an in freshwater now. Figuring I'll soak/changing water periodically a bit in fresh water say 3-4 hours then let it set out/dry for another 12 then cook it tomorrow starting around 12 am or so. Maybe I should wait till 2pm tomorrow to give more drying time.
It's about 18lb skin/most fat off aitch removed.
I'll smoke cook to Kevin's specs above. 157 seems kind of hi though?
Then just put the oven on 150 or so early Sunday morning and leave it in there covered until it comes back up to 150. Dinner Sunday is 4.
Now I'll pick a glaze recipe and start making Easter bread....
I have it rinsed an in freshwater now. Figuring I'll soak/changing water periodically a bit in fresh water say 3-4 hours then let it set out/dry for another 12 then cook it tomorrow starting around 12 am or so. Maybe I should wait till 2pm tomorrow to give more drying time.
It's about 18lb skin/most fat off aitch removed.
I'll smoke cook to Kevin's specs above. 157 seems kind of hi though?
Then just put the oven on 150 or so early Sunday morning and leave it in there covered until it comes back up to 150. Dinner Sunday is 4.
Now I'll pick a glaze recipe and start making Easter bread....