Help in Fixing my Smoked Ham

[darthdart]

Hi! I'm new here.. but I've been smoking meat for 4 years. I'm no meat smoking expert but I do smoke bacon, ham, pastrami, back bacon on a daily basis but 6 months ago I've been having problems with my smoked ham. I really don't know what the cause is but my brine solution has been turning cloudy and my ham has been spoiling frequently.

My Recipe (I've been cross referencing lots of recipes online and this was the one that had the highest success rate and taste that I've become accustomed to)

2.5 kg of ham round trimmed to weight and 4" thickness bone-out
1250g water
155g rock salt (I have no access to kosher salt where I come from.. I know it's a lot for some but through my experience it somewhat shortens the recommended 10 day cure to 7 days)
155g sugar (it has been 4 years since I've modified this recipe.. I know it's a bit much but was afraid to tweak it)
11g cure #1

I mix the ingredients then inject the meat at 1" intervals then place it in a plastic bag (no air gaps) then in a metal pan (since I've read somewhere there might be a bad reaction if in contact with metal can't recall where). I place a weight on top of the bag to make sure meat is somewhat in the middle and immersed in the brine solution.

I don't think there's a problem with my smoking process as I've started slicing the cured hams at random to check if there's any smelly batch and found some that I've had to throw away. I've taken to slicing some of it without smoking just to check if it was fully cured and I see no uncured patches in the middle.

I just can't seem to find a solution and am humbly appealing to experienced smokers here that could shed light on the problem.

 

[zwiller]

Quick run of the numbers looking good to me and same with process. What your fridge temp? Might want to confirm and measure.

 

[slavikborisov]

Hi! I'm new here.. but I've been smoking meat for 4 years. I'm no meat smoking expert but I do smoke bacon, ham, pastrami, back bacon on a daily basis but 6 months ago I've been having problems with my smoked ham. I really don't know what the cause is but my brine solution has been turning cloudy and my ham has been spoiling frequently.

My Recipe (I've been cross referencing lots of recipes online and this was the one that had the highest success rate and taste that I've become accustomed to)

2.5 kg of ham round trimmed to weight and 4" thickness bone-out
1250g water
155g rock salt (I have no access to kosher salt where I come from.. I know it's a lot for some but through my experience it somewhat shortens the recommended 10 day cure to 7 days)
155g sugar (it has been 4 years since I've modified this recipe.. I know it's a bit much but was afraid to tweak it)
11g cure #1

I mix the ingredients then inject the meat at 1" intervals then place it in a plastic bag (no air gaps) then in a metal pan (since I've read somewhere there might be a bad reaction if in contact with metal can't recall where). I place a weight on top of the bag to make sure meat is somewhat in the middle and immersed in the brine solution.

I don't think there's a problem with my smoking process as I've started slicing the cured hams at random to check if there's any smelly batch and found some that I've had to throw away. I've taken to slicing some of it without smoking just to check if it was fully cured and I see no uncured patches in the middle.

I just can't seem to find a solution and am humbly appealing to experienced smokers here that could shed light on the problem.

Agreed^….. bacteria is a reason it’s spoiling so either it’s your meat is warm for too long or being mishandled prior to you getting it

 

[SmokinEdge]

I agree with what’s already been posted above.
The brine you are using, while on the weak side, should work ok. You are injecting ~55ppm nitrite and ~1.3% salt. This will work but definitely need to keep temperatures below 40F.

 

[darthdart]

thank you so much for the input.

I measured chiller temp.. it's only 14.4C or 58F.. lowest it can get at max. been doing this for 4 years so I'm really confused as to why it just started getting spoiled a few months ago.. all the other curing meats come out ok (bacon, pastrami, back bacon) but only the hams come out spoiled. Tried checking my other chiller still max out at around 14.4C or 58F. I can't afford to get a new one since I'm still recovering from the purchase of a slicer.

with regards as to handling of the meat, I get it approximately 4-5 hours after slaughter (earliest I can get it). I wrap it in plastic bags travel about 20 mins to my house then trim and cure it right away.

will increasing salt solve the problem?

 

[slavikborisov]

thank you so much for the input.

I measured chiller temp.. it's only 14.4C or 58F.. lowest it can get at max. been doing this for 4 years so I'm really confused as to why it just started getting spoiled a few months ago.. all the other curing meats come out ok (bacon, pastrami, back bacon) but only the hams come out spoiled. Tried checking my other chiller still max out at around 14.4C or 58F. I can't afford to get a new one since I'm still recovering from the purchase of a slicer.

with regards as to handling of the meat, I get it approximately 4-5 hours after slaughter (earliest I can get it). I wrap it in plastic bags travel about 20 mins to my house then trim and cure it right away.

will increasing salt solve the problem?

