Best How To Cure Hams Recipes

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SALT CURED HAM: OLD-FASHIONED PRESERVING



Salt Cured Ham: Old-Fashioned Preserving image

Salt cured ham has been around for centuries as an old-fashioned preservation method. It's simple to cure your own ham at home with this easy recipe.

Provided by Lee Totten

Categories     Breakfast     Dinner     Lunch

Number Of Ingredients 5

6 cups Curing Salt
3 Tbs Red pepper
3 Tbs Black pepper
3 cup Brown sugar
1 Fresh Ham

Steps:

  • Mix salt, red pepper, black pepper and brown sugar in a bowl and set aside, this is your curing mix.
  • With a ham that's between 36 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit, rinse in cold water and pat dry.
  • Put a layer of curing mix ¼" - ½" deep on a tray to act as a bed for the ham.
  • Place the ham on top of the layer of curing mix.
  • At the H-bone (hip) and the hock joints, cut slits down to the bone then pack with as much of the salt mixture as possible.
  • Rub and cover the rest of the ham with the curing mix.
  • Leave the tray in a cool place (such as a refrigerator or a cooler packed with ice) for 18 days at 36-40 degrees.
  • Cure for 18 days (or more - see recipe notes).
  • Once the ham is cured, rinse well with cool water then smoke it, cook it or freeze it for later (see recipe notes for cooking tips).

Nutrition Facts : ServingSize 1 oz., Calories 69.7 kcal, Sodium 364 mg, Fat 5.3 g, SaturatedFat 1.9 g, Protein 5.2 g, Cholesterol 15.9 mg

HOME-CURED HOLIDAY HAM



Home-Cured Holiday Ham image

There are many reasons for making your own holiday ham: bragging rights that you actually did this, but also that you can flavor your ham any way you want and you can control the salt content.

Provided by Chef John

Categories     Meat and Poultry Recipes     Pork     Pork Shoulder Recipes

Time P4DT2h20m

Yield 16

Number Of Ingredients 10

1 (7 pound) fresh, bone-in pork shoulder ("picnic") arm roast, with the skin still on
6 quarts water, divided
18 ounces kosher salt
2 cups brown sugar
7 teaspoons pink salt #1 (curing salt)
1 tablespoon pickling spice, or to taste
¼ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup maple syrup
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 pinch salt

Steps:

  • Place kosher salt, brown sugar, pickling spice, and pink salt in a container large enough to hold the brine and the ham.
  • Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil and pour over the brine ingredients; whisk to dissolve. Pour in 1 gallon fresh cold water to cool down the mixture.
  • Score the skin side of the pork roast with a sharp knife. Cut into the fat beneath the skin but not into the meat. Score about 1 inch apart, then score in the opposite direction to get the classic diamond-shaped pattern.
  • Lower scored roast into the cooled brine, skin side up. Use a plate to weigh down the roast so that it cures fully submerged in the liquid. Refrigerate for 1 day for every 2 pounds of pork (for a 7 pound roast, cure for at least 2 1/2 days). Turn the roast over halfway through the brining process.
  • Remove roast from brining liquid. Discard the brining liquid and transfer the roast back to the brining container. Cover the roast with fresh cold water to rinse off some of the salt. Depending on how salty you want your ham, you can soak it for just a few minutes or overnight. Remove roast from the water and blot dry with paper towels.
  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Add a cup of water to a roasting pan with 2 whole star anise. Place roast on a rack in the roasting pan.
  • Roast until ham reaches an internal temperature of 130 to 135 degrees F, about 2 hours. Ham will not be fully cooked at this point. If water has nearly evaporated, add a splash more. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Continue to roast until skin is browned and crispy and ham reaches an internal temperature of 145 to 150 degrees F.
  • To make the optional glaze, mix the mustard, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and salt together in a bowl. Brush glaze on the ham at this point, not before. Return roast to oven for about 5 minutes to crisp it even further.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 483.5 calories, Carbohydrate 22 g, Cholesterol 127.1 mg, Fat 25.6 g, Protein 38.8 g, SaturatedFat 8.9 g, Sodium 13995.6 mg, Sugar 20.5 g

HONEY-CURED, HICKORY-SMOKED SHOULDER HAM



Honey-Cured, Hickory-Smoked Shoulder Ham image

A true ham, weighing 15 to 20 pounds, comes from a hog's hindquarters. It's a formidable piece of meat, requiring several weeks of curing and 24 hours or more of smoking. A shoulder ham (sometimes called picnic ham) has a similarly magisterial appearance and profound umami flavors, but in a size that will fit in your refrigerator and can be cured and smoked inside a week. When possible, buy a heritage pork breed, like Berkshire or Duroc, preferably from a local farmer or butcher.

