Ham help

CJATE · BBQ Fan Joined: 02 Jul 2007 Posts: 118 Location: Cen-Tex

I've done several. Simple brine.

For ~10lb but
1c salt
1T pink salt
1c light brown sugar
2 g water.
Whatever aromatics I have on hand
7 days in the drink.

This week I did a feral ham from a pig I killed last week.

I never seem to get it to cure all the way through. (See the white middle?)

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb297/CJATE/C9342EB8-4DD6-492D-B4B2-4FE7236B3D43-16552-0000087A5AFCDA4D.jpg

Am I not soaking long enough?
Not enough pink salt?
Or is it not going to happen with out injection.

FYI. Feral ham is the best wild game I've ever eaten.
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Harry Nutczak · Posted: Mon Dec 10 12 12:55 am Post subject:

Cure penetrates about .25" per day, you need to brine it longer, or inject you brine/cure into the center.
I believe proper ham cure injection is 10% by weight. There is tons of info on the web on this and supply house sites.

You cooking sows or boars? Do the boars have a scent of urine while cooking them? (Boar Taint)
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SoEzzy · Posted: Mon Dec 10 12 2:39 am Post subject:

CJATE please read PMPNLT650pxOTLS!

If you have the Ham in a cure, it will cure 1/4" from all sides, so measure across the widest point, in inches, then divide by 2 to get the least number of days to keep it in the cure.

e.g.
3" / 2 = 6 days.
6" / 2 = 12 days.
12" / 2 = 24 days.
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CJATE · BBQ Fan Joined: 02 Jul 2007 Posts: 118 Location: Cen-Tex

thanks, what i had seen previously was by lb; 1 day per 2 lb. ill do some injecting.

i don t clean boars over 100lbs and i don't gut any pig at all. just make sure you get the gland out of the ham and its great. first time ive done ham. was all sausage before this.
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3rd best chicken in Arkansas, 2005. It was dumb Luck

Harry Nutczak · Posted: Tue Dec 11 12 12:17 am Post subject:

when I lived in FL, I had some friends down there who used to catch pigs live with their dogs, Pen them up, feed them grains and vegetables, then castrate them 6-8 weeks before slaughter to get rid of the "Boar Taint" ( I didn't think males had "Taint") and make the meat more palatable.

For those unfamilair with boars, Wild or otherwise;
"Boar taint is caused by two naturally occurring compounds known as androstenone and skatole, the odor of which is said to be comparable to sweat, urine and feces. The two compounds can accumulate in the meat of boars (male pigs) whose testicles have not been removed or castrated. If available in high quantities, the compounds can be detected by people through taste and smell when they cook or heat the pork meat or meat products." http://www.eufic.org/page/en/page/FAQ/faqid/What-causes-boar-taint/

Skatole is the compound that makes fecal matter smell, Imagine that stench coming out of your oven when roasting a ham!

A simple way to test meat is to heat up a soldering iron, and sear the raw fat on a cut of meat and sniff the resulting smoke, if it stinks of urine and fecal matter, do not try to cook and eat it, you won't be pleased with the results.
If you're raising pigs, you can reduce your chances of Boar Taint if you seperate the boars from the breeding sows and the levels of hormones will decrease to a level where the meat is edible.
_________________
Just remember that the toes you may step on during your climb to the top will also be attached to the a$$es you'll be forced to kiss on your way back down!

CJATE · BBQ Fan Joined: 02 Jul 2007 Posts: 118 Location: Cen-Tex

interesting:

I knew you could cut them and feed them out, but I don't really have time for that. I just want them off the property, and I'll eat the ones i can as I eradicate them.

some day I'll feed one out, but now is not the time for a project like that. for now I take the back strap for steaks, shoulders and hams for sausage or ground meat. and now I'll do more hams as well.

I don't gut any of them, and don't mess the mature boars
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3rd best chicken in Arkansas, 2005. It was dumb Luck

Harry Nutczak · Posted: Tue Dec 11 12 2:28 am Post subject:

So you want them eradicated??

When shall I come down with a bow, rifle, carbine, pistol, revolver? I plan on shutting down for a week or so.

We have some feral Russian boars being found in this area lately, it looks like an illegal game farm lost some, or turned them loose for fun. There are a few taken each deer season right down the road from me, I have yet to see any though, I am hoping I can put some .223 downrange into a few.
_________________
Just remember that the toes you may step on during your climb to the top will also be attached to the a$$es you'll be forced to kiss on your way back down!