Ham with uncured spot in the center - throw it all out, or just cut out uncured spot?

[Bearcarver]

QUOTE: So, just to make sure I've got this straight.  My pork was 3 1/2 " thick at thickest point. So the center is at 1 3/4". That means 7 days + 2 days for CYA minimum?? Plus of course injecting around any bones, but I like to debone the pork just to avoid bone sour.

I have looked into this a little further and am finding that the 1/4" per Day +2 is good for Brines and figure an 1/8" per Day with Dry Cure/Rubs. Looks to me like you are talking about two different cuts of meat. Your last one was 3 1/2"...No Bone and 1 3/4" to the center. So in this and only this situation 7 + 2 would be MINIMUM but longer 14 days would be better. If the same has a Bone and you Inject, it changes as the injection cures inside out then the Brine will act outside in and the Min time of 9 days would get it done. 

In any event different Meats have different Densities and times are going to be different Wet or Dry...Soak or Inject and Soak. I am seeing that the BEST BET is to Err on the side of Caution and just go by 7 days per inch either way to be sure...JJ

I've been staying out of the brine curing discussion, because I always Dry cure. If you're talking about measuring to center to calculate how long to cure, Dry curing would be 1/4" per day----Not 1/8" per day, but anything over 3", I would either inject or cut in half. I prefer cutting in half, such as for Buckboard Bacon & Beef Dried Beef. For something 3 1/2" thick, I would cut it in half & cure the two halves separately, but if I had to cure it in one piece without injecting it, I would calculate it by counting 7 days for getting to center plus 2 days, but since it is over 3" thick, I would add 2 or 3 more days for safety. So a 3 1/2" thick piece of meat would get 11 or 12 days in cure from me. I don't know where the 1/8" per day came from.

Bear

 

[daveomak]

I am throwing another wrench in this curing discussion....  Martin has noted this before in other threads....  time for a refresher......

Cure #1 is 6.25% sodium nitrite...  (we will assume you are not using potassium nitrite for this discussion)

1,000,000 X 0.0625 =  62,500 Ppm sodium nitrite is what you are putting on the meat  

now, you put that  on the outside of the meat at an appropriate amount to achieve your 120 Ppm or 156 Ppm rate, depending on what type of curing you are doing, and wait the appropriate amount of time for the cure to penetrate to the center of the meat......  longer is better....

Do you see where this is going ????    after penetration, it is wise to rinse the meat, dry and let the meat rest in the refer for several more days....   the additional rest is to allow the nitrite to equilibrate within the meat to a homogeneous, equilibrium state.... so the nitrite is the same throughout the meat.....   

not 400 Ppm at the surface and 60 Ppm in the center....  but 120 ish or 156 ish Ppm throughout the meat....  

Now, I realize there is no way for us home curing folks to determine when all this happens....  Just food for thought.....  

 ......

Dave

 

[Bearcarver]

Good point Dave!!

Mine only get 12 to 18 hours before smoking, but I imagine that is happening during the whole time it is in cure too.

Bear

 

[snorkelinggirl]

I am throwing another wrench in this curing discussion....  Martin has noted this before in other threads....  time for a refresher......

Cure #1 is 6.25% sodium nitrite...  (we will assume you are not using potassium nitrite for this discussion)

1,000,000 X 0.0625 =  62,500 Ppm sodium nitrite is what you are putting on the meat  

now, you put that  on the outside of the meat at an appropriate amount to achieve your 120 Ppm or 156 Ppm rate, depending on what type of curing you are doing, and wait the appropriate amount of time for the cure to penetrate to the center of the meat......  longer is better....

Do you see where this is going ????    after penetration, it is wise to rinse the meat, dry and let the meat rest in the refer for several more days....   the additional rest is to allow the nitrite to equilibrate within the meat to a homogeneous, equilibrium state.... so the nitrite is the same throughout the meat.....   

not 400 Ppm at the surface and 60 Ppm in the center....  but 120 ish or 156 ish Ppm throughout the meat....  

Now, I realize there is no way for us home curing folks to determine when all this happens....  Just food for thought.....  

 ......

Dave

For the sake of completeness, glad you brought this up Dave.  I'm trying to get the optimal cure process straight in my head, so thank you for the reminder about importance of equilibration.

Have a great day!

Clarissa

 

[barbandglen]

I got a pig from a processing place near me.  Two ham steaks have the same spots on them.  After reading all the posts above I still don't know - is it safe to eat?  The processing place says it is.  Help please

 

[daveomak]

I got a pig from a processing place near me.  Two ham steaks have the same spots on them.  After reading all the posts above I still don't know - is it safe to eat?  The processing place says it is.  Help please

Have you learned about curing and the importance of time ?? There is no way to tell if the meat is good or not.. How long was it in the brine... at what temperature... how much salt was in how much brine...

If the meat is bad, is it worth a $10 hunk of meat to get food poisoning...

The meat was probably too thick for a brine cure, UNLESS it was injected to speed up the process...

If the processing place did it, I would find somewhere else to purchase meat....

 

[barbandglen]

I am not going to eat it.  I was just wondering what the heck it was!  I definitely won't go back there - it wasn't my choice in the first place.  Thanks.

 

[alan123]

I was recently discussing this very issue of the cure not reaching the interior of the meat with my mentor and valued friend. As he told me in a solid muscle piece of meat the chances of botulism reaching the interior muscle is next to impossible. IMO, chef JJ is dead on, I would have ate it without hesitation.

Sorry for being late to the party on this thread, it's just an issue that is very fresh in my mind and the thread went in another direction and btw a great discussion on curing times.

 

[alan123]

I should also say in barbandglen's case I would not have eaten the meat. I didn't cure or process it so it's hard to say what was done to the ham. But it was more than likely good to eat........ I'm trying my best to do farm to table when I can.