# From Hog Leg to Easter Ham!



## pops6927 (Mar 1, 2010)

It's time to do a ham for Easter! My dad was famous for his Fassett's Hams;













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this year I have the means to try and recreate these for my family, what with the smoker and the right equipment.
I ordered a hog leg from my meat manager friend David Morgan at Green Oaks Albertson's in Fort Worth; it came in at about 17 lbs. with the hock attached, the foot off:













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It was 99¢ lb. I had both my sons come over to the house to watch me process it so they could learn what and how to do it.

1st was to remove the excess skin and backfat from the lower half of the leg:













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Then, cut and saw off the hock:













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The line drawn demonstrates the butt, on the left, and the shank, with skin, on the right.

Now, the leg is shaping up! I put it in a bucket and the most important thing was to show them how to pump it properly so the brine gets in around the bones.

You have a short bone leading to the pelvis coming off the hip, then the femur from the pelvis, then the tibia/fibula of the lower leg from the femur. The only bone showing is the pelvis, or *aitch bone.*

This is where most the pickling is done, through the hole in the aitch bone. If you feel under the aitch bone about a ½" you will discover a hole in it about ½" in diameter. You push your brining needle through the hole into the leg in four distinct quadrants: upper left, lower left, upper right and lower right and pump at least 4 oz. of brine into each. Then, you push your brining needle into the butt end of the ham and brine around the pelvic knuckle, then in the top where the hock was and brine around the upper femur knuckle, then lastly into the sirloin tip portion and along the femur bone. You have now added about 28 oz. of brine to the leg, or about 10% of it's weight all in and around the 3-bone structure of the ham. Now, the meat can cure from both the outside-in and the inside-out, eliminating sour-bone and interior spoilage before it's cured all the way through! Pictures show the brining needle through the hole in the aitch bone:













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Brine is:

1 gal. cold water
1 cup salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. DQ Cure (or any #1 cure, but not Tenderquick with salt added)

Once injected, put into 5 gal. bucket and cover completely with brine (took 2 gallons to do so) until ham is floating, then hold down with a gallon ziploc bag half full of water. Put in refrigerator for 30 days.

I skinned the fat off the strip I took off, cut into ½" cubes and it's in the oven rendering down for lard! I saved the hock to add to saurkraut some evening!

I will pull this from the brine Saturday evening, March 27th, and leave in refrigerator overnight to dry. I'll stockinette it Sunday morning and smoke and cook to 140° internal, then refrigerate until Easter Sunday, and then heat to 155° internal in the oven, about 15 min. a lb. and serve! I'll bone it out into it's subprimal sections (sirloin tip, top round, bottom round/eye, hock) and serve sliced for dinner!
I'll post pics along the way!


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## smokingohiobutcher (Mar 1, 2010)

Can't wait to see it pops! Nothing being mass produced today can even compare to a nice "old fashioned" smoked ham. 
SOB


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## ramfan (Mar 1, 2010)

wow, looks great.   school is in session for me.   Can't  wait to see the rest of the pictures as it progresses.


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## rbranstner (Mar 1, 2010)

Wow what a work of art you have going on there.


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## pineywoods (Mar 1, 2010)

Pops you are a wealth of knowledge I just wish we lived closer together so I could get some hands on education. I think I may in the next few days try to find or order that cut of meat and see if I can do what you have shown us.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us


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## pops6927 (Mar 1, 2010)

Started out as white fat off the skin, cut up into small chunks (didn't get a pic going into the oven, but it came from this flap, just skinned and chopped up):
 

After baking at 300° for about 4 hours, this is what it looked like:













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I strained off the grease, separating it from the deep-fried fat shells:













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Just fit into an extra large coffee cup













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let set overnight and it's solidified into 2 cups (large coffee cup holds 2 cups) of nice pure lard for pies! Momma says she'll make her apple pie for Easter for dessert, we'll check it out then along with the ham!













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Gave PJ a couple of the remnants; she wanted more but she doesn't need much more lard, lol!

I packaged up the skin and froze it, when I get a chance I'll deepfry it for snacks! You just don't let anything go to waste on a pig!


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## mr mac (Mar 1, 2010)

I trust you'll keep us posted!  So far it looks pretty darned good from here!


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## jak757 (Mar 1, 2010)

Looks great Pops!  Thanks for posting this.  I've been looking forward to seeing it since you mentioned what you were going to do.  I'll be following this thread for sure!

And I will be doing one myself at some point.

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge!!


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## pops6927 (Mar 28, 2010)

Well, it's been exactly a month and last night I pulled the hog leg from the brine, did a fry test and it was fine, sacked it in stockinette and hung it in the smokehouse overnight. I started it up about 6:30 this morning, it's humming along at around 240°, here's a picture at 8:30 after a few handfulls of chunks (a few every half hour or so):













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I'll probe it in a while and see how the internal is doing!


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## bbally (Mar 28, 2010)

Nice work on the ham, glad I read all the way through the post, I was going to ask if you netted, but then you did....

Hams are great, the transformation of pork to ham is just magic!


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## northern greenhorn (Mar 28, 2010)

Looking good, and very educational,


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## mythmaster (Mar 28, 2010)

That looks mighty fine indeed, pops.  I'd have to have someone hold my hand before I'd be able to cure my own ham.  I'd love to learn how to cure a country ham, too.  That's one thing I miss about living in NC, I could pick up a Smithfield in the grocery store for about $2-$2.50/lb.  I haven't found any around these parts yet.

I'm gonna do a ham for Easter, too, so I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for tips.


