Country ham for Mother's Day

[jwhite]

I'm making a black-strap country ham for my wife and my mother, who will be visiting. I got a fresh 10lb country ham and last night I skinned and put it in the brine to cure. It will sit there until early Saturday when it will come out get rinsed and patted dry. It will rest for 24 hours and then into the smoker, I'm thinking a mix of cherry and Maple for the fire.

The Brine -

2 gal water
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 cups sugar
3 cups kosher salt
16 tsp pink salt
generous dollop of molasses

Sorry no pics yet, I wanted to get one of the trimmed ham before the brine but somebody borrowed my camera and it was too late to start waking people up to find it.

 

[heybatter]

sounds good and reminds me of what the great Neil Young....

So I'll stop where I can
Find some fried eggs and country ham
I'll find somewhere where they don't care who I am.

 

[Jim]

What time is supper James?

 

[jwhite]

Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!



.... late afternoonish, Mrs. jwhite, Mom, and my oldest daughter are having a spa day. When they get back, Ham.

 

[saf]

I thought country hams were already cured and pretty salty to begin with. I may be wrong but you might want to check. Its and easy fix if it is, just soak in water.

 

[wilsonent]

I use Alton Brown's baked country ham method. His point is to remove some of the salt by changing the soaking water twice daily. (he uses a cooler and water out of the hose pipe)

Making a brine for country ham sounds a little salty to me, however sounds like you know what you are doing. Enjoy


Jeff

 

[jwhite]

I thought country hams were already cured and pretty salty to begin with. I may be wrong but you might want to check. Its and easy fix if it is, just soak in water.

I started with a largish chunk of fresh pig that will become a country ham with time and cure. This is a hybrid actually as it has a brine cure for 5 days that carries the same flavor elements followed by a relatively brief, 24 hrs., air dry before smoking as opposed to the dry cure. I've been curing my own meat, fish, and sausage for special occasions for a while now.

 

[Jim]

Ahhh the classic confusion over the ham as a cooking process verses a cut of the pig.

 

[jwhite]

yep. That's a helpful graphic Jim, thanks.

 

[Rughi]

ahhh the classic confusion over the ham as a cooking process verses a cut of the pig.

ftfy!

 

[saf]

Sorry for doubting you. I have only had store bought country hams and assumed that was what you had. Whats that saying about assume, well its just me this time. That happens too much. I should really know better on this site, so many knowledgable and talented people around here.

Showing my stupid side again, Jim I have never heard of ham as a cooking process can you explain?

 

[Jim]

The ham is a cut of pork from a pig, treating it with a cure (salt and sugar) and or smoke and drying the meat in the process, is which turns it into what we get when you order a ham sandwich at the deli, if you just cooked the same piece of meat it would be more like a pork chop, a fresh ham is another name for it. The belly of the pig is another place where, when cured, we get bacon- uncured its just pork belly. Tasty tasty pig!

 

[saf]

Ahhhh I misunderstood what you were saying.

Back to the topic, The ladies in your life are very lucky to have such a fine meal made for them.

 

[COHunter]

I need to get a pig....

 

[YetiDave]

I need to get a pig....

Just one?

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

I've done a couple http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/285647-Easter-Ham with great success. I have a third hanging thats smoked. Its been hanging for 6 weeks now. I'm about to roast it off.

 

[COHunter]

Just one?

Only because of space constraints in the freezer!

 

[oc_in_fw]

ftfy!

excellent

 

[jwhite]

Its out of the brine!

 

[Jim]

How does she look James?