The ham virus has taken over the forum!!! Please be carefull.....

[squirtthecat]

Hey Punch!   I'll take a few of those bags...     (and a shoulder)    :D

[punchlock]

Hey Punch!   I'll take a few of those bags...     (and a shoulder)    :D

send me your adress and I'll send the bags your way..... The shoulder may upset the postal service as well as your stomach by the time it arrived  :'( ;D

[squirtthecat]

I can send up a couple of these for some bags..    Keep SowZilla for yourself!

[punchlock]

I can send up a couple of these for some bags..    Keep SowZilla for yourself!

It's a deal... My local post office is gonna wonder what I'm up to with all this international shipping lately.  ;D

[squirtthecat]

I'll shoot you a PM shortly.

(d@mn, I need to go to the store again tomorrow!)

[Rich_91360]

Wish to do a green ham for Easter.  Know 5 to 7 days for wet cure, 1+day for smoking, a couple of days to rest in fridge.  As I have some time available beginning in March how long in advance can this be made and still be good for Easter, April 24th

Thanks

[Tenpoint5]

You can cure and smoke the ham now. Then place in the freezer until Easter. Thaw and cook. Since you will be finishing the ham at a later date You can pull the Ham at 142º, then when you reheat ensure the IT gets to 152º

[MidKnightRider]

I half to try one of these myself. But will start with a smaller one

[Rich_91360]

Tenpoint5,  great recommendation to pull early and then reheat on Easter for the last 10 degrees.

Thanks
Rich

[Phone Guy]

Ok that's it! I am going to smoke some hams. I need to do a little more research then get to it. Can you make "Ham" out of a shoulder?

[Habanero Smoker]

Ok that's it! I am going to smoke some hams. I need to do a little more research then get to it. Can you make "Ham" out of a shoulder?

You could call it a ham; technically it is not, but you can cure the shoulder like you would a ham. The butt end of the shoulder has a lot more tough collagen than a ham, if you take it to 152°F then you would need to slice very thin, or take the it to 175°F - it will be more tender and can be sliced.

[Phone Guy]

OK I have 2 "Pork Legs" on order from the butcher.

Habanero Smoker I noticed you had the ham in the brine with the skin on and then in the smoker with the skin off. Can I assume that you skinned after brining? Would skinning prior to brining be any better?

I received my pink salt dextrose and netting from Butcher and Packer a couple days ago. I am hoping to make a "Test" ham and make sure all is good then I will make one for Easter. Any advice would be great.

Thanks,
Phone Guy
Mike

[Habanero Smoker]

I have posted couple of ham recipes. The only one that I brined with the skin on was the fresh ham recipe, and that is after I had crosshatched it. In that recipe I also smoked with the skin still on, hoping to get some nice crisp skin on the finished product. The crispness only lasted for a short period until the skin draws moisture form the meat.

When I cure my hams I remove the skin and most of the surface fat prior to brining.

[Phone Guy]

Habanero Smoker , My appologies..... That was Punchlock who was the OP. Thanks for your reply though. I will follow your lead and skin the hams prior to brining. I am also going to render some of the trimmed fat and use the lard later.

[Habanero Smoker]

That is what I do with my fat. I place the fat in a pan with a little water to start things off; the water easily evaporates, and just keep skimming out those pieces that do not render down.