Here is my Fresh Whole Pork Leg

TigerTony · December 2009

Here is a picture of my Fresh Whole Ham Pork Leg that I cooked over night.
It is 16.2 lbs and I was figuring on it taking 16 hrs at 250*. But it reached my target internal temp of 160 in only 9 hrs. My temp held fairly steady all through the night only creeping up to 275 for a brief time.
Why do you think it cooked quicker then expected?

I never cut it yet but it looks and smells fabulous.

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gdenby · December 2009

I'm glad to see your report. I have a 16.6 pound fresh ham to do tomorrow. Most of the recipes I've read over predict 20 - 25 min/pound at 325-50. So, yes, it did get done quickly. I'll have watch mine, and make sure I don't over cook.

Did you have the leg up to room temperature before starting it? Some recipes have suggested that.

Any rub? I'm still undecided about going with a rub, or an herb paste.

Big'un · December 2009

Nice looking leg! You have a good pullback on the bone.
Every piece of meat is different. There are a few things that affect how the meat will cook. The amount of fat,sinew and other internal goodies. The moisture content, a brined piece of meat will cook faster than a nonbrined. The age of the pig. The temp you cook it at( is it possible that your temp rose at all during the cook?. Occaisonally, I can be cooking 4 butts and one will finish hours ahead of the other three. I call that a "turbo butt", a phrase that someone on this forum coined a while back. It may be that you ended up with a turbo leg.

TigerTony · December 2009

I took it out of the refrigerator and let it sit out on the counter for about 4 hours before I put it in the egg.
Yes, I sprinkled it with Dizzy pig's Tsunami Spin. I also, rubbed it all over with a mixture of Steen's cane syrup and yellow mustard.

TigerTony · December 2009

LOL!
I'm learning that with the overnight cooks, all you can do is plan and prepare. When it's ready it's ready. All is always good in the end.
At least it made it all through the night and I got a good nights sleep.
I'm gonna go taste a piece of my "turbo leg" right now.

reelgem · December 2009

That looks delicious!! That is really strange that it got done that fast. Wish I could answer that question for you.

TigerTony · December 2009

My first Fresh ham pork leg.

I just carved it and I'm super impressed with the results. It's very moist, great smoke ring, taste is awesome.

This will geaux on my "must cook one again" list.

Only problem as I was carving it I was eating all the debris and cracklin' type fat that fell off. I'm getting blood work done in two weeks , this better be out my system by then or they will rush me straight to the hospital

thirdeye · December 2009

Daaham. That is nice.

Compared to a butt, hams generally cook a little faster because they are less fatty than a front leg.

Grandpas Grub · December 2009

TigerTony, sure looks like a fantastic cook, I wonder if I can find one of these today before the shops close.

Thrideye, what temperature would cook this piece of met to and would you inject any Maple into the leg?

GG

thirdeye · December 2009

Kent,

I treat a fresh ham like I was cooking a pork roast and cook them in the 300° range. Since they are often sliced (verses pulled) 150° to 160° internal is the bottom end of done for me. (I like them a little more done than a loin roast which I usually pull at 145° to 150°). You can go higher if you want.... a fresh ham has more fat than a loin roast, but not as much as a shoulder roast, so keep that in mind.

I don't have a problem in a foil finish either, especially if it's a butt end. The ones we're seeing here today are the whole leg and the foil may not be needed.

Grandpas Grub · December 2009

When cooking Butt for slicking it seems like 140° pull time and 145° - 155° at the end of the rest leave a real moist cut. Pulling that cut at 160° with a 165° at end of rest leaves the cut a bit dry. Seems like the 165° for the smaller cuts is a bit in no mans land.

Do you think a 160° on the whole would leave the meat a bit dry?

I have always wanted to do a whole pig but this looks like it might be fun to try.

Thanks for your help and Merry Christmas,

Kent

Guz · December 2009

That Looks Great!

thirdeye · December 2009

Dang, once again I overlooked the carry over temp during the rest. I need to be more careful about that.... my temps are really final temps.

That said, sure a butt will be moist at 145°, as the proteins have started to unwind, but the collagen has barely began to soften. It could be a little greasy. No man's land sounds like another good term for the plateau we see around the 160°-165° internal. Then as the internal gets into the 175°- 180°'s the butt gains moisture and is again in the sliceable range. Another 15 or 20 degrees pushes it into the pulling range.

Sure, a fresh ham could be pulled at the 145°-150° internal and I suppose depending on the size, pulling it at 160° would be drier than lower temps because a big one would rise more than 5 degrees.

Since we've been talking about all of the cuts (shoulder, leg and loin) this is one of my favorite photo's for perfect sliceable doneness. It's a fishlessman shot of a bone in loin. I'm thinking it was pulled in the high 130°'s. Like I said, I like this doneness for loin roasts and chops, and like other roasts a little more done.

Grandpas Grub · December 2009

Thank you my friend. That is helpful.

Kent

Here is my Fresh Whole Pork Leg

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