Basic Ham Curing Updated 11/4/19 for More Curing Recipes and Information

Basic Ham Curing Updated 11/4/19 for more curing recipes and information: www.curecooking.com/hamclass

There is something immensely satisfying about sitting down to a feast of ham that you cured and smoked yourself. It is both a meal and living history continuing a traditional going back more than a 1,000 years. These recipes will give you a safe and delicious start in home ham curing. There may seem like a lot of math at first, but do not be tempted to just “wing it” instead. Be precise. The hams will not only have the perfect amount of salt for taste, but they will be safe. And please practice this basic ham curing for a while with boneless and skinless cuts before moving onto bone-in skin-on hams. Keeping hams smaller, say less than 5 lbs. is also a great idea while learning. They will cure faster and more reliably, as well as smoke and cook quicker. As for what meat to use, there are really very few limits. Pretty much any part of a pig can be cured with these methods. No need to stop at pork either. Beef can be cured with the same techniques, so can venison, lamb etc. NOTE: It is tempting to make a few hams in your smoker and then want to tackle your own proscuitto, jambon or other dry-aged ham. DO NOT. Those kind of hams are neither smoked nor cooked, and take from months to years to finish. There are a lot more things to go wrong. Please seek out reputable sources or experts to make long-term dry-aged hams.

Dry Curing Prep Time: Equipment: 10-15 minutes of work Scale

3+ days of curing Smoker (optional)

2-24 hours of cooking

Ingredients: TIPS Beef, Pork, Chicken etc (whole • The quality of ham starts with the muscles and not ground meat) quality of pork. The best are made from well-marbled heritage breed Salt (fine grain and non-iodized) pigs and not standard commodity pork. Curing salt #1 (aka pink salt #1 or • Spices are completely for flavor, so Prague powder #1) experiment, explore and enjoy. • Do not overcook dry-cured hams. [Optional] Sweetener They have much less moisture than regular hams. [Optional] Spices/flavorings Steps: 1. Weigh the meat you wish to cure. Either grams or pounds (to the hundredth of a lb.) are easiest. Using ounces is difficult and NOT recommended. 2. Measure out salt and curing salt #1. For greatest accuracy, measure out separately for each ham rather than use a pre-mix. Use 2.3% - 2.5% salt to the weight of the meat. Then use 15% curing salt #1 compared to weight of the salt. Round all the calculations up to the next gram or hundredth of a pound (10.2 g becomes 11 g or .542 lbs. becomes .55 lbs.). Example for a 3000 g piece of meat: 3000 g x 2.3% = 69 g of salt 69 g of salt x 15% = 11 g curing salt #1 (rounded up from 10.35 g) 3. Mix the salt and curing salt #1. 4. Coat the meat with the mix. If meat has a side or potions that are mostly fat, only put a dusting of the mix on those parts. The majority of the cure should go on exposed muscle. 5. If desired, add any dry sweetener like brown sugar or maple sugar. As a baseline, use 50% of the weight of the salt that was added. Use up to 100% if you want a very sweet ham. If you want to use a liquid sweetener like honey or maple syrup, it is best to add to the meat in the last half of the curing time and NOT at the beginning. 6. Place meat in a vacuum bag if possible or a plastic bag with air squeezed out.

7. Store covered in fridge for minimum of 1 day for each half inch of thickness. You may cure for 1 week longer (or 2 weeks if vacuum packed). Don’t be in a hurry. Best to go beyond the minimum time. For highly marbled cuts of meat, allow at least 2 days for each half inch of thickness and keep in a vacuum bag if possible. 8. If not in a vacuum bag, it is recommended to turn the meat each day or 2 days to allow all sides to sit in the brine that will develop. 9. After curing period is finished, remove the meat from the bag or container and allow to dry and equalize for at least 4 hours and up 1-2 days. Resting uncovered on a rack in the fridge is good or anywhere that is less than 55 F. 10. Smoke the meat. The curing allows you to safely cold smoke long periods of time at temperatures <140˚ F if desired. Smoking times are mostly about preference, but roughly speaking hams are good at 6-12 hours. Recommended that you avoid woods with bitterness like mesquite and hickory or if you do choose those woods shorten the smoke times. 11. If you want to be able to eat your ham cold or at room temperature, it must be fully cooked/smoked to 150 F. Use your smoker or oven with medium low heat (170˚- 225˚) and slowly heat the meat until an internal temperature of 150˚ F. 12. For a darker and crustier bark, finish in the smoker or oven at higher temp. of 250 – 300 F and glaze if desired. MONITOR CLOSELY AND DO NOT OVERCOOK. 13. If you plan on re-heating your ham later as a whole piece or cutting into ham steaks, there is no need to smoke up to a finishing temp. of 150 F. Just cold smoke for as long as desired and don’t worry about cooking it. Ham will be moister and have a better taste and texture if only cooked once and not re- cooked at second time. 14. In general, cured smoked meats may be kept in the fridge for several weeks. Better to keep them wrapped in wax paper or a brown paper bag than plastic. For long storage, vacuum sealing and freezing is best. Properly sealed with no air in the bag, meats will last a year or more in freezer.

