You can make a cut along the length of the bone, right to the bone and pour salt down in the slit right on the bone; that will cure it near the bone and won't have bone area spoilage.
Larding the outside of it is where I believe you went wrong. Fat will trap water inside the ham and cause the perfect environment for bacteria. Curing is all about getting the water out. Going to subscribe to your channel now because if this was your first attempt i can't wait to see the future!!!
The price you paid for the ham had me worried from the get go, you need to get your meat for curing from a good processor, not the supermarket. When you buy from a butcher/processor you know, you can make sure everything is very fresh and bacteria growth is at a minimum. If you buy a half you can know that it was fresh and you will have all the pork you will need for many other endeavors. IE sausage, pork chops, ribs, scrapple etc. You will even have the fat to render your own lard.
Thanks, I thought the video was very good and kudos to you for trying to dry cure a ham. Saw a comment about that is nitrites will take a lot longer to kill you than botulism, the very thing they prevent. Just don't overcook it and it won't form Nitrosamines. My question is why, if you are going to try dry curing a ham(very difficult in the scale of things) would you not just buy a half of a hog? They are really easy to learn to butcher with just a boning knife a hacksaw.
Have you ever tried sugar cured ham? I'm making some from an old Nova Scotia recipe. There's also an old french ham recipe that calls for the ham to age at least 2 years in a chess of wood ashes. Would like to try that some time. Enjoyed this video very much, but tell me please, was the ham very salty?
For the last few months I have been scouring everywhere for as much info as i can get about curing meat. I have done canadian bacon, summer sausage and snack sticks. I even read some of the Foxfire books. I was amazed at the different methods they used for curing.
@guntruckhammer Pick up the book Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman & Brian Polcyn. It is one of the best and the thing I like the most about it is that the recipes for for small cures that you can do at home. I've made some awesome slab bacon from it.
@coolich You are right, I didn't rotate the ham while salting. The recipe I was following didn't say to do that. Are you saying that I shouldn't salt it in the refrigerator? Never thought about using a pork shoulder. Do you have a recipe for that?
@tdjtx not much of a recipe. I basically use a curing mix of sea salt with Prague Powder #2 (use proper amount - can be hazardous) A fatal dose of Prague Powder #2 is merely 30 grams. But not using it can get you very sick and could spoil the meat.
@tdjtx . Aitch bone sounds like H-bone. You really should pull that out, it kept a lot of moisture in. After you pull out the Aitch bone you really need to pack a lot of salt where the aitch bone met the ball joint. Also, prosciutto is usually cut the way you describe at the beginning exposing a large surface area on the meat.
Break the ham down into it's 3 primary muscle groups and make hams out of those. It is a lot quicker.
I First clean the meat under water. Pat it dry then coat the meat with my curing mix. It is about 10 grams of cure mix per kilogram of meat. You cover the whole thing then wrap it tight and put it in the fridge for 9 to 12 days. I use a vacuum bag and make it air tight. I rotate the meat daily. After curing I clean the meat under cold water then COLD smoke the meat for 3 hours and then hang dry in my celler for 2 to 4 months at 50 degrees and 65% humidity. I will post a video soon
You have to use pink salt or you risk getting botulism. Without nitrite you will never get a pink ham that tastes like ham. You won't get cancer from nitrate cured meats unless you cook them at high heat, which forms nitrosamines. I usually do the wet cure for a few weeks, and slow smoke the ham up to 170 F on a Weber Smokey Mountain. You shouldn't slow smoke if you did not use nitrite.
@crazypdj Really? 170 degrees? I do a cold smoke with no heat.
I do use Prague Powder #2 (curing NITRATE not Nitrite(Pink Salt aka Prague Powder #1). I always thought Pink Salt (Prague Powder #1 was for wet cures.
You shouldn't wrap it in plastic. Once u salt it, u need to wrap it in paper and cloth and hang it right away w/ temp lower than 50 degree(10 Celcius). The key is get all the moisture out. The best way is hang it outside facing north, allow air flow. Best taste comes from cold northern wind. BTW, cured ham should be used as flavoring. If u eat like this, u will toxicate youself. Salt it w/ peppercorn and salt. dont add anything when you cook it.
