Ham

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Albertaed
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Ham

Post by Albertaed » Thu Aug 26, 2021 03:37

Hey gang good to be back. My son is attempting to cure the back leg of a pig. He put it in a brine of 2.5 % salt 0.25% cure and isn’t sure how much brown sugar. He injected it with brine as well. The problem is he left it in for 18 days. Is it salvageable? I don’t have any experience with hams. I told him to put it in the fridge but he goes back to work so he won’t be able to do anything with it for a week. What to do now? If it’s salvageable should he cook it in water and smoke. 🤷‍♂️
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Bob K
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Re: Ham

Post by Bob K » Thu Aug 26, 2021 12:56

The salt and cure % are fine for a dry (equilibrium) cure but sounds too weak for a brine cure. Hard call to make.
https://www.meatsandsausages.com/hams-o ... ked-smoked
SmokenEdge
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Re: Ham

Post by SmokenEdge » Thu Sep 02, 2021 04:00

Was the salt % figured on the weight of the leg alone, or did it also include the weight of the water? Also was the cure figured in to the 2.5% salt? Another question is what temperature is the curing process under?
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redzed
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Re: Ham

Post by redzed » Sat Sep 04, 2021 17:07

I know that some try the equilibrium brine method but IMHO it's not safe and not effective. A 3% brine will not result in 3% salt content in the ham. Also the meat will not absorb the same amount of nitrite as is in the brine. 18 days is fine, but I'm not sure whether the ham was cure adequately. If after cooking it is pink throughout it should be OK.
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