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Brining Ham

PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 5:10 am
by Clairssausages
Hi all,

So I am about to cure my first ham. I have read many recipes and am a little confused about the best way to go about this. I have curing salt no. 1 and can't really get hold of no. 2 or saltpetre as I am in China. I have successfully brined corned beef and dry cured bacon but this is the first time making ham.

Could anyone share a good immersion recipe to use with cure no. 1 as a brine, without injection. Would this work?

Thanks in advance,

Clair

Re: Brining Ham

PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 11:36 am
by DanMcG
here's a link to a brine cure ham recipe,
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7178&hilit=Easy+Ham+Recipe

One question I have is, do you know the amount of Nitrite in your cure #1, it varies from country to country and it would make a difference in the brine recipe.

Re: Brining Ham

PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 12:10 pm
by Clairssausages
Hi,

Thank you for your reply. I should have clarified, my cure no.1 is from sausage making.org. I am pretty sure it is 6.25%.

Thanks,

Re: Brining Ham

PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 12:17 pm
by Clairssausages
Im keen to use this recipe:

http://www.localfoodheroes.co.uk/?e=697

So should I just leave out the saltpetre?

Any other recipes for a first timer?

Re: Brining Ham

PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 5:21 pm
by fusion555
Clairssausages wrote:Im keen to use this recipe:

http://www.localfoodheroes.co.uk/?e=697

So should I just leave out the saltpetre?

Any other recipes for a first timer?



If you look at the calculator at the bottom of that page, it tells you how to do it using cure #2 instead of saltpeter,
just read you cant get it where you are, sorry

Re: Brining Ham

PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 5:21 pm
by NCPaul
That's a good recipe to try and as long as the ham is not massive, the saltpeter can be left out. Let us know how it works out for you.

Re: Brining Ham

PostPosted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 2:37 am
by Clairssausages
Thanks! I have a small piece of meat for it, approx 1kg so should be good. I will put it in today and let you know how I get on!

Re: Brining Ham

PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 6:29 am
by Clairssausages
So two weeks later and my ham is ready! It is delicious! I am very impressed with the cider cure. I think it might be a little over cooked or as no fat on the meat it is a bit dry.

Not bad for a first attempt...what do you think?

Image

Re: Brining Ham

PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 6:47 am
by Clairssausages
Sorry, I can't seem to get the link to show the image. Here is the link to the image.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/49599552@N05/shares/950727

Re: Brining Ham

PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 12:02 pm
by NCPaul
Result! If I was near that plate you'd have a lot less ham to worry about. :D

Re: Brining Ham

PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 1:00 pm
by DanMcG
Looks very nice, congrats!

Re: Brining Ham

PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 4:24 pm
by wheels
Clairssausages wrote:So two weeks later and my ham is ready! It is delicious! I am very impressed with the cider cure. I think it might be a little over cooked or as no fat on the meat it is a bit dry.

Not bad for a first attempt...what do you think?

Image


I'm so glad that you like it. It may be dry because it was cooked to a little too high a temperature. How did you cook it?

Phil

Re: Brining Ham

PostPosted: Sun Mar 05, 2017 12:42 am
by Clairssausages
Thanks all! I cooked it in a slow cooker on lowest setting until it just reached temperature internally. Would it be better inside a vac bag?

NCPaul - trying to keep my husband's hands away from it has been more challenging than making it!

Re: Brining Ham

PostPosted: Sun Mar 05, 2017 7:23 pm
by wheels
That's a good way to cook it, but the temp of most slow cookers is well above the 70°C (ish) that you want the ham to cook to, so it is still possible to overcook it. Whilst the ham can't get above the temp of the water it's cooked it, the temp will carry on going up for quite a while after you remove it. There's a whole thread somewhere in which Brican gives full details of a ham's temps at varying times after removal from the oven.

In my case, I cook with the water at 75 - 80°C or in an environment at this temp above water (large pan with trivet). With my slow cooker, this means cooking on the 'keep wa4rm' setting. Yes, the setting that they tell you not to use for cooking. This keeps the water at a nice 75°C, ideal for cooking hams.

Obviously, a good probe thermometer is essential to ensure that the product is safe.

HTH

Phil

Re: Brining Ham

PostPosted: Sat Apr 22, 2017 5:24 am
by Clairssausages
Hi all,

I really enjoyed the cider cured ham that I made above, however it did have a somewhat Christmassy taste to it with the spices and the cider. I am wondering if anyone has a good ham recipe that uses cure no.1, and is an immersion brine rather than a injected brine as I don't have the capability at the moment to do that. I have some quite small piece of meat, maximum 1kg.

Thanks!