cure,pink salt. habanero smoker direct question.

[don24]

im looking at recipe on recipe site for ham and it states 3 ozs pink salt for up to a twenty five pound ham.  you state if making more than 5 quarts adjust pink salts. im asumming 5 quarts is about right for the 25 lbs . if the meat is tweve pounds do I use less brine or is the meat ok and just swimming in a bigger pool. I guess im concerned about over dosing on the nitrates

[Habanero Smoker]

Technically the amount stated in the recipe is good for hams up to 25 pounds, and it will work the same for a 12 pound ham or even a 6 pound ham. But using the full recipe would be a waste of supplies if you don't need that much brine. The important factor is the concentration of cure in the brine.

I need to update my instructions on how to calculate the brine, because you can make less brine if you don't need 5 quarts. Place the ham in the container that you will be brining in. Pour in enough water to cover the ham by about 1". Measure that water and that is how much brine you need to make. If it is an odd number that makes recalculation the ingredients difficult, use a higher amount that will make conversion easier.

After measuring the water, I discard it and start with fresh water. You can saved a step by measuring the water prior to pouring it in. I have an 8 quart container that is marked at every quart level. I fill it up to the 8 quart mark, and then pour the water into the container that has the ham. Then I look to see how much water I have left in the 8 quart container. If 3 quarts is remaining, I know I poured in 5 quart.

So if you only need 2.5 quarts to cover your ham, reduce the recipe by 1/2; that includes all ingredients including cure #1.

Just a side note: I now use 3.2 ounces of cure for 5 quarts of liquid in my recipe. That increases the ham-like flavor a little more.

I'll make those updates in the recipe within a couple of days.

[don24]

how about the days cure times is 5 to 7 days a hard number. I understand you cant go less but how about longer. I ony ask because of my work schedule occasionaly throughs me a curve ball and I have to work an extra 2 to 3 days I can never tell

[Habanero Smoker]

The 5 - 7 days is not a hard number, though the larger the ham you want to use the higher end of the curing time. Three days over the recommended times is pushing it. The most I have gone over was by a 36 hours, so 2 days shouldn't be a problem. Going beyond the recommended curing times, you will increase the saltiness of the ham; since the nitrite levels are at a certain ppm you don't have to worry about the nitrites getting beyond a safe level, also my brine contains less cure #1 then most recipes.

The 5 days would be gear toward smaller hams, around the 12 pound range. Compared to many ham brines, mine is lower in salt, so if you brine over the recommended times you will be alright and you may not need to soak. I now brine all my hams; whether they are 14 pounds or 20+ pounds for 7 days, and I don't find a need to soak. If your ham is too salty for your taste, then you can soak it, to remove some of the salt.

Another option; even if you cannot smoke it right away, you can follow the recommended brining times, take the ham out of the brine and refrigerate it for 2 - 3 days until you can get around to smoking it. While holding it in the refrigerator until it can be cooked, place it in a sealable  bag, or tightly wrap it in plastic wrap. About 12 hours or so before you plan on smoking it, uncover it and keep it in the refrigerator. If you can do this, it is a better option.

[4given]

Habs can I use this recipe for a whole turkey? I found a little Cure #1 at Sportsmans Warehouse today.

[Habanero Smoker]

I've never tried brining poultry with this ham brine. Generally what flavors work with pork can work with poultry, but I would leave out the juniper berries.

For brines you are using for flavoring (not for preserving), basically can convert any of your favorite brine recipes by knowing how much Cure #1 to add. You can have any amount from 1.5 ounces of Cure #1 per gallon of liquid, to up to 4.2 ounces Cure #1 per gallon of liquid. Using amounts within that range will provide flavor, food safety to smoke at low temperatures and stay within safe nitrite limits. The larger amount of cure will increase both color and ham-like flavor. The only adjustment you may want to make after adding Cure #1 to your favorite brine would be to reduce the amount of salt called for in original recipe by the same amount. If you add 3 ounces of Cure #1, you can reduce the salt by 3 ounces; and just follow the brining times called for in your recipe. Often I find that many recipes on sites like the Foodnetwork are low on salt so there is no need to make that adjustment.

The below link may be helpful for you to develop your own brine. It goes into injecting also; but if my brine is dark in color I generally will skip the injection, because it will make streaks in the white meat.
Making a Poultry Brine

If you heat your brine, I do not add the Cure #1 until after the brine has cooled. This prevents any possible chemical reaction from heat that my change the properties of sodium nitrite.

[4given]

Thanks Habs. I am shooting for a "ham-like" taste and texture with this brine. I'm thinking a 4 day soak might do it?

[Habanero Smoker]

I generally will not brine that long, especially if you are injecting. Injecting speeds up the brining process. The link I provided, they use brine times like you are suggesting for turkeys not injected. If you are injecting, the best way is to inject the amounts they suggest for each area of the turkey. They use to have a diagram of where to inject, but I haven't been able to locate it.