Provided by Steven Raichlen

Categories     brunch, dinner, lunch, meat, project, main course

Time P6DT7h

Yield 12 appetizer servings or 6 to 8 entrées

Number Of Ingredients 10

2 cups kosher salt (preferably Morton)
1 1/2 cups honey
1 packed cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons Prague powder #1
6 cloves
6 allspice berries
3 fresh or dried bay leaves
3 fresh lemon zest strips
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 fresh skin-on, bone-in (9- to 10-pound) shoulder ham (sometimes called picnic ham)

Steps:

  • Make the brine: In a large pot, place 2 1/2 quarts water, the salt, honey, brown sugar and Prague powder. Bring to a boil over high, stirring until the salt, honey and sugar are dissolved.
  • Make the spice bundle: Tie the cloves, allspice berries, bay leaves, lemon zest and peppercorns in a piece of cheesecloth.
  • Stir the spice bundle and another 2 1/2 quarts ice water into the brine, remove from heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes).
  • While the brine cools, prepare the ham: Using paper towels, blot the pork shoulder dry on all sides. Using a sharp knife, score the ham in a crosshatch pattern, cutting through the skin but not through the meat and spacing the cuts 1 1/2 inches apart. (This is optional, as you'll remove the skin, but it facilitates injecting and gives the ham a striking appearance.)
  • Measure out 2 cups brine and place in a deep measuring cup. Place the ham in a roasting pan. Draw the brine into a marinade injector and inject it deep into the ham all over, inserting the needle at 1 1/2-inch intervals and drawing it out slowly as you depress the plunger, until the brine starts to squirt out of the surface of the ham.
  • Place the ham in a large pot or food-safe bucket with a lid, or 3-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the brine and flavorings (plus any brine in the roasting pan). If using a plastic bag, tightly seal, squeezing out any air, and place the bag in the roasting pan to corral any leaks. Brine the ham in the refrigerator for 3 days, turning the ham twice a day so it cures evenly.
  • Pour the brine into a large pot and set aside. Remove the ham from its pot or bag and transfer it to a roasting pan. Using the marinade injector, re-inject the ham with brine (using 2 cups again, or more, if you can get more in), inserting the needle at 1 1/2-inch intervals. Return the ham and all the brine to the bag. (You can use a fresh bag, if you wish.) Continue brining the ham in the refrigerator for another 3 days, turning twice a day so it brines evenly. When ready for smoking, the meat will take on a pinkish hue.
  • Drain the ham in a large colander, discarding the brine. Rinse the ham well with cold water, drain again and blot dry with paper towels. Place it on a wire rack over a roasting pan and let it dry for 2 to 3 hours in the refrigerator.
  • If using a charcoal grill, set it up for indirect grilling and heat it to 250 degrees. If using wood chips, soak them in water to cover for 30 minutes, then drain. If using wood chunks, there is no need to soak them. (With a kettle grill, use less charcoal than normal to obtain this low temperature.) If using a smoker, heat it to 250 degrees following the manufacturer's instructions.
  • Place the ham on the grate, fat-side up, using indirect heat, and add 1 1/2 cups wood chips or 2 wood chunks to the coals. Smoke the ham until handsomely browned and cooked through. (The internal temperature will be about 160 degrees.) This typically takes about 7 hours, but you may need more or less time, depending on your ham, smoker and the weather. Add wood chips (about 1 1/2 cups) or chunks (1 large or 2 medium) per hour to the embers to maintain a constant flow of smoke. Rotate your ham a few times during cooking so that it browns evenly, and drape it loosely with foil if it seems to be darkening too much.
  • Transfer the ham to a cutting board and let it cool for 20 minutes. Pull off the skin. (If you're feeling ambitious, you can fry the skin in 350-degree oil to make smoke-flavored cracklings.)
  • Thinly slice the ham across the grain and serve. You can serve the ham hot, at room temperature, or chilled. Refrigerated, it will keep for at least a week.

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