Ham Cure?

Laftpig · Post by **Laftpig** » Thu Jan 11, 2018 01:32

I am attempting my first ham cure with a Picnic, bone in.

This is the recipe I followed by BobK

Sweetheart Ham
Equilibrium Cure

Enough Rub for 10 lbs.

White sugar 50 grams
Brown Sugar 50 grams
Red Pepper Flakes 1 Tbsp.
Black Pepper 1 tsp
Fennel cracked 1 tsp
Thyme 1 tsp
Ground Bay Leaf 1tsp
Onion Powder 1 tsp
Garlic Powder 1 tsp
Salt 2.7% .027
Cure #1 .25% .0025

Cure in fridge for 2-3 weeks
Apply smoke for 3 hrs. at 130, poach to an internal temp of 154. OR sous-vide for 6 hrs. at 145

My ham weighs 2782 grams, bone still in. I will be using 6.9 grams of cure #1 and a fraction of the spices based upon my Picnic weight vs the recipe weight of 10 pounds.

The Picnic is 4 1/2 inches thick. Based on what I read here it should be cured at the rate of 1 day per 1/2 inch of thickness. That equates to 9 days plus a few for safety so about 12 days. Is my understanding or this recipe correct? I understand it`s not a sweetheart ham just trying to do this safety. Any suggestion would be appreciated.

Post by **Bob K** » Thu Jan 11, 2018 13:33

For that recipe which is an Eq cure, I would stay to the recommended curing/equalising time. Maybe longer if the Picnic has a fat or skin layer. I am not sure where your other info came from.

Cure #1 amount is correct, +75 grams salt.

Laftpig · Post by **Laftpig** » Thu Jan 11, 2018 16:42

Thanks BobK

Your salt amount is a bit higher than mine but not much. I do subtract the amount of salt in cure #1 from the total to get my amount. Maybe that`s the difference.

The other information was from a member can`t remember who at the moment who said the 1/2 inch per day formula was used by some to get an estimate of curing time.

Post by **Bob K** » Thu Jan 11, 2018 17:55

Just FYI, There is no reason to split hairs on the salt amount, somewhere between 1.8 and 3.0 % is the norm depending on your preferences. It's a cooked product

bolepa · Post by **bolepa** » Thu Jan 11, 2018 21:20

Laftpig,

I noticed that you may sous vide that picnic and am very interested in the end result. Just wondering if there is a difference in between poaching and souse vide technics when you cook a whole muscle.
Would you mind to updated us with the result (and maybe pictures?) when you done?
Thanks.

Laftpig · Post by **Laftpig** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 15:49

Bolepa

I won`t be poaching or using sous vide. I just plan on curing, smoking, and finishing in the oven. I`m not a big proponent of sous vide. It takes to long to cook anything. It has it`s place in cooking but not meats, IMO. Yes it does produce a great texture in meats but lacks the flavor profiles produced in conventional cooking. It works great when poaching things like homemade bologna etc.

Try and experiment with a piece of chicken or steak; use a plain ziplock bag and cook away to the temperature you want. You can then, if you wish, cook at high heat on a grill to just give it a nice sear and taste. It should be fairly good but nothing like a properly cooked chicken or steak on a grill, pan fried, or oven cooked for that matter.