Great vid and effort, It's to bad it didn't turn out. Don't give up though, the ability to preserve food without the use of electricity is an almost lost craft.....which "may" come back and bit many folks in the ass....
@excalibur440 I won't give up, just need to find a good source for hams that haven't had all the skin removed. My Uncle in KY used to raise and slaughter his own pigs, he used to make the best country hams. He passed away a few years ago, I really wish I could have picked his brain about curing hams.
@tdjtx I have been looking into Civil war time meat curing and pickling processes. I think I'm going to try a wet cure and yes it involves saltpeter(potassium nitrate) for those that read this and think you have all the answers. It's cool you are following your Grandfathers way of doing things, but you might check the wet processes out. it works on a 4 day cure time, then I was going to follow up with pressure canning in glass pint jars for further years worth of preservation. Thanks again.
@m6dm90 If that worries you then don't eat it. Why did you watch a video of curing hams if your concerned about nitrates. Almost all processed and cured meats contain it. You're not with the nitrate police are you?
@saintsknightscom It didn't turn out very well, I think the problem was that the ham I used didn't have all the skin on it, most of it was removed. If I were to do it again I would find one with all the skin still on it and start the process at the end of October. It gets really hot here in Texas early in the year. I used the dry cure recipe which didn't call for nitrate also known as pink salt. I'm going to try the Spicy Smoke-roasted Pork Loin next time.
I finished curing mine... OMG it was good.. I used it this last spring. I had actually forgotten about it in the closet LOL I never got sick and it was fricken Awesome. just like ham but a bit dryer. i had about the same size of chunk of meat as you maybe a bit less more like 15 lbs. This is one way of making it and doing it safely without Triginosis or however you spell it. Thanks again hauss.
Hi tdjtx, you mentioned 60 degrees in your garage at that moment, any idea how much colder it got after that? I live outside the states and those temps are only achievable in fridge or cold storage. Your info can help me set the temp up. Thanks
Hey man. Im from Tennessee my family has cured hams for a hundred years. I know this ham didnt turn out. There is a reason why you hang hams during curing. There is large vein that is visible on the shoulder end of the ham. The blood needs to be extracted from that vein. Thats one reason why you hang hams. So blood/juices will drain. When the blood and water begin to drain it pulls salt into the ham. You can also use Morton's Sugar Cure. Let the ham hang for 3 months, wash salt from ham. Rehang
Hey, was this video some sought of foreplay...Rule #1, Don't mess with Texas, with that, looking for end result video . Want to see the lard and peppercorn effect when slicing "Your" product.. Hook-em-Horns...
Brother, thx for the update! How are you eating it? Are you slicing and frying? Did you bake any after the obligatory desalting bath? What food pairings did you enjoy together with your masterpiece? I am about one month away from taking mine out of the cure stage.... As mentioned before i got a 20+ pound haunch. Mlwaukee beast! I have not sipped that since elementary school. Have not seen it here in hawaii for a while.
Thanks for posting this! I'm in hawaii and i just salted my first one last week. I went to chinatown and got a butcher to cut me a fresh piece from a hind quarter. Sucker was 21 lbs! I added brown sugar to my salt cure. We have a spare fridge in the garage and it cures there as i write. Please update bro! Its been a year now on yours.........
Not sure, the recipe specifically called for Kosher salt. It's larger and flaky so it sticks to the meat better. Also, table salt has additives like iodine and something that keeps it flowing.
No I haven't, I'm from Bardstown KY. There are some really great hams from there as well. The two I love are Keene's and Penn's. Do a search on Keene's Depot, they sell cooked, de-boned, and sliced country ham by the pound.
When were you thinking of cooking the ham and how were you going to prepare. I just got a Smithfield country ham from HEB today and trying to determine the best way to prepare. I am used to the sliced country ham in the package so this will be a new experience for me in terms of preparation.
