www.sausagemaking.org

Hi
I dry cured a piece of pork using traditional bacon cure wrapped it in muslin and hung it in a cool dry airy place. It has been hanging for about two weeks now and on checking it it has developed a green mould in places along with a white mould.

any advice on what to do

Regards

Ian

Hi Oddley

The ham was thouroghly washed with distilled malt vinigar which remoned both the white and green moulds.

A thin slice was shaved from the ham which smelt ( cheesy socks) and tasted just like the dried hams I have tasted whilst in France I used a slicing machine to finely slice into the outer cured parts of the ham and then decided to boil the rest just in case bringing it to 68.3 C internal temperature.

The boiled ham has worked realy well it was boiled with an onion a bay leaf and a few peppercorns it has the the flavour of the cured ham yet is tender and moist.

A friend who is a regular visitor to France was very impressed and helped herself to a few of the wafer thin slices of the air dried ham and walked of with a few thicker slices of the boiled ham so I suppose alls well that ends well.

All that is left to do now is wait for the cooler weather and try again.

Regards

Ian

Ian it sounds like you did exactly what you needed to do. The process of drying ham in the United States is almost a forgotten skill now; but, my history study for the 19th century indicates that green mold is not only expected but desirable as an indication of success. Curing hams dry and smoking was at that time a precursor to storage in a cool dry place where they could be kept over the winter months. Modern ham processing methods now include "country" where the ham is dry smoked and salt cured (for flavor not preservation), and "city" where the ham is wet cured in a salt brine solution also called corning or pickeling. The last elements of folk who actually use "old time" methods is growing ever smaller; but, there are still a few. Please share your entire drying process with use who wish to know.

Ian wrote:
The ham was thouroghly washed with distilled malt vinigar which remoned both the white and green moulds.

A thin slice was shaved from the ham which smelt ( cheesy socks) and tasted just like the dried hams I have tasted whilst in France I used a slicing machine to finely slice into the outer cured parts of the ham and then decided to boil the rest just in case bringing it to 68.3 C internal temperature.

Fantastic, you did the right thing. you could have air dried the ham longer if you wished but cooking it was another way of creating something delicious. As a Master Butcher I am very happy for you and your achievement.

Regards
Othmar

othmar wrote:

Fantastic, you did the right thing. you could have air dried the ham longer if you wished but cooking it was another way of creating something delicious. As a Master Butcher I am very happy for you and your achievement.

Regards
Othmar

Othmar "You" too did the right thing!! Your web site is absolutely superior. My guests and I will be studying every detail as we learn how to process and prepare beef! Thanks for sharing your expertise!!

pawclaws wrote:
Othmar "You" too did the right thing!! Your web site is absolutely superior. My guests and I will be studying every detail as we learn how to process and prepare beef! Thanks for sharing your expertise!!

Thank you Pawclaws for your compliments about my website. It makes me happy that my advice is of some service to meat lovers.

Regards
Othmar