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## mballi3011 (Mar 28, 2010)

Now this is the real thing here now pops. I have to try it one day. I'm smoking a ham for the group this weekend and I'll post it but I want to try this one next time I do a whole fresh ham for sure. You have me on pins and needles know how it comes out but I still want to see it to the end.


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## pops6927 (Mar 28, 2010)

In progress! Had a burp, ran out of propane, went to Wallyworld and got an exchange, satisfied with how long the first tank lasted, approx. 17 hrs. of fire time. Changed it up, didn't lose any internal temp (actually went up a couple degrees while I was gone!). Back purring at 245° now. Internal is right at 100°, not bad for 5½ hrs. Snapped this while the chunks were taking off, a little smokey, but you should be able to see the color developing on the ham:













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I"ll pull it at 140°-145°, let rest for 30 minutes, then into the fridge until Easter morning and will take to our son's house to bake to 150°-155°! I'll show how I process it before baking too, removing the skin, aitch and the leg knuckle bones 1st so only the femur is left. Makes carving a whole lot easier!


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## pops6927 (Mar 28, 2010)

Ham hit 140° internal, it is now considered a 'raw', or uncooked,* ham*; no longer a hog leg (fresh pork)! Here it is out of the smoker in it's stockinette:













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Out of the stockinette on the block:













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And, of course, sampled! It is stupendous! I had to force myself to put it in the back fridge before I stood there, boned it out and ate it right on the spot!













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Let it sleep in the fridge for a week and bake it for Easter! I'll post pics then!

Three Generations of Fassett's Hams... Pops (George Sr.), George (J.R.) Jr., and George III, aka Trey and/or Bubba!













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## DanMcG (Mar 28, 2010)

Excellent post Pops, thanks for sharing all the great info...Nice looking hams in that last picture too :)


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## flyfishjeep (Mar 28, 2010)

What a wonderful tradition to pass down.  It all looks so tasty too!  Looking forward to Easter Sunday and to see the pics.  Great work!


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## smokingd (Mar 31, 2010)

beautifully done what kind of wood did you choose for your smoke?


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## benjaminr (Mar 31, 2010)

wow that is one heck of a process for ham! Looking very good!


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## mr bonejangles (Mar 31, 2010)

That looked great!! thanks for sharing


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## tjohnson (Mar 31, 2010)

Great Looking Ham!

Awesome that you have your family involved!

Thanks for the tour!!!


Todd


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## pineywoods (Mar 31, 2010)

Pops that is going to be one great tasting ham I'm sure I can't wait to see the final sliced Qview and the rest of the process to get it there


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## fire it up (Mar 31, 2010)

Absolutely amazing Pops.
Looks great and nice to see the boys getting in on the fun


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## beer-b-q (Apr 1, 2010)

Ham looks great Pops but you guys can't kid me, Bubba was the one that did all the work, didn't he...


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## pops6927 (Apr 4, 2010)

Yep, got to raise 'em right, lol!

Time to put the lard to use! My gorgeous wife helped me out and did all the work making the pie! 2 cups flour, 1 tsp salt, 5 tbsp ice water and 2/3 cup lard; cut in with a pastry cutter, roll into balls, flatten and roll out onto pie plate, add cherry pie filling and top crust, bake 40 min @ 400° until it's light brown and bubbly! Here's the Qview:

ingredients and lard:













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Wife cutting in the lard:













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Rolling OUT the dough (not In it, lol!):













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Into the oven:













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And voila, Cherry Pie!













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Tomorrow, the ham!


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## caveman (Apr 4, 2010)

My God!!  That pie is about to burst!!  Quick! Mail it over here!!!


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## pineywoods (Apr 4, 2010)

Thats a great looking pie and I'll bet its gonna taste even better  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  I like the way ya'll are using all of that piggie


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## pops6927 (Apr 4, 2010)

**Before starting, let me expressly and emphatically reiterate: meat knives are sharp! These procedures involve cutting close to the other hand and it can be extremely dangerous and result in bad cuts if you are not careful! You can leave these bones in the ham and remove after baking and/or just cut around them. This is to make carving easier. But, don't attempt these cuts unless you're familiar with meat knives and always always take extreme caution!**

It's time to prep the ham. 1st, an overhead shot showing the ham whole:



(for reference)

Next, remove the skin:



Then clean out the top of the aitch bone:












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You have to find the hole in the aitch bone and cut the meat from it so you can get a finger in it to help pull on it as you remove it (or use a meat hook, which is safer!). Cut all around the aitch then start cutting a little deeper until you encounter the knuckle. You have to work your knife into the center of the knuckle joint to cut the cord connecting the two, then it's easier to loosen and remove the aitch:













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You can see the knuckle on the ham and the socket on the aitch bone in the pic above. Now, the bottom half of the femur has been exposed. (The rest of the pics I shot without the flash because they're so close up, removes some of the color from the pics, but you can tell from above that a nice pink color was obtained thru curing!) Now, for the top to remove the remaining piece of shank hock. You make a cut above the sirloin tip into the joint:













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In the above picture, the sirloin tip portion is at the bottom of the pic and you can see a line going into the exposed fat on the right side of the ham. You must again use the tip of your knife to work into the top joint and cut the cord connecting the top femur knuckle to the hock shank, then remove it:













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Closeups of the femur knuckles:

Bottom:












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so the femur runs in this line on the ham (pump pic, pump is in aitch bone):













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Removing the aitch and the shank hock when cold makes carving when it's hot out of the oven much much easier so you're not struggling with holding onto hot meat and bones!

I sectioned off the pic at the start to show the demarcations on it:



Hope this helps!

Next, the dinner! But, I wanted to post this early enough so if others needed to do this before starting their ham they'd see how.