Those are good hams. First thing you will need to do is rinse and scrub is well with a stiff brush. Then soak it at least 24 hours, in the refrigerator, changing the water a couple of times. These hams are REALLY salty. Follow the baking directions that came with the ham and you should be good to go. My Dad likes to bake them in Coka Cola.
have read up on the procedure, there seems to be alot of recommendations to use Cure#2?? Is this not necessary ?Im going to prep my in the next week and see what happens
It is a hip bone that's why its called a H bone. There is no skin because the legs come together there at the hip bone which you are just seeing half of the hip bone. Yes HEB/butcher did remove to much skin. Also depends on what you want to do with it. Can't wait to hear how it turns out. Cool
It's still hanging in the garage. I gave it a sniff the other day, didn't notice any off odors. I plan on letting it age for 12 months, so I won't really know how it turns out until December.
I did mine about a month after you did yours, from you video back in Feb. I live in WV it gets hot humid here but my laundry room stays somewhat cool with my windows open. I didnt use bricks but instead gallons of milk or whatever was heavy lol. I kept it for a few extra days for good measure. Ill have to show you what mine looks like, vise versa. I did put some seasoning on it then the Lard no smells out of it either. Looks good!
Yea, I'd love to see how yours turns out. I'm originally from central KY, one of my uncles used to cure the best country hams. He raised and slaughtered the pigs himself, he was a dairy farmer with a very large farm. He passed away a couple of years ago and I never talked to him about curing hams. My father recently told me that one of the things my uncle said about curing hams, "you can't cure a decent ham in a building that has insulation". He cured all his out in a shed called a "meat house"
thanks, check out one of my others titled homemade bacon. Bacon is very easy to make, if you can find pork belly, and tastes better than any store bought.
You can make a cut along the length of the bone, right to the bone and pour salt down in the slit right on the bone; that will cure it near the bone and won't have bone area spoilage.
GunClingingPalin 4 hours ago
@GunClingingPalin That's a good idea, thanks.
tdjtx 4 hours ago
mistakees..needs to be rack, not wrapped, and you inject brine around bone
Buzzmanfly01 4 days ago
Id reckon this didn't go well since i didn't see the final product anywhere on your channel?
RexelB 2 months ago
@RexelB It didn't, I guess Texas isn't a good place to cure hams, at least not out in the garage. It just gets too hot here really fast.
tdjtx 2 months ago
Larding the outside of it is where I believe you went wrong. Fat will trap water inside the ham and cause the perfect environment for bacteria. Curing is all about getting the water out. Going to subscribe to your channel now because if this was your first attempt i can't wait to see the future!!!
jtp543 5 months ago
The price you paid for the ham had me worried from the get go, you need to get your meat for curing from a good processor, not the supermarket. When you buy from a butcher/processor you know, you can make sure everything is very fresh and bacteria growth is at a minimum. If you buy a half you can know that it was fresh and you will have all the pork you will need for many other endeavors. IE sausage, pork chops, ribs, scrapple etc. You will even have the fat to render your own lard.
jtp543 5 months ago
Thanks, I thought the video was very good and kudos to you for trying to dry cure a ham. Saw a comment about that is nitrites will take a lot longer to kill you than botulism, the very thing they prevent. Just don't overcook it and it won't form Nitrosamines. My question is why, if you are going to try dry curing a ham(very difficult in the scale of things) would you not just buy a half of a hog? They are really easy to learn to butcher with just a boning knife a hacksaw.
jtp543 5 months ago
Very nice video and all the step by step details you showed. Im going wild pig hunting next week and i wanted to cure the hind legs
nimajune27 5 months ago
Have you ever tried sugar cured ham? I'm making some from an old Nova Scotia recipe. There's also an old french ham recipe that calls for the ham to age at least 2 years in a chess of wood ashes. Would like to try that some time. Enjoyed this video very much, but tell me please, was the ham very salty?
58norman 1 year ago
Thannks for the tip. I actually have that book ordered and am waiting on UPS.
guntruckhammer 1 year ago
For the last few months I have been scouring everywhere for as much info as i can get about curing meat. I have done canadian bacon, summer sausage and snack sticks. I even read some of the Foxfire books. I was amazed at the different methods they used for curing.
guntruckhammer 1 year ago 2
@guntruckhammer Pick up the book Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman & Brian Polcyn. It is one of the best and the thing I like the most about it is that the recipes for for small cures that you can do at home. I've made some awesome slab bacon from it.
tdjtx 1 year ago
Interesting. Gonna try this up in a Michigan polebarn.
