Brine or Dry Cure ?

[JDNC]

I have a deer ham with bone removed (gift from my brother) and would like to cure and smoke.  My question is... should I dry or brine cure?  Either way, after curing I'll probably roll tight and tie with butcher's twine and then smoke and slice.  Also I would like suggestions in reference to cure times, methods etc.  Any help would be appreciated.

JD

[Tenpoint5]

JD I haven't done a deer ham, but if I was planning on it. I would brine cure it with a 15% injection. I think I would also toothpick on some bacon or pork fat. To keep it from drying out too much. It is gonna be in the smoker for awhile. When I make my brine for hams I use the one from Kutas' Book.

Enough for 25 lbs. of Ham
2 gals. of Ice water 38-40*
1lb-12oz Granulated salt
1/2 cup Granulated sugar
2/3 cup Insta Cure #1 (Pink Salt #1)

or

5 quarts Ice water
1lb of salt
1 cup powdered dextrose
2/3 cup Insta Cure #1

Mix all together and inject 15% of the ham weight. Place the ham in the remaining brine and soak in the fridge for 5-7 days. Make sure the ham is submerged. After the 5-7 days scrub the outside of the ham under running water to remove some of the excess salt. Place in stockinette hang in preheated smokehouse at 120*  with vent wide open for 12 hours. Increase temp to 140* and apply smoke for 8 hours. Increase temp to 170* close vent to 1/4 and hold until IT of 142*. For fully cooked Ham hold until IT of 152-155*.

From prior experience a 7-10lb ham will take about 30 hours to reach 152* Hope that helps.

[pensrock]

A friend of mine used to make hams. He said he would take the pork just as he butchered it and clamp off the main vein/artery. Then when he was ready to inject the ham he would inject directly into the vein. This carries the brine completely throughout the meat. I asked about venison ham and he said he tried to find the vein several times but it was too small/hard to find. So he just injects brine all around the meat. He also soaks the ham in the brine mixture as 10.5 says to do. I just thought the idea of using the vein to transport the brine throughout the meat was a great idea.

[JDNC]

10.5,

I just pulled the small deer ham (about 6 lbs) out of the brine (hab's 5 qt. smoked cured ham recipe) after 7 days and found the ham was not fully cured (probably needed another 7 days).  As I've already discarded the brine I'll just dry in the fridge and smoke it.  Again I question my pink salt as it's probably older than I first thought..more like 5+ yrs old.  On the Sausage Maker's site I read if it still has a pink color and is not clumped up it's probably ok (mine looks fine), but they advised they had only stored for up to 1 1/2 yrs.

Now I noticed in the 5 qt brine recipe you posted, the amount of pink salt used is 2/3 cup, that's about twice the amount in the recipe I used which called for 3 oz. which I weighed.  Do you think this might be my problem? I think Hab was substituting the salt, sugar and pink salt with Sausage Maker's maple cure sometimes and I've got some on order but now think I just might need to increase my pink salt to 2/3 cup next time.  Any ideas?

JD

[JDNC]

10.5

Another thing I forgot to add was that as the small ham was deboned I didn't inject any brine. 

[Habanero Smoker]

I'll check my calculations on the pink salt. I prefer to use the pickle recipe in Charcuterie to the one in The Great Sausage Recipes, by Kutas

[JDNC]

Hab's,

I just finished smoking the deer ham and after cutting into it it appears to be cured ok.  I only saw a small area in the center of the ham after removing from the brine that appeared not cured.  If you remember, I had a problem earlier with a backstrap using the basic dry cure and thought maybe my pink salt was bad or I made a mistake in measuring ingredients.  I now think my pink salt is ok (even if it is 5+ yrs old), and I probably did make a mistake measuring before with the dry cure.  As for the amount of pink salt in the brine recipe, it also appears to be ok.  I don't know why the discrepancy between the two recipes in reference to pink salt.  I just happened to notice this when reading the 10.5's post.

I do wonder, if the dense muscle tissue of deer takes more time to cure than pork.  I think my ham needed an additional day or two maybe.  Any ideas?  I'll post pictures of the deer ham tomorrow.  It's in 3 pieces as it wouldn't stay together after the bone was removed.  Tastes great!

I dried in the fridge over night and then in the smoker at 130* for a couple hrs then 4 hrs of smoke at the same temp alternating hickory and maple pucks.  Finished at 170* until last hr at 210* (tired of waiting) to an IT of 155*.  Wrapped in foil to cool (went to Wal-Mart) and then wrapped in plastic-wrap and into the fridge.