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## northern greenhorn (Apr 4, 2010)

Pops, you are the man, great lookin ham.


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## pops6927 (Apr 4, 2010)

Well, we got it up to temp and decorated it, here it is in and just out of the oven:

Glazed and scored:













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decorated:













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out of oven:













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femur bone exposed (cut down line shown on ham graphic and around the bone:













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femur bone (saved for PJ the Wonder Dog!)













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Divided into it's three sub-primals: sirloin tip on bottom right, top round bottom left, and bottom round on top:













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Slicing it up!













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Showing off the slices! Dinner is served....













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Did they like it? Well, here's what's left 10 min. later!













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The ham was full flavored, but not too salty, even my wife (who is very salt sensitive) liked it immensely! The in-laws were all there too and loved it also, so it was a big hit and a good Easter ham. But, the one thing that everyone agreed on, it was tender. Melt-in-your-mouth tender, not rubbery or commercial. It was fully cured right to the bone, no brown uncured spots. The secret? Low nitrite, long soak time breaking down connective tissue. This was the 'claim to fame' of my dad's hams, they were balanced in flavor, salt and tenderness and this one was too! A commercially produced ham from start to finish can be done in 24 hours from kill floor to packaging. With that kind of rush you lose quality. But, the old-fashioned patient time-consuming way pays off every time! I have to declare this entire project 110% success!
I know I wax prolific and go to great lengths posting too many pics and I thank everyone for bearing with me, but I wanted to document this from start to finish, regardless of outcome. As I'd done thousands and thousands of hams, I kinda knew the outcome, but still there's always a slip from cup to lip, and every one is a unique processing experience! Thanks again for following my journey and enjoying the outcome!

Oh, the cherry pie? Yummmmmm.........













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*HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!*


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## northern greenhorn (Apr 4, 2010)

Happy Easter Pops, that ham looked awesome, and thank you for sharing this very informative journey with us.


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## coacher72 (Apr 4, 2010)

I agree, thanks POPS for sharing it was quite informative. That's what's so great about this site and the people here.


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## rw willy (Apr 5, 2010)

Thanks for the pics and sage advice.  Excellent.


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## pepeskitty (Apr 5, 2010)

Pops,  I have to say you did a tremedous job explaining and showing how to cure a ham.  Thank you for sharing some of your knowledge with us.  It is greatly appreciated.

Happy Easter.

Definate point for this one, the best thread in a while.


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## pineywoods (Apr 5, 2010)

Pops I hope ya'll had a great Easter I know ya'll ate well. I appreciate you taking the time and posting all the pics and drawings it allows a lot more understanding of how its done right and the results look awesome.


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## erain (Apr 5, 2010)

i can only agree with piney here... and dont ever think you overexplain or post too many pictures... that was a super great looking ham. hands down the best start to finish thread i have to see yet to date on this subject!!! thank you for sharing man!!!


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## DanMcG (Apr 5, 2010)

Bravo Pops. that was an excellent tutorial!


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## caveman (Apr 5, 2010)

Wonderful tutorial from start to finish.  No, that was not too many pics.  It was perfect.


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## mrh (Apr 5, 2010)

Pops, Excellent post!  Points to you on for this. This something I will have to try someday for sure!  thanks for the very informative post.  I made some of the breakfast sausage from your posts from before using half deer and half pork, and it is very good!

Thanks,
Mark


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## TulsaJeff (Apr 5, 2010)

Pops.. very impressive write-up and I agree with everyone else, the more pictures the better in my opinion


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## Bearcarver (Apr 5, 2010)

Pops,
You never fail to impress me!
Everything looks PERFECT !--------------->>
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Thanks for the ride,
Bearcarver


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## pops6927 (Apr 6, 2010)

Thanks y'all! One final meal after a couple sandwiches, some ham steaks out of the remaining bottom round on the grill for dinner last night! The flavor the grill imparts is unique and tasty!













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A small bag of scraps left that I'll chop up this morning and make ham salad out of for today's lunch and give the femur bone to PJ... she'll knaw on that all day long while we're at work!

This whole process can be applied to just about all other cuts of pork as well; the arm shoulder, pork butt (for buckboard bacon), rib ends, loin ends and center roasts bone-in or boneless for Canadian Bacon, and of course the bellies for regular bacon too! You just vary the soak times based on the thickness of the meat and/or whether to pump it or not. An inch or so soak about a week, 2 inches thick up to 2 weeks (split butts and loin meat boneless for Canadian Bacon), shoulders, whole butts, bone-in rib, center and loin roasts pumped and soaked 2 weeks, ham pumped and soaked 4 weeks. You can cut the salt in half for lo-salt too, or double it and pump it into top, bottom or eye round beef roasts for dried beef also. You don't have to flip or massage it, just refrigerate it and soak it. Hopefully this thread will give you confidence to try it! (It can't be hard, if I can do it heck anybody can do it! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





). Thanks for lookin'!

BTW, here's the thread to my smokehouse build too!
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=88853


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## hhookk (Apr 6, 2010)

This is one of the all time great threads I have ever read here on SMF. I nominate it for the hall of fame. EXCELLENT.


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## drakin (Apr 8, 2010)

Awsome post POPS....I can't say enough how you have helped us in our adventures in trying new things...I gota say now I'm going to have to try this out for myself...I'm gona have to convince the wife I need another fridge...wish me luck
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	






Thanks again for the lesson!


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## treegje (Apr 8, 2010)

That is a thing of beauty! excellent job that had to be good 

certainly earned points


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## herkysprings (Apr 8, 2010)

So much pork... so good.. lard... omg... awesome...

I'd love to see this stickied. Reposted so everything is together would be great too! I'll be coming back to this when I make a ham one day!!!