Brining (Wet Curing) Prep Time: 10-15 minutes of work Equipment: 3+ days of curing Scale

2-24 hours of cooking Fridge

Ingredients: Smoker (optional) Beef, Pork, Chicken etc (whole muscles and not ground meat) Notes: Salt (fine grain and non-iodized) • Dry-curing is a better option for Curing salt #1 (aka pink salt #1 or high quality pork and any well- Prague powder #1) marbled meat. Brining is a good for leaner meats and commodity pork. [Optional] Sweetener • This brining method can be used for poultry, but the cure #1 can be [Optional] Spices/flavorings omitted. Smoking temp. must always be above 150 F. and the Steps: final internal temp. must be 160 F. 1. Weigh the meat you wish to cure. Either grams or pounds (to the hundredth of a lb.) are easiest. Using ounces is difficult and NOT recommended. 2. The total amount of brine needed is 50% the weight of the meat and concentration of the brine should be 10%. There is a somewhat complicated way to figure out a brine that is precisely 50% the weight and 10% salt. However, to simplify things slightly, what follows will get you close enough and only has minimal math. 3. The salt will be 10% the weight of the water. And the cure will be 15% of the weight of the salt. Round all the calculations up to the next gram or hundredth of a pound (10.2 g becomes 11 g or .542 lbs. becomes .55 lbs.). Example for a 5 lb piece of meat: 5 lb. meat x 50% = 2.5 lbs. of water 2.5 lbs. of water x 10% = .25 lbs. of salt .25 lbs. of salt x 15% = .04 lbs. of cure #1 (rounded up from .0375 lbs.) 4. Mix water, salt and curing salt #1 until everything is dissolved. 5. If desired, add sweetener like brown sugar, honey or maple syrup As a baseline, use 50% of the weight of the salt that was added. Use up to 100% if you want a very sweet ham.

6. If you want to add any spices or aromatics for flavoring, be sure they are water soluble like garlic, onion, allspice. Spices like black pepper, chili powder and most anything else will be wasted in a brine. Save non-water-soluble spices until the brining is finished and coat the meat before smoking. 7. Mix again to incorporate any sweetener and spices. 8. Add the meat to the brining container. 9. Weigh down the meat to ensure it is completely submerged. Press a piece of plastic wrap down onto the surface of the brine. 10. Store covered in fridge at least 1 day for each half inch of thickness. You may cure for up 1 week longer if needed. Turn the meat each day. For highly marbled cuts of pork and for beef, allow 2 days for each half inch of thickness. 11. After curing period is finished, remove the meat from the bag or container and allow to dry and equalize for at least 8 hours and up to a day or so. Resting uncovered on a rack in the fridge is good or anywhere that is less than 55 F. 12. Smoke the meat. The curing allows you to safely cold smoke long periods of time at temperatures <140˚ F if desired. Smoking times are mostly about preference, but roughly speaking hams are good at 6-12 hours. Recommended that you avoid woods with bitterness like mesquite and hickory or if you do choose those woods shorten the smoke times. 13. If you want to be able to eat your ham cold or at room temperature, it must be fully cooked/smoked to 150 F. Use your smoker or oven with medium low heat (170˚- 225˚) and slowly heat the meat until an internal temperature of 150˚ F. 14. For a darker and crustier bark, finish in the smoker or oven at higher temp. of 250 – 300 F and glaze if desired. MONITOR CLOSELY AND DO NOT OVERCOOK. 15. If you plan on re-heating your ham later as a whole piece or cutting into ham steaks, there is no need to smoke up to a finishing temp. of 150 F. Just cold smoke for as long as desired and don’t worry about cooking it. Ham will be moister and have a better taste and texture if only cooked once and not re- cooked at second time. 16. In general, cured smoked meats may be kept in the fridge for several weeks. Better to keep them wrapped in wax paper or a brown paper bag than plastic. For long storage, vacuum sealing and freezing is best. Properly sealed with no air in the bag, meats will last a year or more in freezer.