i love ham! its so delicious.This was my second ham, I cured an 8 lb.boston butt for seven days in brown sugar, kosher salt, pickling spice and curing salt. Then I smoked it for 6-7 hours at 250-300 degrees and added a honey and brown mustard glaze. Perfect!!
both will make great ham. If you use a shank, know that the skin will impede the cure travel into the meat, need to trim it off. I would save the skin though, makes great boudin and head cheese!! Can also use it in sausage, makes a great binder and it's full of flavor.Next time I'm thinking I'll use the shank portion of a fresh ham instead of the boston butt. Does anyone have any opinions on that?
Don't forget pork rinds!I would save the skin though, makes great boudin and head cheese!!
both will make great ham. If you use a shank, know that the skin will impede the cure travel into the meat, need to trim it off. I would save the skin though, makes great boudin and head cheese!! Can also use it in sausage, makes a great binder and it's full of flavor.
I just took one out of freeze. Care to share how much ingredients you used other than cure?This was my second ham, I cured an 8 lb.boston butt for seven days in brown sugar, kosher salt, pickling spice and curing salt. Then I smoked it for 6-7 hours at 250-300 degrees and added a honey and brown mustard glaze. Perfect!!
Huh....learn something new every day. Does it matter whether the meat is wet or dry cured? Most videos I've seen of making country hams via. the dry cure method say the skin will slowdown uptake of salt. Is this wrong?Actually, the skin does not impede the cure; it is as porous as muscle. Your skin breathes as well as a hog's skin breathes. The fat breathes, just as the muscles do. The only thing that impedes the travel of the curing brine is the bones; that is why you need to inject curing brine all around the bones so there are no uncured spots. Otherwise, the animal, other than the skeleton, is porous.
I have used picnic shoulders and butts . Both come out great , but I like the lean to fat ratio of the picnic . I cure with the skin on , but remove it for smoking . I use the vegetable stock / phosphate injection . Makes the best ham .Next time I'm thinking I'll use the shank portion of a fresh ham instead of the boston butt. Does anyone have any opinions on that?