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## chiligumbo (Apr 10, 2010)

Pops  way to go, I learn something new everytime I come to SMF.  Pics were great, keep it up.


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## otter (Oct 26, 2010)

Looks great Pops would love to try this and just might


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## meateater (Oct 27, 2010)

Pops6927 said:


> Thanks y'all! One final meal after a couple sandwiches, some ham steaks out of the remaining bottom round on the grill for dinner last night! The flavor the grill imparts is unique and tasty!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Lord, I just went to heaven! A couple of eggs with that and a cup of joe.


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## roller (Nov 3, 2010)

A man that knows what he is doing !!!!!!!!!! GREAT JOB !!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## garyc (Dec 18, 2010)

Thanks for a great post Pops! It gave me the courage to give this a try myself. A question or two though, I am doing a leg that started out to be about 10 pounds and dressed out to about 8 pounds.

I would like to have this for New Years dinner 10 days after I started brining it. If I pulled it out after 9 days so I can smoke it will that be enough time? Also, I searched for that hole you talked about and could not find it. Is it a hole in the femur bone? I injected around the bone along its whole length and into the thick parts of the meat until I was getting as much leak out as I was putting in. Will that be OK?

Thanks!


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## pops6927 (Dec 18, 2010)

It's the hole in the pelvic bone.  As long as you permeated all sectors inside the muscle with pickle then you should be curing from the inside-out as well as the outside-in.  You should be able to cure it in that time as it's only 8-10 lbs; it is a hind leg ham, not a shoulder, correct?


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## garyc (Dec 19, 2010)

I think it was a hind leg. It looks just like the ones in your pictures, just smaller. I wanted to have this for New Years so I was hoping a small one would brine in 2 weeks. Another question, why did you cut the hock off? Can I still leave it on? Thanks for all your answers.


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## pops6927 (Dec 19, 2010)

So it would fit in the brining bucket.  I save the hock and roast it (or preferably 'them' as I'll buy a few more) with saurkraut in the oven.... yum!  Always glad to answer questions, that's how we all learn.  The only bad question is the one never asked.




GaryC said:


> I think it was a hind leg. It looks just like the ones in your pictures, just smaller. I wanted to have this for New Years so I was hoping a small one would brine in 2 weeks. Another question, why did you cut the hock off? Can I still leave it on? Thanks for all your answers.


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## garyc (Dec 20, 2010)

Pops6927 said:


> So it would fit in the brining bucket.  I save the hock and roast it (or preferably 'them' as I'll buy a few more) with saurkraut in the oven.... yum!  Always glad to answer questions, that's how we all learn.  The only bad question is the one never asked.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks Pop's. If this small one works out I will try a big one. I love Amish ham and I hope that this will be a good home made substitute.


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## garyc (Jan 12, 2011)

We had my first attempt at ham for New Years and I must say it was GREAT!!! It was a front leg BTW but it still was better than any store bought ham I have ever had. I smoked it with apple and then baked it with a honey/butter glaze. I wish I had made a big one because this one didn't last very long! Thanks again pops!

Now a few questions.

1.Parts of the ham, like the hock and the smaller muscle were rather salty compared to the large muscle on top. Why would that be? The large muscle came out perfect.

2. I am curing a large hind leg (23 lbs) right now. I dressed it like you did by taking the skin from the large end off but leaving the skin on the lower leg. Do I leave that skin on when I smoke it? If so, do I leave it on when I bake it later?

3. I smoked the small leg with apple, is hickory a better choice for ham?

Thank you so much for your help. My smoking experiences since I joined this forum have been nothing short of amazing!!


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## cycletrash (Jan 12, 2011)

Pops that was an awesome write up and so educational , Guys like you are what makes this forum great !!!


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## garyc (Jan 18, 2011)

Something just occured to me. Since hams have been injected does the 4 hour rule apply when it is smoked?


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## DanMcG (Jan 18, 2011)

No....the four hour rule is for fresh intact muscle meat. Pops is cured and held in a frig below 40. With cure the rules change.


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## DanMcG (Jan 18, 2011)

> Originally Posted by *DanMcG*
> 
> Pops is cured and held in a frig below 40.


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## Bearcarver (Jan 18, 2011)

DanMcG said:


> > Originally Posted by *DanMcG*
> >
> > Pops is cured and held in a frig below 40.


LOL---Good correction there Dan.

He might not mind being cured, but not held in the fridge at 40˚.

Bear


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## michael ark (Apr 19, 2011)

POP'S you threads are informative and interesting .Keep up the good work.
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






  Thank you for sharing. Easter is next weekend are you doing another Q-view.I'll keep a eye out.


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## fife (Apr 19, 2011)

Good looking ham


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## venture (Apr 20, 2011)

Thanks Pops.  Great post as always.  Nice meat and great pics of the family.  I can't help myself, though?  It aint often we can see Pops holding his boner.

Good luck and good smoking!


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## pops6927 (Apr 20, 2011)

No, not this year, the stars didn't line up properly for it, lol.  Initially I checked into prices and fresh hams were over $2.00/lb.  Pretty high, but for the sake of a custom cured and smoked product it would have been feasible.  Then, for the last 8 weeks have been working 6½ days a week fighting to retain my job of the last 16 years, and to top off that end they pulled a full store inventory on each of us for last weekend, and the final cut is that I am working alone Easter Day open to close so my employees could enjoy the non-holiday (company view).  One good thing is, the day after Easter I will get my first full day off in the past 2+ months (provided one of my employee's wife doesn't go into labor that day!).  After 2 strokes, however, I'm just glad to still have a job; but that's why I've not done much smoking in recent months.


