Wet Cure gone wrong or ?

[ValerieH]

Hi folks!

I am leaning toward just pitching my ham as Im starting to think there have been too many calamities to trust it. But Id like input before I do.

Picked up a 15lb ham after butchering a hog. It spent 2 days wrapped in fridge before I got it in the brine solution.

The solution is almost identical to the one referenced here. Its about the only thing Im convinced is 100% right.

Put the ham in and had read a day per pound. Nothing was exposed. I didnt check it daily because it was curing at my mothers who had the fridge space. Temps were good. Fridge wasnt even opened once.

About 10 days in I realized the more common time was shorter. Nothing I could do because of scheduling so I turned it over to let ir finish out the 2 weeks. At this point a 2inch spot of fat was exposed. I had no idea what to weight it with, sealed it up for another 4 days figuring 4 days was not a big deal.

Oven broke.

Ham sat. Another 10 days.

Just retrieved the darn thing now that I have an oven for an 8 hour bake. And the spot that was exposed has slime mold on it. Not the brine, the meat.

It smells like sugar brine.

It looks decent in color.

While I can find posts referencing moldy brine and articles about mold on dry cures... I cant find my issue.

Ok to cook or pitch and do better next time?

Thanks in advance!

 

[mneeley490]

I can't address the slime mold issue, other than suggest slicing off the affected piece. But as to the rest, I don't know of anyone here who brines by the pound. What exactly did you use for your wet brine?
If you're using a wet brine recipe similar to Pop's, with a tablespoon of pink curing salt (sodium nitrite) per gallon of water, the curing formula is normally to allow for 1/4" per side, per day, plus 2 days to make sure. But that is usually for thinner cuts like pork belly or brisket. For a ham, in order for the brine to reach deep inside, you need to inject the brine solution deep into the ham in several places in order for it to reach everywhere and achieve equilibrium. I've had belly brining for 3 weeks with no problem, and I think the last time I did a ham it was about 3 weeks, also. Just place a heavy dish on top to keep it submerged during the brining process, and turn it once or twice.

 

[daveomak]

Injecting a brine/cure is VERY important for meat over 2" thick... Injecting around the bones is a BIG DEAL to prevent bone sour....

What recipe did you use and what recipe are you referring to ...
If everything else seems OK, you can make up a new brine solution and inject it around the bones...

Here is a recipe I developed for picnic hams....

~5 days from Picnic to Ham....

I use non enhanced picnics... enhanced is OK but I cut the ingredients in half (1/2), to accommodate all the stuff processors add... Gently heat 10% the weight of the picnic, of Low Salt Vegetable stock, to about 100F.... 9# picnic ~400 grams of stock.... Once warm, ADD IN ORDER and...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[ValerieH]

Below is the brine recipe I used. I tripled it due to the fact my ham was 15lbs and this was for a 5lber.

I did not inject the ham. Nothing I read prior to starting the endeavor dealt with monstrous size hams. Should I do it again and inject it now that its been in the brine for three weeks? Is that 2" thickness from the bone or total thickness?

I can carve off the fat that has the mold on it - its a very small section. But is it a lost cause? And what is "bone sour"? This is the first Ive heard that specific term.

---

Servings 12
Author Adapted by Lisa Fain from Michael Ruhlman's Charcuterie
Ingredients

• 1 (5-pound) ham, uncured and uncooked
• 2 litres of water
• 3/4 cup kosher salt
• 1 cup turbinado sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon Insta Cure No. 1 pink salt
• A plastic container large enough to contain the ham but small enough to still fit into your refrigerator

 

[ValerieH]

Below is the brine recipe I used. I tripled it due to the fact my ham was 15lbs and this was for a 5lber.

I did not inject the ham. Nothing I read prior to starting the endeavor dealt with monstrous size hams. Should I do it again and inject it now that its been in the brine for three weeks? Is that 2" thickness from the bone or total thickness?

I can carve off the fat that has the mold on it - its a very small section. But is it a lost cause? And what is "bone sour"? This is the first Ive heard that specific term.

---

Servings 12
Author Adapted by Lisa Fain from Michael Ruhlman's Charcuterie
Ingredients

• 1 (5-pound) ham, uncured and uncooked
• 2 litres of water
• 3/4 cup kosher salt
• 1 cup turbinado sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon Insta Cure No. 1 pink salt
• A plastic container large enough to contain the ham but small enough to still fit into your refrigerator

I did not use the turbinado sugar. I used brown sugar. Lisa Fain swapped turbinado sugar in for brown sugar.

 

[daveomak]

Valerie, read my link on post #3....
My opinion of Ruhlman and his ability to cure meat is not good... He makes too many errors.. Most of them are on the side of "food safety"...
Anywho, bone sour comes from a couple places... First, keeping the animals cool, not excited, prior to slaughter... Keeping the ham properly cooled after slaughter..... Injecting with cold cure/brine solution... Proper cooler temperature.... Lastly, only using pure ingredients when injecting....
Molasses, brown sugar are impure ingredients... only white processed sugar should be used for long term curing...

This book is taken from the Archives... It is old but explains stuff that doesn't get explained today...
It has some great value even in today's modern world... One thing I noticed is... Most recipes for brine curing use 50% the weight of the meat for a brine solution... I think that's important because it concentrates the ingredients in the solution which increases the pressure for the meat to accept those ingredients... osmosis so to speak...
You can get around the brine curing by using my method of injecting directly into the meat, all of the necessary ingredients... No guess work... everything is in the meat for a proper cure... It's a little tedious as I recommend injecting about every 1.5" as to fully cover the meat... Cure and other ingredients migrate approx. 1/4" per day through the meat... So, given what we know, in 3 days the meat hunk should be cure... I add at least 2 more days for insurance... My hams come out pretty good... Some members say they are the best hams they and their family have ever tasted...
A note about injection of the soup stock... It's safe and won't sour the meat... It 's pasteurized... 5 days is another reason to use the injection method...
Anywho, any questions, I'm here, as are others to help you out...

....

 

[daveomak]

 

[blucmal]

Book looks like a good read. is it avaiable somewhere as an ebook?

 

[daveomak]

Book looks like a good read. is it avaiable somewhere as an ebook?

Internet Archive Search: B. heller and co

.

Yep, .. archive.org... Click on the above link....

 

[blucmal]

Awesome thanks

 

[Jabiru]

so you don’t get slimy in your brine, wash the meat first Under cold water, before you put in your wet brine.

if it slimes while meat in there, remove meat rinse and pop in a new wet brine.