quick cure?

[susieqz]

hiya, guys. i'm susie from new mexico. i just joined.

been smoking for a while but only brined stuff, never cured with nitrates.

got me a fresh ham [leg of pork] cut in half. i'm gonna use something close to pop's cure, but i want this for xmas.

he says 30 days. i can do 8 or 9.

should i double up the pink salt or something?

also, i've read smoke times between 30 minutes/lb to one hour/lb. i really need to know if it will take an hour/lb at 225, because ifso i gotta start the nite before.

any help would be appreciated.

thanks,

susie

 

[pc farmer]

NEVER adjust the curing method that you are going to follow.

If your using pops follow it to the T.

 

[susieqz]

thanks farmer. is there anything i can do to cure a ham in 8 days?

 

[pc farmer]

How much does it weigh?

 

[susieqz]

um, i'm finding lots of recipes that use double the amount of pink salt that's in pop's.

 

[pc farmer]

I am sure there is.  Pops uses the low end of cure.    I cant comment on the others.

 

[susieqz]

thanks. thee other recipes are the same in other respects. the butcher cut the ham in 1/2 he says one is 8 lbs, the other 10. i'll get it in the morn.

a quality injector plus pink salt will be here tomorrow too, says amazon. those fresh hams are frozen tho. it will take a few days to thaw.

i can maybe cure for 10 days.

i just want something people will say is better than what you buy.

 

[JckDanls 07]

Susie... welcome to the forums.. Please understand that cure (pink salt) is nothing like using other spices... Cure is VERY DANGEROUS if not used correctly... with other spices you add a little extra and say no big deal... it will taste better... with cure (pink salt) if not used as manufactures suggest .. it can be deadly... I don't think your going to have enough time to cure that SAFELY for Christmas... Please also remember that not everything you read on the internet is fact....I would suggest you go and buy a ham already cured to smoke for Christmas and cure the other one correctly....

 

[pc farmer]

Or buy a butt that can be cured by Christmas.

 

[susieqz]

 thanks jack. nah, in for a penny, in for a pound.

the fact is, i gotta remove shelves in my fridge to fit a 5 gallon bucket in there. big pain.

i'll do it once for 10 days, but i'll never do 30 days unless i get another fridge.

i guess i shoulda just done canadian bacon, which i could fit easier, but i don't always do the smart thing. i want to wow people for xmas.

does 40 minutes/lb of mixed hardwood smoke sound right?

 

[themule69]

You smoke to IT not by time. The others have you covered on the cure problem.

Happy smoken.

David

 

[susieqz]

thanks dave. i shall smoke to IT.

but, i need a guess so i can figure out if i need to start the smoke before bed.

if i do that, i'll have to get up to add pellets every few hours.

i'd rather start at 6am if possible.