Ham Anyone?

[gstoneberg]

Hmmm,. got some big hams in the freezer

I have a recipe.  It calls for Instacure #1 (aka Prague powder #1).  The only place I know to get it is on the internet or ebay.  These hams were done with Morton Tenderquick and brown sugar.   You can get that at most supermarkets.  I can give you the particulars on either method.  I wish I could learn to do bacon.  I've tried 3 times and each was a failure.  I'm going to try one more time with a dry rub instead of a brine. If that crashes and burns I'm giving up.

George

[JW_Halverson]

I did some pork shoulders with the dry salting technique a couple of years ago.  5 days salting/curing, changed the salt twice.  Smoked 'em good outdoors with my smoker set on 70 degrees F (it was 20 degrees F outside, so the smoker had to run to hold the steady temp, consequently had plenty of smoke.)  20 hours of smoking, then I hung them in the unheated barn out back over winter so that they dried down hard enough to drive nails with.  Very frontier traditional ham, came out too tough to cut, too salty to eat. 

Two days in freshwater baths plumped them and brought the salt to an acceptable level.  Made the best potato soup, bean soup, split pea soup, hocks and cabbage, etc....yum!

Thanks for the piggie porno, Georgie boy!

[Stoker]

Prague 1 or ultracure can be found at most butcher shops that make sausage.That where I get mine.Tenderquick is not the best has a metalic aftertaste.Try injecting the brine into the meat and soaking cuts done on time and more even of salt favor from inside to outside.Great suasage recipes and meat curing By Rytek Kutas is a really good book 560 pages of porky goodness.
Wife asked what we are bbqing this weekend? Haaammmmmmmmm
Thanks Leroy

[GaryR]

George, your wife and you have always been so kind to feed me breakfast on bow working days. If that's the kind of breakfast you're having now, I may need to have more bow making mornings. That looks great.
Gary

[gstoneberg]

Mary loves to cook for other people.  Her specialty is baking, you've seen a hint of that in her biscuits.  But, it's her cinnamon rolls that are to die for.  She doesn't do it much anymore as both of us gain weight when she does.  I miss it.  Anyway, we're having one of the pastors at church over for breakfast next week.  She actually sent him a menu...here's an excerpt:

What would you like for breakfast?
 
biscuits & gravy (Allen's favorite)
pancakes
egg casserole & muffins
waffles
eggs, toast with ham, bacon or sausage
cold cereal
all of the above
 
Gotta love a woman like that.  I took her out for a steak dinner at lunchtime.  Good times.

You're welcome anytime Gary.  Don't be a stranger.

George