Cured ham FAIL -- where did I eff up?

[snorkelinggirl]

Hi guys,

A crappy day of meat curing today. I have been trying to cure my first small hams, and pulled them out of the brine today in preparation for smoking tomorrow. There were jello-like mold aliens floating around in my brine, and a distinctly "yeasty" smell to both the pork and the brine.

Here is a picture from happier days, on day 1 of the project.  Optimism and spirits were high. I had just successfully injected brine for the first time without spraying brine into my own eyes.  I did not know at this time that all my efforts were WASTED and going to be THROWN INTO THE TRASH.

IMG109.jpg

• snorkelinggirl
• Mar 26, 2013

Here are the curing specifics:

- I started with 2 fresh pork leg sections, bone-in, skin off:  1632 grams (about 4-5 inches thick), 1585 grams (about 3-4 inches thick)

- I made 1 gallon of brine using 1/2 level cup of Morton's canning/pickling salt, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup white sugar, and 1 slightly rounded Tbsp Cure #1.

- I injected brine in multiple locations along bone and in muscle meat until the brine was coming out of the prior injection sites.

- I put both leg sections into a food grade tupperware container, and covered them with the brine. It took about 1/2 gallon of brine to cover them both up. I weighed them down with plates and put them in my refrigerator (running about 37 deg).

- I let them cure for 12 days.

Today I opened up the tupperware to find the jello-like blobs floating around and the yeasty smell to the brine. The blobs had a blue fuzzy center. The meat felt slimy to the touch.  I did not take pictures because, well basically, I was disgusted. And I only wanted to get everything thrown away and sanitized before one of the jello mold aliens climbed out of the brine bucket and smacked me around for being a stupid effin' idiot who thought she could cure ham.

My question. I'm within the salt and Cure #1 parameters that Pop's brine recipe uses. I backed off on the sugar, but everyone says sugar content doesn't matter anyway. So why did my brine support alien life form development? 

Thank you for any insight or sympathy. I need it.  Throwing meat out really sucks.

Clarissa

 

[bear55]

I have no idea and will check back to see what the experts have to say. It is too bad it turned out badly.

Richard

 

[daveomak]

Clarissa, there was nothing wrong with the meat..... that slimy, gelatinous stuff is somewhat normal....  If you feel comfortable, depending on time, get the meat and rinse it off with cold water and put back in a new cure/brine solution...  and in the refer.... Dave

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ikrus, morning.... Here is a partial explanation of slime/foam on pickled meats..... Hope this helps you....   Dave

http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/sausage-making/curing/making-brine
[h3]Bad brine symptoms[/h3]

• White slime and foam on top
• Milky color and foul odor
• Brine turns blue in color
• Brine becomes very tacky (gluey) to touch

It is normal for a thin scum or white mold to accumulate on top of the brine. This white foam should be periodically removed. In case the foam starts to give a foul odor, turn blue in color, or becomes much thicker slime we will have to remove the ham, wash it in cool water and place it again in freshly made brine. At the first suspicion of brine spoilage it should be replaced with a fresh one, in most cases there is nothing wrong with the meat itself which should be just rinsed. Bad brine was nicknamed “Ropy” pickle and was stringy, sticky or slimy dripping from the fingers like syrup. Cured meats should be completely immersed in brine and weighted down when necessary. Most important no meat should protrude from the brine  as it may get spoiled and then ruin the whole brine.

If brining a large amount of meat, pack them together in a barrel without using excessive force. Heavy pieces like hams and shoulders on the bottom, lighter ones like bacon on the top. Then you can pour in the prepared solution covering all pieces. As the meats will start to shift and will come to the surface, place a suitable clean weight on top to prevent meat from contact with the air as this can spoil the brine. Pack meats the skin side down. The container should be placed preferably in a refrigerator or in a cool, well ventilated place.

 

[diggingdogfarm]

Yes, ropy brine can have a blue look to it.
That is a very weak brine, weak brines are prone to going ropy.


~Martin

 

[snorkelinggirl]

I have no idea and will check back to see what the experts have to say. It is too bad it turned out badly.

