Dry Cured Ham ...... Suffolk Ham

[BriCan]

I am truly humbled sir

by the way --- you owe me a new monitor as I have seemed to have licked this one to death

[Ruralidle]

[NCPaul]

Well done!

[wheels]

Nice job. Quick injected hams are fine, but this type of slowly made ham is superb.

Phil

[BriCan]

Ruralidle,

I know you have one down for Easter; I just thought I would share with you the one I cooked today.

This one had been in vac pac (cooked brine) since last August. I cold smoked it a few weeks ago so has been maturing.

Just out of the oven at 145 degrees F internal temp



Thirty minutes later it was at temp



Letting it cool in its own liquid overnight

[Ruralidle]

Respect! Honour the ham - and its maker, that looks delicious!

Good to hear from you Robert. I hope that my ham comes out looking that good, but I doubt it. It will have had about 6 weeks in the brine before I take it out around 21 March to start the smoking process. Space is somewhat at a premium because I need to make some room in the fridge to cure some salmon before I smoke it (I will prepare some as cold smoked and some as hot smoked. Perhaps I should have hired a van and collected saussison's old upright curing fridge, that would have given me the space I need.

Is the liquid that it is in the same brine that it sat in sat in?

[wheels]

That looks superb. Ruralidle, you can never have too many fridges!

Phil

[BriCan]

The finished product -- it tasted more than ummie

[Ruralidle]

Looks fabulous - and I bet it tastes even better. I was looking at the one in my fridge a few minutes ago and it is looking good and dark. Only another 12 days in the brine and a week smoking, equalizing and cooking before we get to taste it

[Ruralidle]

Well, the ham has been brined, smoked, cooked and is already half eaten!



BriCan is definitely correct, the longer the ham is in the brine the better it becomes. This ham is delicious and extremely tender (I cooked it in the brine with added water to make up sufficient volume to almost cover the ham to an internal temperature of just over 165F). Even my 90 year old mother was impressed enough to phone to say how tasty and tender it is.

Thanks again BriCan for this wonderful recipe, I've now got to put another ham into brine for 3 or 4 months - and buy another fridge so that I can keep up with demand .

[BriCan]

Well, the ham has been brined, smoked, cooked and is already half eaten!

Looks great, I think you have now found out one of my biggest secrets --- time

I'm home in 6 weeks ----- anything left

Between vagreys and my hands on part II of this project has now commenced stay tuned -- updates at the appropriate stage's

[Ruralidle]

Hello BriCan

I doubt that there will be any of the ham left by this time next week , let alone in six weeks . That is why I have to start another one asap - but I'm getting aggro from the OH about using one shelf in the fridge (at least until the ham is ready then "it is all worthwhile"!). I might experiment with some local ale next time in place of the ESB, do you have any tips about the sort of ale that would be most suitable?

6 weeks until your visit! I do hope we have a chance to meet up so that I can buy you a drink and say thanks in person for this recipe.

Best Wishes
Ruralidle

[BriCan]

Hello BriCan

I doubt that there will be any of the ham left by this time next week , let alone in six weeks . That is why I have to start another one asap - but I'm getting aggro from the OH about using one shelf in the fridge (at least until the ham is ready then "it is all worthwhile"!).

Tell'um that they av a choice, the good stuff or the snotty crap from tescos

I might experiment with some local ale next time in place of the ESB, do you have any tips about the sort of ale that would be most suitable?

Lumpy hammer theres one brewed up hill frum the seventh lock that tastes good (bitter), what you got local ?

6 weeks until your visit! I do hope we have a chance to meet up so that I can buy you a drink and say thanks in person for this recipe.

You are on the list --- Blackpool's out

[wheels]

Strong dark beers are good. Emmets, the famous Suffolk producer now use Nethergate Old Growler, but for many years used Guinness. Maybe an Ironbridge Brewery Wenlock Stout? or Hobson's Postman’s Knock?.

HTH

Phil

[Ruralidle]

I had thought about Hobson's but the Old Henry http://www.hobsons-brewery.co.uk/beers/old-henry.aspx was first on my list. There again, if something lighter would do I could go with that beer from Stafford that caused such a ruckus with the terrifically PC female Labour MP in the Houses of Parliament - the "Top Totty" brew http://www.slatersales.co.uk/ourbeers.html

BriCan, great to hear that I'm on the list