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is there a simple formula for using salt petre in a wet cure ? for instance 1 tea spoon of salt petre per kilo of pork .i have two bellys of pork salt .sugar.ect and raring to go

is there a limit of how much meat this recipe can cure?

I was thinking if this were in a vac-pack, then you could use the minimum brine needed, then discard.

How long does one usually brine for - same as a dry cure?

Sounds good - i'll give it a shot. Is it necessary to rince in water after brining - but before drying? What kind of stuff have you brined with this, and does the thickness of the meat or inclusion of bones make any difference to the brining time?

I was thinking of doing some pork belly ribs.

I have used Oddley's Englsh brine recipe and find it gives good results, I add bay leaves, fresh rosemary and sage to the brine and find it makes a great continental style ham.

Franco

Hmm, ham sounds like a good idea too. I assume this is a cooked ham?

Any recipe you could provide would be appreciatedl. i.e. which cut of meat, and the length of time you had it in the brine for such a thick piece of meat. Would piercing the ham help with the curing too?

Aris,

try this recipe.

Old English boiled ham.



5.5 litres of brine (use Oddley's recipe or my ready made mix http://www.sausagemaking.org/acatalog/C ... Brine.html

10 grammes chopped juniper berries

5 grammes dried cloves

1.5 kg boneless leg of pork.


1.Stir the ingredients together until dissolved in the water.

2.Prick pork with a sharp implement ie to help the brine penetrate.


3.Place pork in the brine for 2 weeks.


4.Place the pork in a large pan of water and simmer GENTLY for 3 hours.


You can add herbs to the stock if you want but as the brine is flavoured it isn't really neccessary.

Franco

Sounds good - I think i'll try this for Christmas.

Do you leave the skin on when brining?

Do you leave the skin on when brining? I'll assume yes, as most hams one sees in the shops have the skin on.

Aris

I leave the skin on right up until carving, when I remove it. The same would apply if wishing to roast it. I would skin it after boiling and then slash the fat and insert cloves and cover with honey. I would cook it for just enough time to caramelise the honey.

Regards, Paul Kribs.

PS. I would dearly love to eat the succulent skin as it melts but diet and commonsense prevents it.

Hi guys and gals,
With a lot of help from Paul, Rik, Oddley and a lot of other forum members I have now mastered sausage making and bacon curing.
I am a victim of my own success because I can't keep up with the demand so I have to strictly ration what I produce. My smoke house works well but is is underutilised. I have plentiful hard wood saw dust with a variety of flavours from piquant to sweet. So now to Ham.
Assuming I put my leg of pig into the brine recipe mentioned under this topic I don't see how I get ham instead of bacon. I can't get juniper berries here so I will have to do without. I know the difference between ham and boiled bacon when served on my plate but I don't see how one becomes ham and the other becomes bacon simply through brining and boiling. Sorry if I am being dim but I just don't get it. I wish to leave my ham on the bone so I hope that won't cause additional snags. Any hints please? Franco mentions simmering gently for 3 hours but no mention of smoking. Has anyone any information on this please.
To put my case simply, I need all the information I can get, please, on ham curing, smoking and cooking before I make a horrible mess of a pig that I bred and carefully raised for the past 8 months.
Best regards,
Vernon Smith

Vernon

I have seen a cookery program where it showed how a Suffolk 'black ham' was made. I am sure it was on one of Delia Smiths xmas shows. After brining in a stout brine they were then smoked in a smoke shed. I can't recall times required, but I would imagine that it would need a heavy smoke as some flavour would be lost in boiling. Apologies for not paying more attention..

Regards, Paul Kribs