Brining Fresh Ham For Easter

Ladeback69

I am thinking of brining a fresh ham for Easter Sunday and smoking it on my XL.  What do you think of this process and do I have enough time.  I plan on getting the ham tomorrow hopefully at Restaurant Depot to save a little money.

 http://www.pelletsmoking.com/searching-cure-26/ham-brining-101-bacon-6993/

st¡ke

Asweet pickle cure like that will be the fastest method (as opposed to dry cured I mean), but you are cutting it close. I tried one with a week to go and it wasn't enough time. I  ended up with a pork roast nestled inside a ham. To hell with turducken. The Ham-Roast is the real trick

might as well try it. You will get help if you inject the brine along the bone (which you ought to do anyway to avoid 'bone taint').

first year in maybe eight years i am not curing a ham. Just not feeling it this year

NPHuskerFL

Did a 18# or so ham and it took around TOTAL 15 days including:  curing, the rinse and then placing in frig covered for another 2-3 days. Best ham I've ever had hands down. 

st¡ke

Yeah, Pound a day is (IIRC) about right. 

I usually start them a month out. They keep well, obv.  So I stopped timing them

NPHuskerFL

So, to answer the the original question... You'd be cutting it close depending upon the weight of your green ham your wanting to cure. 

Ladeback69

The other options is to just double smoke a cured ham or try and make a pork loin into ham.  I would think the pork loin wouldn't take so long because of no bone?  I have a 9# one in the freezer.

st¡ke

Pork loin takes less time (three days in my case) because it has a narrower cross section and fewer layers of fat and the membranes which separate muscle groups. 

Bone doesn't really have much effect. In fact, done properly, if it has a bone it needs cure injected along it. Since this introduces cure, it actually speeds curing. You don't bother injecting boneless not because it's faster, you just don't need to guard against bone taint (something i think isn't much of a risk anyway)

Ladeback69

st¡ke said:

Pork loin takes less time (three days in my case) because it has a narrower cross section and fewer layers of fat and the membranes which separate muscle groups. 

Bone doesn't really have much effect. In fact, done properly, if it has a bone it needs cure injected along it. Since this introduces cure, it actually speeds curing. You don't bother injecting boneless not because it's faster, you just don't need to guard against bone taint (something i think isn't much of a risk anyway)

The pork loin would be easier to slice with no bone and I may cut it in have and do one in the brine and stuff the other half.  This would save some time and money.

Thank you for your help. 

TTC

+1 what @NPHuskerFL said, cutting it close.

Worth the effort though, inspired by @Griffin I did the version from Charcuterie for Christmas a few years ago. People still talk about that ham.

Ladeback69

I guess if I can find one tomorrow and get it injected and brined I may do it.  It's worth a try.  It should be good just may not be as salty?

st¡ke

It will be fine. Are you only brining it, not curing it?

i would cure it, myself. 

Mickey

Just get a cooked ham and smoke it. Thus is easy and good. 

NAKED HAM / SMOKE ONLY

Let me start that for the past 6 years i have only cooked Egerts Ham (this is an outstanding ham Egged on the BGE). 

 

 A short while ago went looking for (did not know this at the time) a naked ham / smoke only.  Looking at other ways to do a ham w/o the burbon, maple syrup, brown sugar, NO ANYTHING. Guys this was outstanding ham. It tasted like ham. It was a 7 lb Cooks ham (shank) and NOTHING was put on it (Nothing). Just smoke: both lots of Sugar Maple and cherry chunks. Cooked at 300 till 135. I did score the ham deep. Cooked indirect.

New item: just did spiral and worked out fine.  

NPHuskerFL

Mmmmm Ham. 

NPHuskerFL

@Mickey respectfully... If you're going to do a green ham smoke only (no cure) you will have a delicious leg of pork. But, it will not have the flavor or characteristics of a ham. If time is an issue I'm with you....get a cured and presmoked ham and then do what you want as far as extra smoke and a glaze etc.

Ladeback69

st¡ke said:

It will be fine. Are you only brining it, not curing it?

i would cure it, myself. 

NPHuskerFL said:

@Mickey respectfully... If you're going to do a green ham smoke only (no cure) you will have a delicious leg of pork. But, it will not have the flavor or characteristics of a ham. If time is an issue I'm with you....get a cured and presmoked ham and then do what you want as far as extra smoke and a glaze etc.

@st¡ke,I take by curing your are referring to the pink salt?  If that is the case, yes I was going to use pink salt in my brine.  I thought the only difference in the brining to curing was the pink salt and time, but I guess I could be wrong.

I was going to try and follow this even though it is from a pellet smoking forum, it should be good.  I have about everything I need except some good maple syrup, pink salt and some maple wood.

@NPHuskerFL, if I can't find what I want, may go with the presmoked one and stuffed pork loin roast.  I kind of want to try that one again to improve it.  I will let you guys know how it goes.

 

lewisj82

Here's my ham from a while back, was in the brine less than a week and you could taste the brine right down to the bone. Doing another one for easter that's going in the brine this weekend. Kosher salt though, not pink salt. 

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1176150/fresh-ham#latest

Mickey

NPHuskerFL said:

@Mickey respectfully... If you're going to do a green ham smoke only (no cure) you will have a delicious leg of pork. But, it will not have the flavor or characteristics of a ham. If time is an issue I'm with you....get a cured and presmoked ham and then do what you want as far as extra smoke and a glaze etc.

No, No on green ham. I am and have always used cooked hams. Never a raw ham. 

NPHuskerFL

Why no on uncured green ham @Mickey ?  Just don't want to fiddle with curing it yourself etc?

st¡ke

Curing with pink salts physically alters the meat and changes the flavor as well. 

Salt-only is different. Think salt-pork versus bacon. 

Mickey

st¡ke said:

Curing with pink salts physically alters the meat and changes the flavor as well. 

Salt-only is different. Think salt-pork versus bacon. 

A smoked naked ham is just damn good and very little work. 

NPHuskerFL

@Mickey tuff to argue you on that point.   

st¡ke

My comment has nothing to do with yours mickey. Not sure what you mean. I was talking about what the difference is between a fresh ham being brined versus cured. Never mentioned a preference re cooking a cured ham

count me confused

Ladeback69

lewisj82 said:

Here's my ham from a while back, was in the brine less than a week and you could taste the brine right down to the bone. Doing another one for easter that's going in the brine this weekend. Kosher salt though, not pink salt. 

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1176150/fresh-ham#latest

@lewisj82, I remember your post.  I have seen this recipe on line and was thinking of maybe using it.

Ladeback69

Well I couldn't find a fresh him so I am going to turn one pork butt into ham and another regular sliced or pulled.  Found if I go with 20%-30% bring solution I can do it in 4 to 5 days.  I country find curing salt so I ordered some from Amazon and will be here Tuesday.  This should be interesting.