"Basic Cure" for whole bone-In ham....

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stewstrum

Newbie
Original poster
Jan 15, 2013
12
10
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Could one of you guys just confirm that this basic “Cure Recipe” is acceptable and to make sure I am not screwing up here?

Ham 1 Ea.   5.5 Kilo (12 Pound) Whole Bone-In - Skinless….

Brine 1 gallon water, 2 cups brown sugar, 1 ½ cups salt, 8 Tsp Sure Cure (Pink salt 6.25 %)

Bring brine to a boil… Cool. Inject brine into ham multiple times around bone from both sides. Place ham into large “Zip Lock” plastic bag and totally submerse / refrigerate for 7 days adding more water if necessary. After 7 days place ham in fresh water bath to remove excess salt and then drain/dry for 1 day prior to smoking.

Thanks…. Stewart
 
Stewart,

    sounds pretty close how salty do you like your ham? 12#er I would do maybe a cup of salt (I dont like a salty ham) You dont have to boil your brine i just dilute the solids into the liquid. PLay around with the brine regular sugar, honey, molasses etc whatever your palate deems tasty! Hope this helps Good Luck!
 
Stewart, morning.....  DO NOT ADD the pink salt to the warm liquid..... wait for it to cool to 70 deg or so.... and make sure it dissolves in the brine....    Dave
 
Back when I worked in our family meat shop, we would stitch pump the hams (with enough brine to equal 10% of the ham's green weight) making sure to get around the bone to prevent bone sour. We would then soak the injected ham in the brine solution for 5-7 days.

We would then remove them from the brine, stuff them into  stockinette and put three hams on a smoke stick and then into the smoker; making sure that the hams didn't touch. They would then go into the smoker 12-14 hours.  We would run 18 hams at a time or 30 slabs of bellies and that was with just one smokehouse. We could double that amount if we fired up both of the smokehouses.
 
Thanks Dave.... I will. But could you tell me the science behind this.
The science behind it is.....  I think I heard it from nepas....  the Savant of Sausage.... If nepas types it, it must be law...   

I think it has something to do with chemical breakdown ..... don't know for sure...    Dave
 
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