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## Bearcarver (Apr 20, 2011)

Hey Pops,

I got a question for you, and anyone else who wants to chime in.

I finally decided to give double smoking Ham a shot, so I got a couple Hams on sale to experiment with.

I got fully cooked & smoked "Shank" ends for 79¢ per pound.

Why is this particular item so cheap?

A lot of bone?

Too much fat?

I mean the shanks were 79¢, and the butt end hams were 99¢.

Everything else was over $2 per pound.

BTW: I bought 2 of them---11 pounds each.

It says on them, "cook to 130˚", but I might take them to 140˚ to 150˚. I'll be keeping a close eye on them, once they hit 130˚.

We've been paying a fortune for the best Double Smoked Hams in SouthEast PA for many years. I just want to try that myself.

Thanks,

Bear


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## roller (Sep 4, 2011)

This is a great thread and I am bumping it up for you new guys that have not seen it....


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## venture (Sep 4, 2011)

We need a Pops Wiki!

Good luck and good smoking.


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## michael ark (Sep 4, 2011)

Like a best of pops wit and wisdom.I'd read it.


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## pops6927 (Sep 4, 2011)

Depends on what cut you have, Bear - shank portion is quite a bit cheaper as it's had center cut slices removed, whereas shank half is more expensive because they're not.  Portions are more skin, bone and fat and not much useable meat.


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## exhaustedspark (Sep 4, 2011)

Roller said:


> This is a great thread and I am bumping it up for you new guys that have not seen it....


Great Thread.

Earlier pop said something about to many pictures and on another thread i read something about to much smoke.

This is just not a concept for me i dont under stand. One can never have to much art or smoke.

Thanx

Karl

Love the smoke


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## Bearcarver (Sep 5, 2011)

Thanks Pops!

Bear


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## smokin - k (Sep 6, 2011)

I'm picking up a 17 pound leg today to make a ham... I will be following your lead! Looks great! Happy Smoking, Smokin - K


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## billyj571 (Sep 6, 2011)

Thats great to pass down you knowledge to your sons great job wish I had a mentor to learn from but I have this forum and a great bunch of SMF friends


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## backyardkcq (Nov 4, 2011)

Thanks for the motivation Pops and the advice.  Finished a 15 day cure on a 10lb half ham (butt end). Through it on the smoker this morning after a 12 hour marinade in a rub. Doing the cracklings and rendering lard from the skin tonight over a couple of adult beverages. Here's a shot at about 3 hours in on the smoker.







Apple wood smoked. Gonna do a bourbon glaze to finish it off.


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## shoneyboy (Dec 11, 2011)

I ran across this earlier and thought it needed to be re-posted because it was just so informative.....Thanks Pops great post 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





.....BTW I'm knee deep in some BBB using your recipe....if it comes out half as good as that ham looks I'm going to be in trouble.... I didn’t make enough....


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## pops6927 (Jan 10, 2012)

D31TY said:


> *so, to get this right, *you push your brining needle through the hole near the Aitch Bone 4 times, and each time you are injecting the brine directly into the meat, and not around any bone , and each time you inject through the same hole you drive your needle into a different part of the ham, one in each quarter, and simply inject the full 4 ounces into each spot without moving the needle around further, just about midway between the bone and the surface of the ham, injecting your needle 4 times in all?   No, you are also driving the needle into the muscle and slowly pulling it out so you are injecting the length of the muscle, not just one portion of it.  You are injecting the muscle near the femur bone to that the brine shoots into the ham so it is curing from the inside out as well as from the outside in; imagine the muscle being about 4 inches in depth.  To soak the ham with no injection it would take too long for the brine to go into the ham to the bone with that thickness and the meat would spoil internally.  By injecting midway in the muscle you add brine to the inside, so now it it curing from 2" inside to the outside, then from 2" inches outside to inside, or a distance of 1", curing the ham easily and thoroughly.  The curing needle I am using is punctured on all 4 sides in multiple rows so it sprays in a 360° pattern, not just forward, please see http://www.butcher-packer.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_45_231&products_id=25, it is the spray needle.
> 
> Then you inject 4 ounces of brine through the butt end (literal rear end of the leg) of the ham and to the pelvic knucke, or AITCH bone, and brine "around" the pelvic knuckle, by wiggling the needle around the top and bottom of the bone through the single injection point, all with a single injection, the 5th total injection of the process You are not "wiggling" the needle, you are spray-injectiing into the meat muscles.
> 
> ...


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## pops6927 (Jan 10, 2012)

D31TY said:


> two more questions:
> 
> if you have a 20 Pound trimmed Ham Portion of the leg, and you use 2 gallons of water, or if you have to add more than 1 gallon of water just to cover, say, an extra half gallon maybe, do you also have to add more Nitrate? or will the original 1 TBSP of Nitrate suffice?
> Is there a formula for nitrate for ham? such as 1 TBSP per every 10 pounds of Ham, so a 5 Pound ham would only need 1.5 Teaspoons of Nitrate, and a 20 pound ham would need 2 TBSP, with 3 TBSP of Nitrate needed for a 30 Lb Ham??
> ...


First and foremost, we must use the correct terminology.  We are using Cure #1 with Sodium Nitrite, not Nitrate.

You follow the brine formula.  You add the prescribed amounts per gallon.  You do not increase the proportions; the dilution remains constant whether you are using 1 gallon or 50 gallons.  You can throw the ham in a 100 gallon vat of brine and it will cure at the same rate as in 2 gallons of brine because you are not increasing the concentration.

Wieght is one of many factors, as is strength of concentration.

