www.sausagemaking.org

Hi all,
I'm brine curing a ham at the moment, and wondered if it's possible to use hickory smoke powder to flavour the ham after curing, and also what method to use.
Also, has anyone got e recipe for sausagemeat stuffing using the sage and onion mix bought from sausagemaking.
Would be very grateful for any help.
Thanks in anticipation,
Rasher.

rasher

I use the hickory smoke powder in conjunction with the organic cure on some of the bacon I make, but I mix it with the cure before applying it. I think you would have a problem trying to use it after the curing of your ham. I use it at 3 grms per kilo (I like it smokey).. this equates to about a rounded household teaspoon. If you are not too far into the curing you could make a thick paste with the smoke powder and water and mix it in with the curing brine, I think it would work OK.

When I tested the sage and onion mix for Franco, I used it at 50 grms per kilo and found it made a superbly flavoursome sausage similar to a Lincolnshire but with more depth of flavour (down to the onion I feel). Make up the sausagemeat as usual and put it in a bag in the fridge for about 6 hours to permeate. A stuffing mix can be as simple as just adding breadcrumbs alone or as complicated as you like by adding a multitude of ingredients. You can buy dried breadcrumbs, but I normally make my own by blitzing a few slices of bread in the food processor. The crumb not only bulks out the sausage meat but also IMO helps the texture.
Extra ingredients I have used are finely chopped and sweated onions, chopped apple, chopped chestnuts (vac packed), chopped prunes, dates, apricots, cherries, cranberries etc. You can also add extra herbs and ground spices. It is up to your personal taste really. If you use quite a lot of crumb in the mix I would advocate adding an egg to the mix as well, this will allow you to slice it without it breaking up too much. You could always make up small patties and cook in the oven for 20 minutes or so to test before making the bulk batch.

Regards, Paul Kribs

paul,
Thanks for the advice. Too late for the ham i'm curing at the moment but, there's another one lined up in the next few days.
I also like the look of some of your additions to the basic sausagemeat recipe and hope to try some in small batches before christmas.
Thanks again and have a good christmas,
Rasher.