Trashfished 1 year ago
@Trashfished let us know how it turned out.
tdjtx 1 year ago
@tdjtx I will do just that. Hey you have a great New Year!!
Trashfished 1 year ago
Well you should have been dry curing it in a area at 55 degrees and 65% humidity. It should hang for at least 6 to12 months also!
There is alot to it. Looks like you were not rotating the ham during the salting phase. It got to much mositure on the bottom.
Try something smaller next time. Like a Pork Shoulder. You went to the big leagues with the ham.
coolich 1 year ago
@coolich You are right, I didn't rotate the ham while salting. The recipe I was following didn't say to do that. Are you saying that I shouldn't salt it in the refrigerator? Never thought about using a pork shoulder. Do you have a recipe for that?
tdjtx 1 year ago
@tdjtx not much of a recipe. I basically use a curing mix of sea salt with Prague Powder #2 (use proper amount - can be hazardous) A fatal dose of Prague Powder #2 is merely 30 grams. But not using it can get you very sick and could spoil the meat.
coolich 1 year ago
@tdjtx . Aitch bone sounds like H-bone. You really should pull that out, it kept a lot of moisture in. After you pull out the Aitch bone you really need to pack a lot of salt where the aitch bone met the ball joint. Also, prosciutto is usually cut the way you describe at the beginning exposing a large surface area on the meat.
Break the ham down into it's 3 primary muscle groups and make hams out of those. It is a lot quicker.
faufolet 3 months ago
@coolich
I First clean the meat under water. Pat it dry then coat the meat with my curing mix. It is about 10 grams of cure mix per kilogram of meat. You cover the whole thing then wrap it tight and put it in the fridge for 9 to 12 days. I use a vacuum bag and make it air tight. I rotate the meat daily. After curing I clean the meat under cold water then COLD smoke the meat for 3 hours and then hang dry in my celler for 2 to 4 months at 50 degrees and 65% humidity. I will post a video soon
coolich 1 year ago
You have to use pink salt or you risk getting botulism. Without nitrite you will never get a pink ham that tastes like ham. You won't get cancer from nitrate cured meats unless you cook them at high heat, which forms nitrosamines. I usually do the wet cure for a few weeks, and slow smoke the ham up to 170 F on a Weber Smokey Mountain. You shouldn't slow smoke if you did not use nitrite.
crazypdj 1 year ago
@crazypdj Really? 170 degrees? I do a cold smoke with no heat.
I do use Prague Powder #2 (curing NITRATE not Nitrite(Pink Salt aka Prague Powder #1). I always thought Pink Salt (Prague Powder #1 was for wet cures.
coolich 1 year ago
You shouldn't wrap it in plastic. Once u salt it, u need to wrap it in paper and cloth and hang it right away w/ temp lower than 50 degree(10 Celcius). The key is get all the moisture out. The best way is hang it outside facing north, allow air flow. Best taste comes from cold northern wind. BTW, cured ham should be used as flavoring. If u eat like this, u will toxicate youself. Salt it w/ peppercorn and salt. dont add anything when you cook it.
l2bang3 1 year ago
Great vid and effort, It's to bad it didn't turn out. Don't give up though, the ability to preserve food without the use of electricity is an almost lost craft.....which "may" come back and bit many folks in the ass....
excalibur440 1 year ago
@excalibur440 I won't give up, just need to find a good source for hams that haven't had all the skin removed. My Uncle in KY used to raise and slaughter his own pigs, he used to make the best country hams. He passed away a few years ago, I really wish I could have picked his brain about curing hams.
tdjtx 1 year ago
@tdjtx I have been looking into Civil war time meat curing and pickling processes. I think I'm going to try a wet cure and yes it involves saltpeter(potassium nitrate) for those that read this and think you have all the answers. It's cool you are following your Grandfathers way of doing things, but you might check the wet processes out. it works on a 4 day cure time, then I was going to follow up with pressure canning in glass pint jars for further years worth of preservation. Thanks again.
excalibur440 1 year ago
sodium nitrate causes colon cancer
m6dm90 1 year ago
@m6dm90 If that worries you then don't eat it. Why did you watch a video of curing hams if your concerned about nitrates. Almost all processed and cured meats contain it. You're not with the nitrate police are you?
tdjtx 1 year ago
looking good!