MAXIMUM strength of concentration is shown on the package label:







24 lbs. per 100 gallons of brine is 1/100 of 24 lbs, or 1/100 of 384 ounces, or 3.84 ounces.  Maximum strength for nitrite cure is 3.84 oz/gal of brine.  

My recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of cure #1 per gallon.  A heaping tablespoon of cure is approx. 1 oz.  This is almost ¼ the maximum amount of curing agent allowed, so we are accomplishing curing with a much lower concentration of curing agent.  Safety is of the utmost.  

The length of curing time is longer; my dad maintained, and backed up by NYS Meat Inspection with test after test done, that a milder brine in a longer cure time will achieve the same or better results with less toxicity and produce a flavorful product and more tender with no harsh chemical aftertastes as compared to modern "maximum-strength" cures with shorter brining times.  That is why his brining is much lower concentration and still effective.


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## pops6927 (Jan 10, 2012)

I cannot positively remember what the ppm was, it was 35 years ago and I didn't have privy to the State's records, they were kept under lock and key (the State Inspector require his own locked office and locking desk; one time the Bigwig Regional Director came and p.o'd dad off so much when he insisted dad get him a coat rack to hang his coat on, dad took a 16 penny nail and drove it right through his coat and hung it on the wall.... lol.... he got a $500 fine for that one but dad said it was worth every penny to see the look on the Regional Director's face when he nailed his coat to the wall!).  I think it was around 80 ppm because I remember Mike (the local state inspector) going over the figures from a recent (35 yrs ago) test and 80 was right where it should have been.

Yes, Cure #1 contains sodium nitrite.  see:  http://www.butcher-packer.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=237_12&products_id=56

Cure #2 contains sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate.  see:  http://www.butcher-packer.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=237_12&products_id=58

Explanation from one of many sources:  http://curedmeats.blogspot.com/2009/04/critical-ingredient-cure-1-and-2.html

"...[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]and another quick question about the time, when you say "Longer" are you recommending that a 25#'s leg be left 30 days, and is that "10 days longer" than other stronger brines? and would 15 days still be considered "longer" for 10#'s, and would 7 or 8 days be long enough for a small 5# piece?..."[/color]

[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Y[/color][color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]es, that is about right on the times, it's based on weight and size and strength of brine.  All three weights under maximum brine concentration would be at least ½ - 1/3 the time; stronger cure, shorter cure time, more chemicals and less quality.[/color]


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## pops6927 (Jan 10, 2012)

D31TY said:


> sweet, that was great.. thats surprisingly inexpensive.. just have to see about shipping, there's no international rates listed, and i cant tell if they ship outside of america or not.. might be cheaper if i can find it around asia somewhere, or someone doing more international shipping
> 
> so, just out of curiosity, would it be possible to make a ham with half of that amount of sodium nitrite, and add 10 or 15 days to the curing time??
> 
> thanks for all the great info


As long as you don't go below the minimum.  If you use what I recommend, 1 tbsp / gal., you will have sufficient qty to cure your product and protect yourself from botulism and still be less than what you'd eat in a green tossed salad.  You consume more nitrites in other natural foods than you ever will in smoked meats; 
[h2]Vegetables With Nitrites[/h2]

In terms of vegetables, green leafy ones and root vegetables contain high levels of nitrate that are converted to nitrites on ingestion. Vegetables such as beetroot, radish, lettuce and spinach have high levels of nitrate which can convert into nitrites. Lettuce and spinach have especially high levels of nitrate. You will also find nitrates and consequently nitrites in carrots as well. The levels of nitrates depend upon the age of the vegetable and how much of a nitrate based fertilizer was used on it.
[h2] [/h2]


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## solaryellow (Jan 10, 2012)

D31TY said:


> ya, i've heard that about nitrates before..
> 
> any idea where the nitrate we use for meats comes from? how its made or harvested?
> 
> ...




Actually you can. Most organic cured meats that say "No nitrates added" use powdered celery or celery juice to obtain the nitrates without affecting the flavor.


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## builder59 (Jan 23, 2012)

Pops,

does it really take 30 days?


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## waucedah (Sep 19, 2012)

This is great stuff

Thanks


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## waucedah (Sep 20, 2012)

What is a fry test

Thanks


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## venture (Sep 20, 2012)

A fry test is frying a little of the meat and tasting before you store it.

Even that can be deceiving because meat stored can taste different than meat that was tested fresh.

Do it.  Then test your meat again after your preferred method of storing.

This will lead you to corrections in your original recipe that you might want to make.

Not precise.  It is a try and re-do process.  Or maybe not?

Good luck and good smoking.


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## venture (Sep 20, 2012)

I must add that adding nitrates will affect the flavor no matter how they are added.

That is sometimes the reason for adding nitrates.

Also be aware that many of your favorite foods have nitrites and nitrates in them naturally.  Yes, even fresh out of your garden.

Good luck and good smoking.


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## waucedah (Sep 22, 2012)

Thank you


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## duckybud (Sep 30, 2012)

Pops--THANK YOU for taking the time to present this information.  My father and grandfather were butchers all their lives, and made hams and bacon like this.  I was too busy to take the time to learn how it was done properly, now in my 60s I see that I should have paid more attention.  Your guidance is helping me figure out the way to do it the right.  There is something about bringing back tastes from the past, and remembering generations of the past, that makes learning and doing this the right way worth while.

I have figured out the bacon, just working out the flavors my family like the best.  Now you have provided the information the missing information for the hams.  I will be doing this in the near future.

Thanks again, to you and others on this site, for taking the time to help others.

