Ham for Xmas

[kitchen-angel]

Hi. Before the site went down, I spent a couple of days here trying to work out how to do my own ham for Xmas. Have to say, the more I followed links in threads, the more I got lost, dazed and confused!.

Can someone please give me an idiots guide to doing my own - I was thinking of something like a wiltshire cure (bought from this site). I woudn't be doing a huge piece, but am I going to be able to do this without a brine pump?. My parents are visiting in 3 weeks, so will bring anything I need to order from the web shop.

Thanks in advance

ang

[saucisson]

Here is a good place to start:
http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewtopic.php?t=1220
or here:
http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewtopi ... ne&start=0

Any more questions just ask!

Dave

[kitchen-angel]

My first question relates to saltpetre. If I buy Francos wiltshire cure, do I still need to get saltpetre too?

2nd. At what point does the ham become too big to do without injecting brine?

I'm sure there's more but my other half is going mad at me to shut down pc and get started on dvd.

[dougal]

There are comments on another thread about the instructions from Sausagemaking for the use of the premixed "Wiltshire Cure".
My understanding is that the readymix "Wiltshire Cure" is a combination of salt, sugar, curing salts (nitrate/nitrite) and flavourings. As such, it would replace all those ingredients in the discussions referenced above.


Injecting brine is used commercially, not least to make the process faster.
Curing ham with the bone *in* seems rather more problematic, and it may be that injection alleviates those problems.
The time for immersion brine curing to reach equilibrium depends on the maximum thickness of the meat.
While a small piece of ham can be cured in a week or two at fridge temperature (5C?), reading Jane Grigson leads me to believe that a whole ham might want more than double that - even at cool room temperature say 15C.


Please do note that recipes and calculations for brine for simple immersion curing DO need to be rethought and recalculated for use in the different process using injection.

[Oddley]

I have to agree with dougal, All brine cures of mine were made before new information came to light, and are now only too be used as 10% pump cures.

[kitchen-angel]

Thank you both.

I hope someone might read this and give me absolut clarification on the instructions for using Franco's Witshire cure.

I don't particularly want to use an injection process, hence my aim to use a smaller (boneless) piece. What would be the guide for the time spent in the brine?. And is the maximum thickness based on the entire thickness ( ie. fat and meat)?

Also, with practice, and if usng a boneless joint, are you saying I could use only an immersion method ( no injecting), and just immerse for longer.

Thanks for your patience!!

ang

[saucisson]

The official word from Franco's site is to use 125g of mix for every litre of water and that joints up to 5kg need 7 - 10 days and over that weight they need 2 -3 weeks.

[dougal]

Do have a look at the previous thread in which I detailed (in excruciating detail ) my thinking.
http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewtopic.php?t=1990

About the only thing I have to add is to offer the (untested) suggestion of using a rice cooker (on 'keep hot' setting ~ 70C) for doing the poaching.