# First timer. Wet curing a ham. Scared of bone sour.



## sethern

I thought I would make a ham for the family Christmas party this year and looked up a guide. looked over it about 20 times bought a premixed cure https://www.sausagemaker.com/Honey-Ham-Cure-2-lbs-p/11-1113.htm. Added a few things of my own to it and started a ham curing. Now after reading threw a few forums I am scared I might have messed up and am rely scared of bone sour.

I mixed the cure as to its directions. Added some honey and brown sugar and other spices. I had a 23 pound fresh ham that I skinned and removed most of the fat. I injected about a cup and 1/2 of the cure trying to get it around the bone. But then I read something on this forum that has me scared.

Temp. I have no idea the temp of the meat or the brine. The meat was fresh out of the frig but it did take me a little time to skin and clean up. The brim was cold but not ice cold or even out of the frig cold. It has been in the brine now for a little over 30 hours. Have I wasted $30+ worth of meat? Is there something I should do now that might save it? Any chance at all that it will not bone sour?


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## daveomak

_Excellent cure that infuses hams with a delicious sweet honey flavor. Contains Cure#1.
Comes with full instructions using a brine. For best results, hams should be stitch-pumped using a meat pump with perforated needle. 
2 lbs. will cure 25 lbs meat._ ..

Did you use 2#'s of the cure mix ?? Did you inject all 2#'s ??? Did you inject along the bone and in the joints ??
Did you mix up the brine according to directions ??
You can "possibly" inject more of the brine mix into the ham now.. Did the directions state to inject a % of the meat weight, in brine, into the meat ??
More info would be helpful... Dave .
Please post the directions... Can you scan them then post the picture...


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## sethern

The directions only stated to mix one pound of cure to one gallon of water. I mixed up 3 gallons with 3 pounds of the mix. 2 gallons was not covering the meat. I got the idea to inject it from what the sight said when I bought it. Said something about stitch pumping. I injected a little over a cup and 1/2 all over the cut of meat making sure to get around the bone. after that I just placed the fresh ham into the brine in a bucket lined with a 10 gallon ziplock bag and placed it in the frig with a clean plate to keep the meat from floating to the top. This is the video that I got the idea from.


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## daveomak

1st. of all, NEVER heat cure#1...  nitrite starts to break down at ~130 F...  therefore reducing it's effectiveness to kill botulism...
The correct formula for curing meat is....   7 days per inch of thickness..
Meats over 2" thick should be injected with curing solution/brine....
The correct amount of cure#1 for curing meat is... 1 tsp. for every 5#'s of stuff...  Stuff includes meat, liquid, salt, sugar, spices etc...  
When injecting meat with a cure/brine solution, you want to inject the correct amount of cure#1 into the meat, based on the meat weight....  If you have a 15# ham, you want to inject approx. 3 tsp. of cure starting around the bone/joints...  the time remaining for the meat to sit in the brine, in the refrigerator, will equilibrate the ingredients throughout the meat for a great finished product...

With the 23# ham, your ham and brine weighs about 53#'s...  so, there should be about 10 tsp. of cure in the mix.. or about 60 grams of cure#1, or about 2.11 ounces of cure#1...

Depending on your injection syringe/needle, can you reach the bone from at least 1 side of the ham...  or darn close....  inject your brine along the bone, about every 1.5" using about 10cc's of brine or 10 grams...  weigh the syring.. fill it with brine, reweigh it...   the brine will weigh about 10 grams for 10 cc's...  close enough...
Once you have that done, inject the ham every 1.5" with the same...  throughout the meat...  Back in the refer, in the bucket of brine for at least 6 days...  You will be golden....

If I screwed this up, let me know...  I'm here to help...   Dave


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## sethern

Lol then its good that I forgot to boil the brine. I weighed the syringe and then again with the brine and came out with a bit over 10 grams at 10.8. I went ahead and injected the ham again as you spelled out here. One question. I have a total of 10 days that this ham can cure before I am going to cook it. Will that be ok? Thank you so much for your help.


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## daveomak

Cure travels, so some say, at a rate of 1 inch per 7 days...  Soooooo, if your injections were 1.5" apart, then the cure has to travel only 3/4"...  That translates to about 4 days for a complete cure...  add a couple days for insurance and 6 days is good...  Longer is OK...

Below is a thread I just put together... 

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/index.php?threads/home-cured-ham-recipe.270779/#post-1777512


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## chef jimmyj

The info Dave gave is correct and gives a great product. It should be noted that Bone Sour is result of Temp Abuse. A Ham that was processed and kept cold by the packer and store, kept refrigerated at home, prepped quickly, trimmed, injected and back in the refer in under 3 hours, is not likely going to get bone sour in 7 days. Bone Sour is more common in Venison or Feral Hog Hams were the animal was shot and not chilled quickly. Bone Sour is also an issue in Salt Only Dry Cured Ham like Prosciutto. The hams spend a lot of time above 40 degrees drying and not getting sufficient salt to the bone causes spoilage. You were likely ok from the get go, but getting more Brine in a few days after initial prep should guarantee success...JJ


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## sethern

Thank you all for the help. I might just be psyching myself out a little lol I am not good at waiting. I think its going to be cool to have everyone sit down for Christmas dinner and be able to say "I made that." Everyone else has something that they make and bring each year. We always just buy a ham from the store and heat it up. This time I get to put my smoker to some use and add my own flavors.


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## daveomak

I like to smoke the hams for 3-4 hours, then finish in the oven...   or give PLENTY of time in the smoker...  without smoke...  during the cooking process...  Too much smoke can have a bad taste...  Thin smoke is best...  exhaust wide open...  lots of air flow..
That 23# ham will probably take the better part of 16-24 hours in the smoker..  Don't hurry the process...  Once done, it can sit for hours.. wrap in foil and towels to keep it warm...  you can even put it in a preheated cooler... preheat with hot tap water if you have a long wait...
If you can't taste the smoke, it's because you've been standing by the smoker all day...