Buddy


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## backyardkcq (Oct 18, 2012)

I've followed the process you've posted several times now with excellent results every time. I even keep the rendered lard and the wife uses it for baking. The cracklings are always a hit. I've been smoking the hams in a regular smoker but I think it’s time to branch out to the smokehouse. Thanks for the inspiration Pops!


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## pigglywiggly (Oct 29, 2012)

I am going to try and make a ham for this Christmas and was wondering if I could use honey in the brine instead of sugar? And if so, how much honey would be a replacement for 1 cup of sugar? Thanks!


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## brentforsberg (Feb 17, 2013)

Been holding on to this thread for almost a year!  My ham is a lot smaller, going to start brining tonight and have it ready to smoke the day before easter:)  Thanks for the instructions!


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## garyc (Feb 26, 2013)

Pop's, I have this thread printed out and have made several wonderful hams using your wisdom. Thank you. I have a question. I have a large ham in the brine for about 26 days now and I was wondering how long I can safely leave it in. This ham is for Easter and was thinking I would pull it in 2 weeks for smoking.


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## cab2g (Feb 28, 2013)

GaryC said:


> Pop's, I have this thread printed out and have made several wonderful hams using your wisdom. Thank you. I have a question. I have a large ham in the brine for about 26 days now and I was wondering how long I can safely leave it in. This ham is for Easter and was thinking I would pull it in 2 weeks for smoking.


Pops, I have a similar question. I just ordered a fresh ham from the local butcher and was looking online, most recipes say brine for 1 day for every 2 pounds of meat. I know that eventually, the salt level will equalize inside the ham to match the brine. So does that mean that period of time is say 10 days for a 20lb ham? Or will the ham continue to get saltier for the next 20 days? Thanks!


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## dba1954 (Mar 14, 2013)

This was a very interesting post, abeit old ... saw some questions about nitrite concentrations ... USDA says you should have a minimum of 125 ppm. I'm curing a ham right now and the Insta cure #1 is about .6-.7 oz per heaping TSP. I weight however, and using 3 oz / gallon for 140 ppm concentration. My brine is very close to what Pops is recommending, with the addition of bay leaves and Juniper Berries. I am looking to cure it for 1-2 days per pound.... I found the pictures of how to separate out the sections and bones fantastic ...

http://www.sausagemaker.com/productdocs/Breakdown_of_Nitrite_Level_in_Brine_with_InstaCure_(Imperial).pdfp

*Do not use this method....It is off by a factor of 10 for the cure amount...... It is dangerous......  *DaveOmak edit


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## diggingdogfarm (Mar 14, 2013)

dba1954 said:


> This was a very interesting post, abeit old ... saw some questions about nitrite concentrations ... USDA says you should have a minimum of 125 ppm. I'm curing a ham right now and the Insta cure #1 is about .6-.7 oz per heaping TSP. I weight however, and using 3 oz / gallon for 140 ppm concentration. My brine is very close to what Pops is recommending, with the addition of bay leaves and Juniper Berries. I am looking to cure it for 1-2 days per pound.... I found the pictures of how to separate out the sections and bones fantastic ...
> 
> http://www.sausagemaker.com/productdocs/Breakdown_of_Nitrite_Level_in_Brine_with_InstaCure_(Imperial).pdfp



That is definitely an unwise way to measure cure!!!!!
Not good!

Whoever wrote the information in the linked PDF file, does NOT know what they're doing, it's riddled with errors!
Please don't use it as a reference!!!



~Martin


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## atcnick (Nov 1, 2013)

I'm doing a ham with this recipe.  Just took it out if the brine yesterday and plan on smoking it tomorrow.   Any reason why I shouldn't cut it in two pieces and take the bone out before smoking it?   Also wouldn't mind cutting it open to make sure there's no bone sour.


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## integritybbq (Nov 15, 2013)

Thanks for this post as I just bought a bone in 22lb fresh ham, I have huge meat injector, and cure... but have a few questions:

1.Do I need to saw the bone off as you showed in step 1, does it matter?

2.Do I have to cut the skin off, does it matter?

3.I was planning on cooking this 12/1. will that be enough time for the cure?

4.When I do cook this in 22" Weber smokey mountain (water and charcoal smoker) Do i have to take it to (155-165deg) or 145deg? Seems like most people cold smoke then warm it to 155deg or so a few days later. I can cook it 11/30 then cook it again 12/1 if cure time permits. Would be easier to cook it all one day but not sure which provides best results.Any idea how long this will take to cook, I am guessing over 8 hrs at 225deg?( i do most cooks when I am sleeping as temp holds within 240-220)

5. With the cure recipe, what is the reason for white and brown sugar? I was planning on using just turbanado sugar( I like natural un bleeched sugar) Any reason for both?

I also plan on curing 2 10lb skin on bone in picnics as there is another thread of that, also have questions for that as i plan to smoke that the same day:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/149120/picnic-ham

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/147272/labor-day-ham-butts-started-in-pops-brine-tonight

Any help on my pork cooks would help a great deal, I plan on injecting tonight.


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## integritybbq (Nov 16, 2013)

Well i ended up not curing the 2 10lb picnics as I got a bit scared that the bone was to big and skin was on. So those are marinating in rub and will smoke them for an overnight cook tonight. I did inject the 22lb fresh ham after removing skin and hacking the bone and have it on a huge ziplock bag in 5gallon bucket in refer. Ended up taking 2/12 gallons to make it float. I injected it with close to 50oz of brine. Pops talks about the opening in the bone, pretty hard to find but I think I found it, hard to tell. My injector  only holds 1.5oz and didn't have the 360deg spin nozzle so I hope all is well. First time injecting any meat, so really don't have a good feeling that I did it right. How will I know? I plan to keep this in for 30 plus days to play it safe. After smoking how will I know if the meat is spoiled? Makes me nervous to have anyone else eat it, including me.