But what about the finished product? (was it good? was it healthy?)
Also, did you use nitrate and nitrite as the book instructs?
saintsknightscom 1 year ago
@saintsknightscom It didn't turn out very well, I think the problem was that the ham I used didn't have all the skin on it, most of it was removed. If I were to do it again I would find one with all the skin still on it and start the process at the end of October. It gets really hot here in Texas early in the year. I used the dry cure recipe which didn't call for nitrate also known as pink salt. I'm going to try the Spicy Smoke-roasted Pork Loin next time.
tdjtx 1 year ago
@tdjtx
Thanx for the reply,
did the meat spoil?
saintsknightscom 1 year ago
I finished curing mine... OMG it was good.. I used it this last spring. I had actually forgotten about it in the closet LOL I never got sick and it was fricken Awesome. just like ham but a bit dryer. i had about the same size of chunk of meat as you maybe a bit less more like 15 lbs. This is one way of making it and doing it safely without Triginosis or however you spell it. Thanks again hauss.
Brownslocksmith 1 year ago
NICE VID .... SO HOW DID IT TURN OUT...
CHECK MY VIDS ON PROSCIUTTO ...ANY TIPS...?
DANNYGZERO 1 year ago
Hi tdjtx, you mentioned 60 degrees in your garage at that moment, any idea how much colder it got after that? I live outside the states and those temps are only achievable in fridge or cold storage. Your info can help me set the temp up. Thanks
robertof84 1 year ago
is that 19lbs of pork for 24 dollars???
HSTdrums 1 year ago
@HSTdrums yep
tdjtx 1 year ago
@tdjtx we'll that's just foul.
HSTdrums 1 year ago
Hey man. Im from Tennessee my family has cured hams for a hundred years. I know this ham didnt turn out. There is a reason why you hang hams during curing. There is large vein that is visible on the shoulder end of the ham. The blood needs to be extracted from that vein. Thats one reason why you hang hams. So blood/juices will drain. When the blood and water begin to drain it pulls salt into the ham. You can also use Morton's Sugar Cure. Let the ham hang for 3 months, wash salt from ham. Rehang
sataraid 1 year ago
Hey, was this video some sought of foreplay...Rule #1, Don't mess with Texas, with that, looking for end result video . Want to see the lard and peppercorn effect when slicing "Your" product.. Hook-em-Horns...
johnnybagofdonets 1 year ago
What happened to it? It's been way over a year?
Mimomaca 1 year ago
how did it turn out?
poida84 1 year ago
Win good music, Clapton rocks.
Quisling1989 1 year ago
Thanks for making such a useful video for all of us. Your have great kindness.
reachtt 1 year ago
have you got the update mate? how did it turn out?
poida84 1 year ago
thanks for the info am going to try it on a belly first then try the leg
shanondor 2 years ago
take a look at another of my videos about making bacon using pork belly. It's really easy and tastes great.
tdjtx 2 years ago
whats the equivelent salt in united kingdom any idea please
shanondor 2 years ago
Any type of kosher salt is fine. You can also used sea salt. Just no table salt, as it contains iodine.
jleven96 2 years ago 2
Well looks good... have to tasted it yet????
torontoground 2 years ago
Brother, thx for the update! How are you eating it? Are you slicing and frying? Did you bake any after the obligatory desalting bath? What food pairings did you enjoy together with your masterpiece? I am about one month away from taking mine out of the cure stage.... As mentioned before i got a 20+ pound haunch. Mlwaukee beast! I have not sipped that since elementary school. Have not seen it here in hawaii for a while.
Olsmokey13 2 years ago
love the keystone light cans
TheMindofJ 2 years ago
only thing better is Milwaukee's best ;-)
tdjtx 2 years ago
we live downunder and was wondering how the ham was coming along that was a great video thanks
brylor8 2 years ago
Thanks for posting this! I'm in hawaii and i just salted my first one last week. I went to chinatown and got a butcher to cut me a fresh piece from a hind quarter. Sucker was 21 lbs! I added brown sugar to my salt cure. We have a spare fridge in the garage and it cures there as i write. Please update bro! Its been a year now on yours.........
