Question on brine time

[rugdogone]

Hi gang, i love the advice and recipes, we processed our first hog, and i made the most awesome bacon using pops recipe.

Now for my problem, i also put a fresh (raw) "ham" in brine using pops solution, unfortunately i got called out of town for work, and the ham to be was left in the fridge for over 4 weeks, just got back. Did it get ruined? 

I need to ask you all for advice as i need to either cook it or bury it lol.

 

[daveomak]

Check it for a bad odor... If the brine is slimy, rinse it off really well... check for mold.... I would rinse/wipe the ham with vinegar to remove/kill any bacteria and rinse again.... It should be perfectly fine to cook..... unless you find some other problems...

 

[rugdogone]

Thank you.

   It smelled good, just like raw pork kinda, color was nice and red, no mold or any obvious issues. rinsed couple times, then again with vinegar, rinsed the vinegar, and am going to bake it well to be on the safe side at 325 it is at least 20lb.

I will report back later tonight....Thanks :)