Richard

Thank you for the sympathy, Richard!   Hopefully this will be a good learning experience that we can both benefit from.

Thanks and have a good evening!
Clarissa

 

[snorkelinggirl]

Clarissa, there was nothing wrong with the meat..... that slimy, gelatinous stuff is somewhat normal....  If you feel comfortable, depending on time, get the meat and rinse it off with cold water and put back in a new cure/brine solution...  and in the refer.... Dave

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ikrus, morning.... Here is a partial explanation of slime/foam on pickled meats..... Hope this helps you....   Dave

http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/sausage-making/curing/making-brine
[h3]Bad brine symptoms[/h3]

• White slime and foam on top
• Milky color and foul odor
• Brine turns blue in color
• Brine becomes very tacky (gluey) to touch

It is normal for a thin scum or white mold to accumulate on top of the brine. This white foam should be periodically removed. In case the foam starts to give a foul odor, turn blue in color, or becomes much thicker slime we will have to remove the ham, wash it in cool water and place it again in freshly made brine. At the first suspicion of brine spoilage it should be replaced with a fresh one, in most cases there is nothing wrong with the meat itself which should be just rinsed. Bad brine was nicknamed “Ropy” pickle and was stringy, sticky or slimy dripping from the fingers like syrup. Cured meats should be completely immersed in brine and weighted down when necessary. Most important no meat should protrude from the brine  as it may get spoiled and then ruin the whole brine.

If brining a large amount of meat, pack them together in a barrel without using excessive force. Heavy pieces like hams and shoulders on the bottom, lighter ones like bacon on the top. Then you can pour in the prepared solution covering all pieces. As the meats will start to shift and will come to the surface, place a suitable clean weight on top to prevent meat from contact with the air as this can spoil the brine. Pack meats the skin side down. The container should be placed preferably in a refrigerator or in a cool, well ventilated place.

Hi Dave,

Thank you for your very useful info. That was a really great article.  So, sounds like my brown sugar could have been problematic.  I'll also keep a closer eye on the brine next time, and try to catch it before it starts fermenting and becoming "ropy". 

So it sounds like the meat was probably OK, and I could've just rinsed the meat off and put it in fresh brine.  Too late for this run, as I tossed the pork out a few hours ago.  But good to know for next time, and I'll try not to panic and overreact the next time I try this.

I've still got 3 more leg sections from this pork side to do something with. I'll probably give another shot to curing them as ham, and your info will help a lot with that.

Thanks again for all of your great help and advice, Dave.  Have a great evening!

Clarissa

 

[snorkelinggirl]

Yes, ropy brine can have a blue look to it.
That is a very weak brine, weak brines are prone to going ropy.


~Martin

Hi Martin,

Thanks very much for your reply.  I guess I need to spend some more time looking at brine salinity tables to get a better understanding of appropriate brine strengths.  But from a learning perspective, I guess it is educational to see first-hand some of the failure modes of weak brines.  I'll know what to watch out for next time.

Thanks again for your info.  Hope you have a great evening!

Clarissa

 

[mr t 59874]

SnorklingGirl,  Just completed a test for you comparing your recipe and the one using Morton's recommended sweet pickling cure for injection using Tender Quick.

 Yours was 16% salinity @ 60⁰.  Morton Canning / Pickling Salt

 Morton's was 68% salinity @ 60⁰. Morton Tender Quick

 

Tom

 

[snorkelinggirl]

SnorklingGirl,  Just completed a test for you comparing your recipe and the one using Morton's recommended sweet pickling cure for injection using Tender Quick.

 Yours was 16% salinity @ 60⁰.  Morton Canning / Pickling Salt

 Morton's was 68% salinity @ 60⁰. Morton Tender Quick

 

Tom

Hi Mr T,

Thank you for the salinity comparison. This was my first wet brine/pickle project, and I was following Pop's Easter Ham brine recipe.  It sounds like this low salinity cure will work fine in the hands of an expert (i.e. Pop), but is more prone to going ropy.  I'll probably switch up to the higher salinity level you mentioned, and give the ham curing another shot after the Easter guests clear out.

Thanks again for the number comparison, and hope you have a great day!

Clarissa