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## rsistrunk (Nov 18, 2013)

FIXME: needs styling from "post-user-info"
  
I have brined and smoked two 23 lb hams as the process instructed.  Will bake one for Thanksgiving. Will the other smoked ham last in the refrig until Christmas?


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## mneeley490 (Nov 24, 2013)

rsistrunk said:


> FIXME: needs styling from "post-user-info"
> 
> I have brined and smoked two 23 lb hams as the process instructed.  Will bake one for Thanksgiving. Will the other smoked ham last in the refrig until Christmas?


I would err on the safe side and put that 2nd ham in the freezer.

So I am doing my first ham, via Pop's brine recipe also. I have a 16 lb. boneless pork leg from Cash & Carry, so I don't have to worry about bone sour.

I altered the recipe slightly; with 2 gallons of water, I substituted 1 cup of molasses for 1 cup of brown sugar. I think it will give the flavor a little added dimension. It is drying off in the smoker now; I will add smoke in a few minutes, and start a new thread after I get pics of the finished product.


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## smokercolorado (Feb 22, 2014)

Just joined forum and have found tons of info already, thanks for that. I do have a couple of questions. I jut got my pig back that I raised from the butcher, I kept both hams whole, bone is with hock removed. They each weigh a little over 27 pounds each (hanging weight was 232 lbs.) I got both hams fresh, uncured with skin on. I want to cure and smoke one for Easter this year and I do have enough time to do this. Question #1, can I leave the skin on while I do this? Question #2 I have a Traeger lil Tex Smoker, will it be big enough to do a ham that big? Question #3 can I use a cooler to place the ham in for the 30 day brine/cure? I will leave it in a barn protected and it is still winter here in Colorado, or would I have to add ice every few days?

Thanks for all those that can help out.

Brian

smokercolorado


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## jeff iskierka (Jan 24, 2015)

Pops Almost 5 years later and your outstanding explanations and pictures are still teaching others.  Got my hands on a nice piece of pork and wanted to try turning into a ham.  I love your BBB and make it all the time so I searched info from you.  Bingo, I know exactly what I am going to do now.  Thank you  -Jeff


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## starwars1138 (Jan 30, 2015)

I'll second what he said!  I'm going to be butchering a half hog in a few weeks (gotta admit I've got a good deal of nerves about it combined with a ton of excitement) and plan on doing this exact process with my ham - using your brine recipe.

Plan to probably put about 16 hours of cold smoke on it (whatever the ambient temperature will be by then) with an AMPS in the Big Green Egg and then hot smoke it up to 140 to rest for a week before finishing it up in the oven on dinner day.  Might remove the aitch bone during butchering too but not sure yet.  I was sweating that a great deal but seeing you do yours with the bone in has inspired me to just let it roll.

I've said it before elsewhere but thanks for what you've contributed to this group Pops.  This board is largely responsible for my wanted to take on a project like this.


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## jeff iskierka (Jan 30, 2015)

I am a week into the brine/cure.  Can't wait to smoke and try this ham.  I expect goodness.  :yahoo:


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## starwars1138 (Jan 30, 2015)

Which version of Pop's brine did you use, Jeff? (how much salt, sugar, and brown sugar per gallon).  And did you add anything else to it spice wise?  It's funny - I've been so obsessed with some of the logistics of this butcher project that I've kind of forgotten to get excited about actually EATING the stuff... this thread has helped with that :)


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## gary s (Jan 30, 2015)

Can't wait to see pictures

Gary


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## nolimit (Mar 23, 2015)

Pops,

This is my first post and simple question

- Can we go from smoker to table?  We dont have too many fans for sweet coatings or fruit

BTW, I have an electric smoker that uses chunks and have had good success with kielbasa and kabanosy using an old family recipe.  

Also have been roasting pigs for a long time in an enclosed 350 gal rotisserie that is propane fired.  I use a lot of steam on pigs for the first 4-5 hours and a great sauce made from duck sauce and reg barbq sauce.  However it cooks in the roaster catching all the drippings - just skim off the excess fat.


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## gary s (Mar 23, 2015)

Sure no problem. If you do choose to let it sit for a bit it will be better, letting all the juices re-distribute . But I've had a hungry crowed that as soon as I brought it in devoured it

Gary


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## nolimit (Mar 23, 2015)

OK - I am going to substitute the brown sugar for honey and maplesyrup - will add a bit of garlic too.  Will keep everyone posted and will be smoking on 4/12 so only 3 weeks and not four.   However will add 30% more cure.


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## pilch (Jan 15, 2017)

Pop, I know this was posted quite some time ago but this forum is massive and every now and again one comes across exactly what one is looking for and this is one of those times.

I have just started down this line of curing and this could not have come at a better time, I will now go back and re read this post taking notes as I go so as my next creation is a success.

I do not do Qviews but I will be doing so when I do my next ham using your instructions.

Thanks.


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## pops6927 (Jan 18, 2017)

Thank you so much!


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## pilch (Jan 19, 2017)

Once again I have read this post to make sure I've got it right, have taken notes along the way to be sure, to be sure, to be sure.

Pop's it's great to see that you have taken the time and initiative to pass on this tradition, not only to strangers but to your family above all.

Cheers from Down Under


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## papa t (Apr 16, 2017)

Looks amazing pops . We are picking up a hog on monday and we had the hind cut into 3 pieces its just the two of us. I need to brine and smoke them. How long do you think i need to brine the smaller hams for?? This is my first time doing a fresh ham. I have done bacon and Canadian bacon but not this. Any pointers thanks papa t .


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