JD

[Habanero Smoker]

I feel there is still something not right. For a 6 pound ham I feel it shouldn't have taken no more then 4 to 5 days in a pickle. I don't believe density of the meat is a factor. You had a 6 pound piece that was deboned, which would have exposed more surface space for the brine. So either my formula is incorrect (but I have always had success with it); you pink salt is either no good or over the years the sodium nitrite has settled is no longer equally distributed throughout the salt; or the temperature you cured at was lower then 38°F. Did you check the temperature of your brine? Colder temperatures will extend the curing times.

As I've mention, I prefer Sausage Makers Maple Ham cure, but I like to formulate my own cures. The brine ham cure from Kutas' book seems excessive to me, that is the one 10.5 is using. As you mentioned Kutas uses 6 ounces for 5 quarts. Then I came across the ham brine in Charcuterie; which uses 1.5 ounces for 4 quarts. Though the formulas in Charcuterie are based on what the Culinary Institute of America uses, I felt their cure amount was not enough. So for my first trial I cut Kutas' amount by 50%, which almost equaled twice the amount in Charcuterie, and I used 3 ounces of cure #1 for 5 quarts. I've used my formula at least twice, and my hams were fully cured. This time of year fresh hams often go on sale for $.99/lb., so I may buy a small fresh ham and cure it using my formulation, just to make sure.

[JDNC]

I was going to be out of town for several days after Xmas and checked the fridge temps several times and found them to be in the 38-40 degree range.  I had a small plastic container (pail) with a air tight lid that beer extract had come in and decided to use it for the brine.  I now think it might have been too small.  The ham was folded and placed in the container with the area where the bone was in the center.  I was unable to agitate or mix the brine dailly as I was not at home (also the reason for 7 days).  The area that appeared not cured was in the center where the bone had been (small about 2-3 in dia.)  This area was a thin area when the meat was unrolled and lay flat, so I wasn't too concerned.  I would have thought the brine could have reached this area, but maybe because it was fairly tight in the container it couldn't.  Next time I think I'll use a larger container and as I saw in one of your post's I think I'll mix/stir the brine daily.  I don't know what's going on but I am waiting on fresh #1 from Sausage Maker's and will use fresh next time.  If nothing else maybe a lesson on shelf-life of pink salt (I'll use fresh next time).  I'm no chemist but I swear, I don't understand how pink salt could go bad stored in a cool dark area, but it's not worth the time to use old when fresh is available.

JD

[JDNC]

I forgot to take pictures of the ham before I vac packed, but here is one after part of the ham was sliced.

[JDNC]

Here's a larger picture

[Smoking Duck]

That looks really good, JD.  A lot of moisture in that ham.

SD

[Habanero Smoker]

It looks good to me. How does it taste.

Looking at it, and knowing that you didn't overhaul, may be the reason that one section did not cure. Being tightly bunched may have restricted the brine from penetrating that area. After seeing your results, I would have to say the cure #1 is most likely still good. I'm sure if the brine was stirred and the meat repositioned daily or every other day, it would have fully cured.

In one of today's circulars, Shop Rite is selling fresh whole hams for  $.99/lb. You just gave me a reason to make my hams more then twice a year.

[JDNC]

Thanks guys, it tastes better than it looks!  So good in fact that what you saw is all gone today!  I still have the main part vac-packed and in the fridge.  I forgot to mention that I soaked the meat for 2 hrs and dumped the water and soaked again for about an hour the night before.  As for taste, it's about perfect if I do say so...not salty at all....ha!  I have never really cared for deer hams roasted or baked.  Something about the gamey taste when it gets cold.  I think in the future this is the way I'll prepare deer hams and shoulders if not making sausage.

Habs,  I mixed up some more "Basic Dry Cure" using the old pink salt and weighed out all the ingredients on digital scales in oz.(as I think I screwed up last time).  I want to try another backstrap with your CB recipe one more time, if you think the pink salt is ok, I'll give it a try.  It's not like it will ruin the meat anyway, it was great last time, just like roast beef.  What do you think?  Then on to pork hams and sausage!

I wired a temp-switch when I first got my OBS and it works great with the temps here in NC(6-10 swing), but I just can't stand not having a PID, so you guessed it..waiting on a Auber plug and play as I type. The reason I purchased the OBS was for smoking sausage and I haven't smoke any as of yet, but I will.  You guys are breaking me up!

Thanks guys for the help...still on that learning curve.

JD

[Habanero Smoker]

The pictures show that your pink salt is fine. Use the smallest container you can that won't bunch up your meat, overhaul on a regular basis and everything will turn out great.