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## sethern

Yeah my plan was to bring it to about 130-140ish in a light cherry smoke then bring it in to the oven to slowly glaze and finish it. I am working on a glaze using a great pineapple habanero jam that a friend makes.


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## tallbm

Since you used a pre-mixed seasoning/brine it would be wise to do a "fry" test to see how salty the meat is.  Just cut a few pieces or a slice that  you throw into a hot skillet to quickly cook up and then taste it for salt content.

If it is too salty then soak the ham in ice water for 6 hours to pull excess salt out and repeat the fry test.
Still too salty, then change the water out and repeat until the salt flavor of the ham is good to go.

As many will tell you, the fry test is something you don't need to do if you use precise measurements.
As I have learned with store bought mixes, you basically have to do the fry test because you just don't know the measurements of the salt and seasonings you bought EVEN if you follow the directions to the letter.

The soak and fry test are great practices to keep in your pocket when the day comes to use them  You definitely want to try this out rather than show up on Christmas day with salty ham. 
Do the extra due diligence and you will come out golden :)

Best of luck!


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## sethern

Thank you for the tip. I was reading that it was a good idea to soak the ham in clean water for 24 hours but did not know why. This makes a lot of sense. I will post again when its done with some pics to let you all know how it turns out.


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## tallbm

sethern said:


> Thank you for the tip. I was reading that it was a good idea to soak the ham in clean water for 24 hours but did not know why. This makes a lot of sense. I will post again when its done with some pics to let you all know how it turns out.


Can't wait!


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## sethern

Took the hock out today and did a fry test on it. OMG it was insane how good it taste. and it had the right color. We where going to use the hock to make a pot of beans but ended up digging all the meat out and frying it up for breakfast for me and my parents. It was salty but not at all too salty. Had a bit of a sweet kick to it. If the big ham turns out at all like the hock we are in for a crazy good Christmas dinner! Can't wait to sit it down at dinner time and say I made this. Thanks everyone for the help.


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## tallbm

sethern said:


> Took the hock out today and did a fry test on it. OMG it was insane how good it taste. and it had the right color. We where going to use the hock to make a pot of beans but ended up digging all the meat out and frying it up for breakfast for me and my parents. It was salty but not at all too salty. Had a bit of a sweet kick to it. If the big ham turns out at all like the hock we are in for a crazy good Christmas dinner! Can't wait to sit it down at dinner time and say I made this. Thanks everyone for the help.



The hock/shank is smaller so it would easily absorb more salt all the way through itself than the bigger portions.  If the hock/shank wasn't too salty then I doubt the rest of the ham will be too salty.   Again do a fry test to check... plus you get to eat it :P

Best of luck and post some pics of what you end up with :)


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## sethern

"Plus you get to eat it." Sold! I am so excited with how this is turning out. Ill take more pics of it than do my cat.... I mean car I don't have no darn cat.... I know its probably not that big a deal to most but I am kind of proud of myself. I took a giant cut of pork and turned it into a ham. :)


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## daveomak

You are hooked now !!!!  There's no going back.....


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## tallbm

sethern said:


> "Plus you get to eat it." Sold! I am so excited with how this is turning out. Ill take more pics of it than do my cat.... I mean car I don't have no darn cat.... I know its probably not that big a deal to most but I am kind of proud of myself. I took a giant cut of pork and turned it into a ham. :)



Hey I understand. I'm proud of you too.  My first attempt on wild hog hams was about an 80% success.
There is so little info out there on doing raw hams into cured ham that I was very surprised so I just had to chalk some of the process up to a learning experience I would make on my own, so I totally understand having some pride in making such a meat item :)

I can't wait for more pics! :)


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## chef jimmyj

Be proud not everyone can even heat a store Ham and have it taste good. You turned a green Leg into Ham!...JJ


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## sethern

Well it failed. I took it out this morning and it had a bad slime all over it and a bad smell. Feeling a bit down but I am not going to quit. I'll just double smoke a ham this year and give it another try in a few months. I refuse to let this thing beat me. I will make my own ham one day.


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## daveomak

Rinse it off well.... then throw it in the smoke...  That slime stuff is called "Ropy brine"....  not a problem....  As long as it was in the fridge at or below 38 deg. there should be nothing wrong with it.....







	

		
			
		

		
	
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## sethern

I tested a few things in the fridge and its all at around 45. And it was not just the slime but the smell. its hard to explain. Like death mixed with how Rumpkie smells out here when it rains. I am thinking I will be safer to chock it up as a learning exp and try again after the new year.


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## daveomak

Lower the temp of your fridge...   36-38 would be good.....


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## sethern

Yeah I am thinking it might be time for a new one down there. Been wanting to get a new fridge for the kitchen. This gives me a reason to get off my but and go shopping. Lucky for me my buddy at Krogers said he had a few Cooks whole hams and is going to drop one off to me. I can put a some double smoke on that and fancy it up a bit with a good glaze. I will try my hand at curing again soon as the holidays are over. Thinking Easter will be a good time to give it  another shot.


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## daveomak

Check the heat exchanger coils, if it has them...  vacuum the lint and dirt...  use a compressor to blow them clean, if you have one...    I've had a fridge run warm and all I had to do was clean the coils....   like new again....  Even the lightest amount of dirt and kitchen grease can really affect the cooling capacity of your refer...   They make those things to cool exactly the right amount... they don't go overboard and give you any extra coils...   that costs money..  maybe $5 extra per refer...   they cut corners everywhere possible....  

Dave


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