Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: gstoneberg on September 01, 2011, 01:49:17 am

Title: Ham Anyone?
Post by: gstoneberg on September 01, 2011, 01:49:17 am
I put 4 pork roasts from the last pig we shot in brine to make hams a week ago Monday.  2 are shoulder roasts and then the 2 large hindquarter roasts.  I pulled the smaller hams out of the brine over the weekend and the larger ones came out today.  Then, they went in the smoker at 5pm.  I just checked them now at 10,

(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6080/6102085318_ceff1c1ce2_z.jpg)

and they have just a few more degrees to go before we can call them done.  But, they look gooooood to me.  I'll know when I take them off and snitch a little.

George
Title: Re: Ham Anyone?
Post by: M-P on September 01, 2011, 02:11:08 am
I can almost smell them!  Dang they look yummy.    Ron
Title: Re: Ham Anyone?
Post by: bowtarist on September 01, 2011, 03:28:19 am
Wild pig?  Man I gotta get on that, they say there in southern Indiana now, far north as Salem, maybe Bedford.  mmmmmmmmmmm
Title: Re: Ham Anyone?
Post by: hatcha on September 01, 2011, 07:28:33 am
mmmmmm.....   looks tasty!!
Title: Re: Ham Anyone?
Post by: Pappy on September 01, 2011, 09:42:55 am
Man that looks good,Yum Yum.  :) :)
   Pappy
Title: Re: Ham Anyone?
Post by: cowboy on September 01, 2011, 09:51:27 am
Dang George, mmm. Hey, I'd like to snitch some of that about say noon?
Title: Re: Ham Anyone?
Post by: gstoneberg on September 01, 2011, 10:10:31 am
Thanks guys, I ended up bringing the ham in the house and putting it in the oven to get the internal temp up to where I wanted.  I snitched a piece off the smaller ham which had been soaked in water overnight and it was wonderful.  Then I snitched a piece off the larger ham which had only been rinsed before smoking and it was a little salty.

This morning I took them back out of the refrigerator and cut into one of the larger hind quarter hams.  Looks good.

(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6185/6102906352_18d7c9e865_z.jpg)

Then I had a piece for breakfast.

(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6208/6102358525_235bec9136_z.jpg)

It's a little salty around the edges, but for the most part it is excellent.  Note to self, rinsing the hams overnight before smoking is worth the wait.

George
Title: Re: Ham Anyone?
Post by: half eye on September 01, 2011, 11:44:49 am
George.......you sir are a very bad man.....that skillet picture should be illegal, unless it's on my stove. Ya really know how to get a fellas jowls droooooolin ;)
rich
Title: Re: Ham Anyone?
Post by: criveraville on September 01, 2011, 12:53:43 pm
George those look yummy yummy....   ;D
Title: Re: Ham Anyone?
Post by: hatcha on September 01, 2011, 01:58:45 pm
George.......you sir are a very bad man.....that skillet picture should be illegal, unless it's on my stove. Ya really know how to get a fellas jowls droooooolin ;)
rich

I agree!!! 

George - you've got entirely too much ham there...  you best send some over to me in Ireland ;)
Title: Re: Ham Anyone?
Post by: gstoneberg on September 01, 2011, 03:35:25 pm
LOL, you guys crack me up.  Actually I offerred this pig to a friend who's out of work.  He already took all the ground pork and half the chops.  He'll come over in the next couple days and take as much of the ham as he wants.

George
Title: Re: Ham Anyone?
Post by: Stoker on September 01, 2011, 03:37:02 pm
All of a sudden I have a craving for ham ???
Thanks Leroy
Title: Re: Ham Anyone?
Post by: cracker on September 01, 2011, 06:38:02 pm
Looks delicious I can hardly wait for cooler weather. My son whacked four wild pigs and were gonna put some coals under them.Ron
Title: Re: Ham Anyone?
Post by: mullet on September 01, 2011, 08:19:16 pm
 Hmmm,. got some big hams in the freezer ::) :)
Title: Re: Ham Anyone?
Post by: lowell on September 01, 2011, 09:00:15 pm
Very nice...wish I was there!!!    I like smoking!! ;)
Title: Re: Ham Anyone?
Post by: gstoneberg on September 01, 2011, 09:36:24 pm
Hmmm,. got some big hams in the freezer ::) :)

I have a recipe.  It calls for Instacure #1 (aka Prague powder #1).  The only place I know to get it is on the internet or ebay.  These hams were done with Morton Tenderquick and brown sugar.   You can get that at most supermarkets.  I can give you the particulars on either method.  I wish I could learn to do bacon.  I've tried 3 times and each was a failure.  I'm going to try one more time with a dry rub instead of a brine. If that crashes and burns I'm giving up.

George
Title: Re: Ham Anyone?
Post by: JW_Halverson on September 01, 2011, 11:35:28 pm
I did some pork shoulders with the dry salting technique a couple of years ago.  5 days salting/curing, changed the salt twice.  Smoked 'em good outdoors with my smoker set on 70 degrees F (it was 20 degrees F outside, so the smoker had to run to hold the steady temp, consequently had plenty of smoke.)  20 hours of smoking, then I hung them in the unheated barn out back over winter so that they dried down hard enough to drive nails with.  Very frontier traditional ham, came out too tough to cut, too salty to eat. 

Two days in freshwater baths plumped them and brought the salt to an acceptable level.  Made the best potato soup, bean soup, split pea soup, hocks and cabbage, etc....yum!

Thanks for the piggie porno, Georgie boy!
Title: Re: Ham Anyone?
Post by: Stoker on September 02, 2011, 12:25:55 pm
Prague 1 or ultracure can be found at most butcher shops that make sausage.That where I get mine.Tenderquick is not the best has a metalic aftertaste.Try injecting the brine into the meat and soaking cuts done on time and more even of salt favor from inside to outside.Great suasage recipes and meat curing By Rytek Kutas is a really good book 560 pages of porky goodness.
Wife asked what we are bbqing this weekend? Haaammmmmmmmm
Thanks Leroy
Title: Re: Ham Anyone?
Post by: GaryR on September 03, 2011, 05:43:40 pm
George, your wife and you have always been so kind to feed me breakfast on bow working days. If that's the kind of breakfast you're having now, I may need to have more bow making mornings. That looks great.
Gary
Title: Re: Ham Anyone?
Post by: gstoneberg on September 03, 2011, 07:55:03 pm
Mary loves to cook for other people.  Her specialty is baking, you've seen a hint of that in her biscuits.  But, it's her cinnamon rolls that are to die for.  She doesn't do it much anymore as both of us gain weight when she does.  I miss it.  Anyway, we're having one of the pastors at church over for breakfast next week.  She actually sent him a menu...here's an excerpt:

What would you like for breakfast?
 
biscuits & gravy (Allen's favorite)
pancakes
egg casserole & muffins
waffles
eggs, toast with ham, bacon or sausage
cold cereal
all of the above

 
Gotta love a woman like that.  I took her out for a steak dinner at lunchtime.  Good times.

You're welcome anytime Gary.  Don't be a stranger.

George