Ham joint help, please - relatively urgent!

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Ham joint help, please - relatively urgent!

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chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35935
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 10 1:24 pm Post subject: Ham joint help, please - relatively urgent!

My hams have been in the five gallon bucket of brine for seven days - just taken them out to see what's going on and although they smell okay ('meaty but not off', my smell-team say), there are red, 'meat coloured' patches on the them rather than them all being a duller, greyer colour all over.

Is this right? Do I need to leave them in for longer? They are quite large - only five in the five gallon bucket.

The belly which I have done as bacon smells just of salt and is grey all over.

My plan is to freeze these particular hams.

I have put them back in the bucket pending advice from someone who's done it. Perhaps I need to leave them longer and add more salt?

Bebo

Joined: 21 May 2007
Posts: 12590
Location: East Sussex

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 10 1:38 pm Post subject:

I've had a different coloured patch where its been pressing against the side of the container or agains another joint. Might be what has caused the patches on yours. I tend to stir them around a bit every day to try to minimise this.

If you are planning on freezing them I wouldn't have thought it would matter if the cure is a bit uneven. I'd personally be more concerned if you were planning on keeping them a long time unfrozen as the bits that aren't as well cured would be more likely to go off.

Brownbear

Joined: 28 May 2007
Posts: 14929
Location: South West

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 10 1:52 pm Post subject:
You could just 'patch' the pink bits with a rub of neat salt if you're trying to get uniformity of appearance.

Dekk

Joined: 21 Feb 2009
Posts: 48
Location: somewhere between raising hell and amazing grace

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 10 2:54 pm Post subject:
After mine came out of the first cure, they had some pale patches but as mentioned it seemed to be in creases or edge bits so I wasn't too worried, and they seem to have sorted themselves out now. however, I do have an "idiot" question even though its too late now, should I have removed the skin?? there was no mention of it in the instructions I followed but I was just wondering.

Bebo

Joined: 21 May 2007
Posts: 12590
Location: East Sussex

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 10 2:59 pm Post subject:
Don't knwo whether you 'should' or not but I can tell you that I leave the skin on and bone in when with wet brine cured hams. To cook I soak overnight, boil and when cooled I take the skin off, score the fat, brush on a glaze (I tend to use marmalade) and roast for half an hour to finish.

Bulgarianlily

Joined: 01 Jun 2008
Posts: 1667
Location: South West Mountains of Bulgaria

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 10 3:43 pm Post subject:
I always left the skin on.

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35935
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 10 7:15 pm Post subject:
Thank you. I'm not bothered about appearance, just killing us all

Jo S

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 5174
Location: Somerset

Posted: Sun Feb 14, 10 4:20 pm Post subject:
Was tasty. Not dead yet

Brownbear

Joined: 28 May 2007
Posts: 14929
Location: South West

Posted: Sun Feb 14, 10 4:34 pm Post subject:

bring me sunshine wrote:

Was tasty. Not dead yet

You would have thought a week or so submerged in brine would have killed it.

Dekk

Joined: 21 Feb 2009
Posts: 48
Location: somewhere between raising hell and amazing grace

Posted: Sun Feb 14, 10 6:47 pm Post subject:
Phew I was beginning to think I may have ruined a good Ham

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