Ham Beginner Questions.....

[AKokkinos]

Hi to all. Smoked hams are not available in Cyprus, so if we want something close to it for the holidays we buy a deli ham and glaze / bake it but this does not even come close to the real thing. After making my first lonzino, bacon and sausages, now I want to try my hand at a holiday ham. Any help will be greatly appreciated. I posted this and noticed a similar question (Christmas Ham) so I look forward to your expert answers.

Meat: 4 kg hind part of the pig's leg, bone-in, aitch bone removed, about 30 cm long and 15 cm/6 inches thick.
Questions:
1. Dry cure or 2:1 brine or the Ruhlman brine (for those familiar with t). Please keep in mind that I have no brine injector, is this a show-stopper?
2. For dry cure, is the thickness of the meat going to be a problem and the dry cure method is not recommended?
3. If the dry cure is okay, how long should I cure it for?
4. If you recommend the brine, how long should I brine it for?

Once the curing or brining period is over, then I will dry it for 2 days in the fridge, and then cold-smoke it to 145 degrees and cool it. Then it will be ready to bake / glaze it for the party. Does this sound correct to you or am I completely off the mark here?

Thank you

Andreas

[wheels]

Andreas

Perhaps you could tell us what you mean by "Holiday Ham". A US Ham? UK Ham? If you can be specific about what you perceive as a holiday ham, I'm sure that we can help.

Phil

[AKokkinos]

Hi again. Sorry for not being so clear about these. When I say Holiday Ham I mean the smoked ham that you then bake / glaze and thinly slice. It has that very nice deep red color. In Cyprus we can not get a US ham and we usually buy a piece of what is called Virginia Ham!!!! and then bake it and glaze it. That's the closest we can get to the real thing. Another alternative is a gammon but for me it is too fatty and salty - some recipes instruct you to boil it in water to remove some of the saltiness.

So I was thinking about buying the hind part of a pork leg, then brine it as per Ruhlman's recipe in Charcuterie and follow the recipe. I was very confused about it since it asks for a huge amount of Cure #1, however when reading around, I realized that the amount of salt and cure aims to reduce the brining period (as compared to the equilibrium method) and also relieve the problem of not having an injector. Until I manage to get an injector, the equilibrium method is out.

So my actual question is now: Has anyone used Ruhlman's recipe for Smithfield ham, and if yes, do they have any hints and tips for us newbies????? My only fear is that I end up with a very salty ham, but the guests can feast on other food.

Andreas