Friend asking me to do up a wild pig ham

[Drac]

Good day all,

Ther hunting friend of mine has a small hind quarter from a wild pig, about 2 pounds of meat, maybe 3-4 pounds with bone.

Saw this - http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?465-Smoked-Cured-Ham

Would I use this for that small of a ham or should I just use a basic cure like a Canadian bacon?

Thanks,
Jim

[squirtthecat]

Jim, this worked well for me...   Not too sweet, and not too salty.

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=26670.0

[Drac]

Looks good. 

If I wanted to tweak it to more of a ham flavor how much additional cure would you recommend?  I am thinking of trying it as is at least once but I am a fan of the traditional ham flavor.

Jim

[squirtthecat]

Looks good. 

If I wanted to tweak it to more of a ham flavor how much additional cure would you recommend?  I am thinking of trying it as is at least once but I am a fan of the traditional ham flavor.

Jim

I would double (at least) the Cure #1 for more 'hamminess'.     Mine had a real mild ham flavor.

[Habanero Smoker]

That is a very small cut for a ham, so you either use a dry or wet brine. Just note that the cure or salt in the brine will not kill any parasites, so make sure you cook the ham to the recommended temperature for wild boar.

For 1 gallon of brine you will need around 1.5 ounces of cure #1 to give you some ham flavor, but taste is an individual thing. I use approximately 3 ounces for 1 gallon of brine.

If you use my recipe, for two pounds reduce the amount of brine so there is just enough liquid to cover the ham, that way you don't have to use so much material. Of course when you reduce the liquid, you need to proportionately reduce all ingredients.

Since it is such a small piece, 2-4 days should be enough time to fully cure it, and you would not need to inject, but injecting will quicken the curing time.

[Drac]

Thanks.

Did a quick google search and found this - http://homecooking.about.com/od/cookingfaqs/f/faqtrichinosis.htm and http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs153

Says to 140F should be enough to kill the parasite so the 152F that of yours and the 145F of squirtthecat would cover it?

Jim

[Habanero Smoker]

Thanks.

Did a quick google search and found this - http://homecooking.about.com/od/cookingfaqs/f/faqtrichinosis.htm and http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs153

Says to 140F should be enough to kill the parasite so the 152F that of yours and the 145F of squirtthecat would cover it?

Jim

That is for domestic hogs.

I'm not that familiar with wild boar, but there have been a few recent posts on parasites in wild hogs which appears their parasites to be more resilient.

[devo]

Heres a copy and paste that might help you out.

Hi guys,
Just a note here about trichinella spiralis. Too many people are under the impression that simply freezing meat in your kitchen refrigerator freezer compartment will eliminate the threat. It absolutely will not! "Certified pork" is meat that has been deeply (sub-zero) frozen for a prescribed amount of time set by the Department Of Agriculture. The USDA-FSIS regulations are here: http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?t=4808

Table 1: Required Period Of Freezing At Temperature Indicated
Temperature Group 1 (first number of days) Group 2 (second number of days)
5 degrees F. 20 / 30
-10 degrees F. 10 / 20
-20 degrees F. 6 / 12

The best way to eradicate the dangers of the trichinella spiralis larva is to simply cook the meat thoroughly. However, not all sausagemaking procedures allow the meat to be fully cooked or even cooked at all. In these cases, "certified pork" must be used. Because of new USDA regulations in American hog production during the 1970's and 80's, the disease in modern America has mostly been eliminated. For decades preceding the new rules, many hog producers fed hogs the entrails of other butchered hogs as the cycle continued until the modern rules were put into effect. By public demand over an extended period of time, American pork has become less fatty and mostly trichinae free.

However, this is NOT the case with many species of wild animals. Trichinella spiralis is a parasitic roundworm whose larval form may be present in the flesh of pork or many wild game animals. Most bear meat is infected and much wild boar is as well. When the larva is consumed, it settles in the muscles of the victim and its painful infection is known as trichinosis.

Please treat any wild game with a little caution and good sense. Either cook it satisfactorily or deep-freeze it following the USDA's regulations. It's interesting to note that in England, as well as in many other hog producing countries, trichinella spiralis is virtually unknown.

Always follow the recommended cooking temperatures in recipes. The internal temperature of cooked fresh pork must reach at least 150 ºF. (65.5 ºC.) All hot smoked sausages should be cooked to 155ºF. (68 ºC.). Never judge by looks alone, whether meat is cooked sufficiently, and always check the internal temperature using an accurate meat thermometer.

Best Wishes,

[Drac]

Thanks, so the 152F of Habanero Smoker recipe (which is for pork) should work for the boar ham as well?

If so where should I measure the temp?  Every direction say not to touch the bone with the probe, so should the probe be net to (but not touching) the bone or half way in between?

Jim

[Habanero Smoker]

Placement of the probe for ham can be a little tricky. Generally the temperature should be taken at the thickest part; which is easy enough for whole hams. If I am placing the probe from the side and down towards the bone, I go to the bone then back off about 1/2". When I reach the internal temperature I am looking for; to take the final temperature reading I will move the probe in or out in small increments. If the temperature drops below the temperature I am aiming for, I leave the probe in that position and continue to cook until I reach the temperature I am looking for. If the the temperature rises in any direction I move the probe, then I know it is done.

If you have a half ham the thickest part is generally the open end. So I tend to move the probe back a few inches from the end. For the final temperature, I use the same procedure as above.

Since you have a small cut, I'm not sure of it's shape. If it is not "round" in shape, you may want to use a net, or tie it with butchers string to get a more uniform shape.