HAM.... easy peasy... no mess.... DISCLAIMER.. MONEY...

[JckDanls 07]

Like the mason jar idea... Another thing I did.... The liquid in the bag (as I was injecting down inside a 2 1/2 gal. bag) I would pour back into the cup and reinject until all liquid was in the meat... So I feel good about saturation in and around the bone ...

 

[thirdeye]

Like the mason jar idea... Another thing I did.... The liquid in the bag (as I was injecting down inside a 2 1/2 gal. bag) I would pour back into the cup and reinject until all liquid was in the meat... So I feel good about saturation in and around the bone ...

Yes this is a good plan. I give the meat about 10 minutes in between Re-injections. I think it's the phosphates that cause the injection to thicken. I notice the same thing with competition brisket injections.

 

[daveomak]

JD, morning..... OK.... The calculator you are using defaults to 2% salt...
I find 2% salt is too salty for my liking..
I've tested and like 1.75% salt... along with the 0.25% cure#1, the TOTAL salt is 2%... along with 1% sugar, I can't taste the salt...
8.38# ham would have used 67 grams of salt..

 

[JckDanls 07]

Thanks Dave for the help.. I ended up only using 50g of salt.. we'll see what happens... will adjust next time if needed ...

 

[JckDanls 07]

OK then... picnic has been under cure since last Sun. .. will be 7 days tomorrow...

Now comes my dilemma ... Being that it won't be needed for 2 weeks (for the S. FL. Gathering)... Wanting to know the best way to go about this... vac seal now.. hot smoke at Gathering... warm smoke (low temp) now and reheat at gathering... Like Dave did here >>> https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t...-no-mess-disclaimer-money.276489/post-1844797 .... or something different... ??

And then.. what's going to be the best practice for storing it for this 2 week wait... vac seal and refreeze... vac seal and keep in fridge... something different .. ?? If I even have a bag big enough to vac seal it...

Looking forward to y'alls response...

Thanks

 

[daveomak]

Hey Jack, if your fridge is 38 or lower, the ham will be good for another week... Then I would smoke it... maybe to 140-145 and hold for a couple hours to pasteurize it...
Are you going to slice it for cold cuts ?? with crackers and cheese or what ??
If so, slice it, vac pack the slices and sous-vide at 138-140 until it's pasteurized again... then it will keep for weeks at 134F..
If you want to serve it whole, I don't know other than freezing it..

 

[james211]

daveomak What’s the longest you can let the ham cure? Also, this is probably addressed but what is the difference between soaking the ham vs injecting?

 

[james211]

is this thread dead?

 

[Bearcarver]

is this thread dead?

I wouldn't say "Dead".
More like "not used much lately".
If you have a question for the "OP" daveomak , he should be along soon.

Bear

 

[flatbroke]

Yeah not dead.

 

[thirdeye]

This thread is a milestone for curing shoulder hams (butt or picnic) and pork loin for a Canadian bacon like product. I have not tried it on a rear leg ham, but I believe others have.

My cure times are 14 to 16 days. I would not hesitate to cure for 20 days. I'm sure Dave will chime in to answer your question.

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

I used this to do a Pork Butt ham couple weeks ago. I guess its just my taste buds but the veg stock gives a flavor I don't carwe to much for. I thought it was the other brand I tried lasttime but I ordered some of that Basic unsalted. I will still use the injection but just use water from now on.

 

[james211]

I've done the injection technique before, I'm mostly curious how it differs from a soak brine. Soak brine's seem shorter then injection, I would have thought it would be opposite.

Also Bearcarver I saw you mention somewhere you don't use Cure #1, you use TQ. What is TQ?

 

[zwiller]

There are a few drawings in Marianski's green book that illustrate it but injecting provides a more uniform salt distribution within the meat. In a dry or wet brine the exterior will always be saltier than the center even with an equalization step. Injecting fixes that. Not sure where you saw it but stick to your gut, injecting IS faster, WAY faster. IE common cure penetration rate for dry or soak is 1/4" per day. Same applies at EVERY injection point so were talking weeks vs days. The method daveomak shared here is essentially a modern production method pros use converted for use for us hobbyists.

 

[thirdeye]

I've done the injection technique before, I'm mostly curious how it differs from a soak brine. Soak brine's seem shorter then injection, I would have thought it would be opposite.

Well, injection puts the curing brine into the meat (and around the bone in the case of a picnic) from the very beginning of the process, so there is no delay time with respect to the liquid, salt and cure diffusion into the meat like you have with a covering brine cure. Depending on how you look at it.... This saves several days of time, or gives the brine more time to work it's magic.

I usually have some leftover curing brine that the meat will not take, so I add that to the bag. This is not a true combination cure, but the cup or so of liquid does get absorbed. I overhaul daily.

 

[SmokinEdge]

In this recipe, kitchen basics no salt is not replaceable for this recipe in my experience.

Also I run this 14 days for final production, and I can tell you from experience that 30 days is too long, you may start to get mold, this is because of the low salt (1.5%) in my experience 20 days is maximum and it is still the best ham I’ve ever made or eaten for that matter.

 

[Bearcarver]

I've done the injection technique before, I'm mostly curious how it differs from a soak brine. Soak brine's seem shorter then injection, I would have thought it would be opposite.

Also Bearcarver I saw you mention somewhere you don't use Cure #1, you use TQ. What is TQ?

TQ stands for "Tender Quick", which is a Curing mix formulated & sold by "Morton Salt". It's made with home curing in mind. The mix includes Cure #1, Salt, Sugar, and a few other things. I've been using it for 13 years & love it.

Bear

 

[daveomak]

I used this to do a Pork Butt ham couple weeks ago. I guess its just my taste buds but the veg stock gives a flavor I don't care to much for. I thought it was the other brand I tried last time but I ordered some of that Basic unsalted. I will still use the injection but just use water from now on.

Many folks found other brands had an off flavor in this recipe... The Kitchen Basics seemed to be the best flavor of veggie stock...
14 days gave the best flavor when curing the pig...
When trying a new recipe, it is best to follow the recipe to the letter the first time you try it...

 

[james211]

once injected, how often do you rotate? I'm sure its in the thread some where, but I can't find it at a glance. This is the problem with not doing this often enough! I forget my techniques!

 

[daveomak]

I turn every 2-3 days... The injection has to travel about 1 1/2 inches to fully cure all the meat IF you inject about every 2"...