58F.... thats way too high! im surprised everything else came out fine... you really need to get the meat below 40F or 4 C.... i cant advise you on how much salt will make it safe at that temperature but you are playing a dangerous game please reconsider your chiller options... its probably only been happening for the past few months because thats when your chiller started malfunctioning (getting warmer) 6 months ago

 

[zwiller]

+1

I'm really confused as to why it just started getting spoiled a few months ago..

I would imagine with those temps the bugs have started to build up to an unhealthy level. Not just for cured stuff but for anything that goes in there. I am by no means a food safety nut but this is NOT GOOD. Perhaps chiller can be repaired? Typically, a smaller less expensive part can fix the issue. I've fixed mine for free a number of times by simply cleaning (drain was clogged)

 

[thirdeye]

with regards as to handling of the meat, I get it approximately 4-5 hours after slaughter (earliest I can get it). I wrap it in plastic bags travel about 20 mins to my house then trim and cure it right away.

After an animal dies, the muscle fibers shorten and harden as a result of rigor mortis. This results in a decrease in tenderness immediately after death. Typically, a carcass should initially be cooled to 34° to 37° F. Meat continues to change with time and it will return to the expected tenderness level within a couple of days. It sounds like you need to lengthen your cooling time.

Aging time can improve texture, flavor etc., and this varies from species to species. Pork is packaged earlier than wild game or beef, but it gets some 'wet aging' time during transport and held in a cold room before moving to a retail counter.

 

[BigW.]

Is the meat cold at all when you received it? Use any ice in the brine to cool it? Maybe a couple ice packs in the chiller to drop the temp? Just throwing out ideas because I agree you are too warm. I doubt you get any cold weather from mother nature to help you out either.

 

[SmokinEdge]

58F in brine is just a big NO. Not to mention the injection potential of bacteria introduction and the fact that you are injecting only about 55ppm nitrite and only 1.3% salt. (And that’s only if you injecting 10% or about 250g) This is just not workable in a brine at that temp. You have to find a way to get to or below 40F.

 

[darthdart]

Did a fair bit of research on my chiller .. website says FUJIDENZO chillers should be 0-10C on a 1-7 setting. I guess I have to contact the repair center to get this fixed. Thank you to all of you guys who pitched in it was really a lot of help.. probably something went wrong in the number of years it was in use.

Will see in a couple of weeks after this problem gets fixed.. will give an update..

 

[slavikborisov]

Did a fair bit of research on my chiller .. website says FUJIDENZO chillers should be 0-10C on a 1-7 setting. I guess I have to contact the repair center to get this fixed. Thank you to all of you guys who pitched in it was really a lot of help.. probably something went wrong in the number of years it was in use.

Will see in a couple of weeks after this problem gets fixed.. will give an update..

I predict once you get it fixed you’ll be good to go

 

[paulgeorge]

Hi! I'm new here.. but I've been smoking meat for 4 years. I'm no meat smoking expert but I do smoke bacon, ham, pastrami, back bacon on a daily basis but 6 months ago I've been having problems with my smoked ham. I really don't know what the cause is but my brine solution has been turning cloudy and my ham has been spoiling frequently.

My Recipe (I've been cross referencing lots of recipes online and this was the one that had the highest success rate and taste that I've become accustomed to)

2.5 kg of ham round trimmed to weight and 4" thickness bone-out
1250g water
155g rock salt (I have no access to kosher salt where I come from.. I know it's a lot for some but through my experience it somewhat shortens the recommended 10 day cure to 7 days)
155g sugar (it has been 4 years since I've modified this recipe.. I know it's a bit much but was afraid to tweak it)
11g cure #1
Astrumtech Products
I mix the ingredients then inject the meat at 1" intervals then place it in a plastic bag (no air gaps) then in a metal pan (since I've read somewhere there might be a bad reaction if in contact with metal can't recall where). I place a weight on top of the bag to make sure meat is somewhat in the middle and immersed in the brine solution.

I don't think there's a problem with my smoking process as I've started slicing the cured hams at random to check if there's any smelly batch and found some that I've had to throw away. I've taken to slicing some of it without smoking just to check if it was fully cured and I see no uncured patches in the middle.

I just can't seem to find a solution and am humbly appealing to experienced smokers here that could shed light on the problem.

A cloudy brine could indicate bacterial growth or contamination. Ensure all your equipment, especially the containers and injectors, are sanitized. Using rock salt can also lead to cloudiness if it doesn't dissolve properly, so make sure it’s fully dissolved before adding the ham. consider checking the temperature of your curing area; too warm can promote spoilage. if you’re unsure about the ingredients or conditions, experimenting with smaller batches might help you pinpoint the problem.