First Ham time! - Virginia Dry Cured (Final finished product pics!!)

[Habanero Smoker]

It may have been a combination of both. Although you had black rain, it looks like its the type were condensation builds up around the the vent where the warm air meets the cold air and then condenses, so the cabinet could have been at a low humidity.

I just did a hot smoked ham and felt I air dried it too long. In my area, winter days often have low humidity. So I used a spray bottle and spritz the ham with a fine mist and also spritzed the drip pan to increase the humidity. I did this every two hours while applying smoke. I also added hot water to the water bowl to create a little more steam. I'm not sure if this helped or I would have gotten the same results if I hadn't spritz, but the color came out nice; but of course I was also apply smoke at 110°F.

[Geoff_S]

If it was dry, will the smoke have had anything to stick to?

Looks good even so.  :D

[Habanero Smoker]

Smoke will adhere to dry surfaces, just check your racks.  :) Without moisture it does not adhere and/or penetrate as well as when there is some moisture.

[ExpatCanadian]

Thinking on it a bit more...  the skin was the driest part...  but the exposed meat was tacky...  not dry. Relative humidity this time of year in the UK is pretty high...  my conservatory is sitting around 70-80% most days.

All told though, regardless of colour, it smells amazingly smoky so I have no doubt it took up all it needs. Used hickory exclusively. We'll see when I finally get to eat it.

[Waltz]

That is a thing of beauty and a joy to behold. My wife's uncle used to cure hams from his pigs but he buried them in salt and I don't think there was much else used in the cure, but they tasted good.
It is on my to-do list.

[Diesel-Lineman]

This is definitely on my bucket list, seems like this practice is becoming a lost art and I would love to learn how to do it.  My dad told me this is the only way they did their ham's and bacon when he was a youngster, but his parents grew up in the great depression and both grew up on farms where this was a common practice.  Hopefully he still has half an idea how to do this and will be able to lend a helping hand when I decide I'm ready to take on a project like this.  Nice work!

[ExpatCanadian]

Hey all....  decided it was time for a follow up post!  My ham is coming along nicely, thought it was time to pull it down from its comfy hanging spot and check it out:

Wrapped in butchers muslin:


Skin has definitely taken on a darker color as its dried:


It looks so good it makes me even more annoyed about the black rain!!!  Ah, well...  c'est la vie...  only affects appearance...


Some mostly white mold forming in the crevices...  a little spot of greenish mold, but I suspect not a lot to be concerned about...  will rinse with vinegar...


Some cider vinegar to wipe the crevices with:


Apparently the pro's in Italy poke a skewer made of bone into the ham at 3 different places, all corresponding to where a main vein is and where sour would commonly occur.  I have no idea about the proper places to do this, so I just went in along the bone from the shank and and the shoulder end:


Shoulder end....  all is good....  nothing but SWEET porky goodness!!!


I've decided that this ham will be for cooking and eating, and I'm going to take it to Amsterdam in 3 weeks to share with friends for an Easter feast! 

I'm going to start another shortly, one that I will age for a year or so to eat raw like Proscuitto or Serrano.....

[Waltz]

Your ham looks wonderful. Everything I am seeing in your posts makes me more sure I am going to give this a go soon, probably go the whole hog, so to speak, and go for prosciutto straight off. Did the blue/green mould wipe off OK with the vinegar? it didn't look too bad anyway.

[ExpatCanadian]

Well, it's time to close this thread off....  I decided that the ham was ready for a sample.  I am taking half of it to Amsterdam for Easter weekend and cooking it for our friends for a big Easter meal on Sunday.  But, having decided this I got a bit nervous just in case it didn't turn out.  So I decided to cut off the shank end and cook that up for my wife and I to try, and then I split the remaining piece in half, one half bone-in the other boneless.

In a word...  amazing.  I am very happy with the way it turned out!!!  No bone sour or spoilage at all!  I soaked the shank for about 12 hours, changing the water once, and it was still on the saltier side, but not so much as to be unenjoyable.  I shredded the meat and used it in a risotto, so I just didn't add any further seasoning to the risotto itself and it was fine.  However, when I serve this again I will give it a full 24 hour soak to be safe.

A nice smokiness also came through in the meat...  a nice mild subtle flavour that really complimented the risotto.  I can't wait to try it on it's own just simmered, finished in the oven with a nice glaze then sliced.

I've just order another 2 legs..... one tunnel-boned and one bone-in.  The tunnel boned one I am going to dry-cure but carry on aging for up to a year for a prosciutto type end product.  The bone-in one I'd like to try a wet-brine for a more "Wiltshire" style.  I'll post as and when I get these started.

Final pics!

Shank end off.  Made a bit of a mess of this cut, but my hacksaw really didn't deal with the bone as well as I thought it would!


Rest of the ham sliced in half.  Bone-in portion on left


Vac-sealed, half in the freezer, half in the fridge to go to Amsterdam next week.


Shank simmered for 3 1/2 hours...  falling apart tender!


Lovely pink morsels!


All shredded up for the risotto.  If anyone is interested, the recipe I used is here: http://wensleydale.co.uk/modules/psblog/content.php?id=37&category=3

[Habanero Smoker]

Your ham turned out looking great. It has fantastic color.

[Brewoz]

Was it salty? Looks good!!!

[KyNola]

Beautifully done, just beautiful.  I am so very envious of your skill.

[classicrockgriller]

That is a beauty. WoW!

[Grouperman941]

Looks great! Wish I could taste.

[deb415611]

Beautiful ham!