Olsmokey13 2 years ago
I just started mine today using Morton's Sugar Cure.
rebboy58 2 years ago
Can you use table salt? Or pickling salt?
rebboy58 2 years ago
Not sure, the recipe specifically called for Kosher salt. It's larger and flaky so it sticks to the meat better. Also, table salt has additives like iodine and something that keeps it flowing.
tdjtx 2 years ago
ever heard of cadiz kentucky? Worlds best country hams
elocby 2 years ago
No I haven't, I'm from Bardstown KY. There are some really great hams from there as well. The two I love are Keene's and Penn's. Do a search on Keene's Depot, they sell cooked, de-boned, and sliced country ham by the pound.
tdjtx 2 years ago
It is now 12 months since you hanged the ham. I am anxious to find out how it turns out. Perhaps you can make a part 2 video? :-)
6PacJoe 2 years ago
When were you thinking of cooking the ham and how were you going to prepare. I just got a Smithfield country ham from HEB today and trying to determine the best way to prepare. I am used to the sliced country ham in the package so this will be a new experience for me in terms of preparation.
jcposner 2 years ago
Those are good hams. First thing you will need to do is rinse and scrub is well with a stiff brush. Then soak it at least 24 hours, in the refrigerator, changing the water a couple of times. These hams are REALLY salty. Follow the baking directions that came with the ham and you should be good to go. My Dad likes to bake them in Coka Cola.
tdjtx 2 years ago
have read up on the procedure, there seems to be alot of recommendations to use Cure#2?? Is this not necessary ?Im going to prep my in the next week and see what happens
andeochful 2 years ago
do you think , before wrapping in cheesecloth , it cold be cold smoked for a few days and then wrapped and hung to cure??
andeochful 2 years ago
I'm not sure, I was going for a dry cured ham and the recipe didn't call for smoking.
tdjtx 2 years ago
2 months to go before we get to see it chopped open.
PhilipLismore 2 years ago
It is a hip bone that's why its called a H bone. There is no skin because the legs come together there at the hip bone which you are just seeing half of the hip bone. Yes HEB/butcher did remove to much skin. Also depends on what you want to do with it. Can't wait to hear how it turns out. Cool
BrianEibner 2 years ago
STILL HANGING IN THE GARAGE ? :D
PindzMedia 2 years ago
yep
tdjtx 2 years ago
Tx style ham...Nice. looks good.. Thanks for the idea
Brownslocksmith 2 years ago
Any progress on the ham?
PhilipLismore 2 years ago
It's still hanging in the garage. I gave it a sniff the other day, didn't notice any off odors. I plan on letting it age for 12 months, so I won't really know how it turns out until December.
tdjtx 2 years ago
I'm licking my lips in anticipation.
PhilipLismore 2 years ago
I did mine about a month after you did yours, from you video back in Feb. I live in WV it gets hot humid here but my laundry room stays somewhat cool with my windows open. I didnt use bricks but instead gallons of milk or whatever was heavy lol. I kept it for a few extra days for good measure. Ill have to show you what mine looks like, vise versa. I did put some seasoning on it then the Lard no smells out of it either. Looks good!
Brownslocksmith 2 years ago
Yea, I'd love to see how yours turns out. I'm originally from central KY, one of my uncles used to cure the best country hams. He raised and slaughtered the pigs himself, he was a dairy farmer with a very large farm. He passed away a couple of years ago and I never talked to him about curing hams. My father recently told me that one of the things my uncle said about curing hams, "you can't cure a decent ham in a building that has insulation". He cured all his out in a shed called a "meat house"
tdjtx 2 years ago
Don't you use any cure?
ghulst47 3 years ago
salt is the only cure used in this recipe.
tdjtx 3 years ago
thanks, check out one of my others titled homemade bacon. Bacon is very easy to make, if you can find pork belly, and tastes better than any store bought.
tdjtx 3 years ago
good vlog ty
manque15 3 years ago