# Curing a ham at home



## barbad0s (Jan 14, 2010)

Good evening.

I was just googling how to make ham at home from a boneless leg of pork and found a website with simple instructions for ham and bacon.  However, it references insta-cure #1 in the instructions and I am pretty sure I will not be able to get this in Barbados.  I read elsewhere that I might be able to purchase it at Bass Pro and I am due to visit Orlando in March where they have a store.  However, looking at their online store they seem to stock something called LEM meat cure.  I am just wondering if I can use this instead of insta-cure #1 and if so, do I use the amounts listed on the ham instructions or the amount on the LEM container?  Thanks for any guidance on this - I would love to try making a ham and/or bacon at home as they are so expensive to buy here versus fresh pork - and the products that are available are pretty nasty - that leaves buying imported ham (deli) from the US, which is very expensive.  The website I found was http://hubpages.com/hub/How-To-Cure-Ham-at-Home.  Many thanks for any assistance.


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## pineywoods (Jan 15, 2010)

Welcome to SMF glad you decided to join us. According to LEM's website their cure is the same as Instacure #1


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## john3198 (Jan 15, 2010)

Piney - I'm no expert at this, but shouldn't you inject the curing brine in a ham to prevent bone souring because of the thickness of the meat?


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## mballi3011 (Jan 15, 2010)

The old school butcher that I have talked to said that do inject (specially around the bone) their hams so that the cure will take easier and quicker.
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






 But everything else Jerry knows what he's talkin about.


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## the dude abides (Jan 15, 2010)

Send me a plane ticket.  I'll bring it to you!


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## okie joe (Jan 15, 2010)

Lem Cure is the same as insta Cure #1.
Salt,Sodium Nitrite and FD&C red #3 (for color) and less than 2% sodium silico alumiate added as a processing aid.
I would use insta cure recipe. just read post jerry (pineywoods) is right.

Yes I would inject next to bone ( we always did to prevent  bone sour) because of the thickness of the Ham...good point.


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## pineywoods (Jan 15, 2010)

I didn't say I even looked at the method he was linking to I just said LEM's cure is the same as Instacure # 1


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## DanMcG (Jan 15, 2010)

Can't you get it mail order? it would suck waiting 2 months to try your first ham. 
Let me also welcome to you to the forums, please stop by the roll call secton and tell us alittle about yourself.


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## freshmeat (Jan 16, 2010)

Can you still get bone sour from something that does not have a bone?


The following is what I have purchased from Bass Pro...it is insta-cure #1.  Package is rather small and rather light, send me a PM and let me know if it is OK to send this in the mail and how expensive you think that might be.  The product itself is rather inexpensive.  Keep reading / learning on how to cure properly and then Ham Away!


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## barbad0s (Jan 16, 2010)

Hi - thanks so much for your replies/help.  I could try mail order though usually the shipping to Barbados can be expensive and takes ages - not on the US end - it just seems to "disappear" for a few weeks once it arrives on the Island.  The other complication is that any packages received here have to be collected and opened in front of Customs and handling/duty/VAT is charged - it's just a pain and I can anticipate many problems trying to explain what the product would be used for/costs etc - so I am happy to wait until my trip.  I know absolutely nothing about curing as I only looked this up a couple of days ago, and I would only be attempting the wet cure in the fridge with a boneless piece of pork - but I would love to give it a try.  Was also searching UK sites for insta-cure #1 as I have family visiting me in February and I came across this entry - which I have to say has scared me a bit that I might end up killing myself and my husband!  The first website made it sound really easy - this one is just the opposite!  http://boards.fool.co.uk/Message.asp...ecommendations.  I will be buying from a supermarket, I was not going to use a thermometer, and did not even think to check what my pot is made of!  Back to the original "recipe" it says any size of meat to go in the brine - and to double the brine if it's a big ham - does that mean the ratio of cure to water (as long as it covers the piece of meat) is more relevant than the weight of the meat?   Whereas on the cure packaging, I think it states the amount of cure versus weight of meat - I might be over-thinking this and making it sound more complicated than it is...  Anyway - thanks once again for your helpful replies - much appreciated.


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