Episode 65: How to Wet Cure a Ham
Today, I am going to talk with you about how to cure ham. This topic is robust enough that we could do several shows on it in fact. I even reached out to my buddy, Chef Brett, to get his take on the dry curing method alongside my brining approach to this conundrum. He and I will have a curing interview later this week.
What mother nature is providing
- Work – and no reward right now. Even the ducks are on laying strike!
- Pig may need to graduate soon
Getting the Gardens Ready
- Clearing out the stuff we should have done in the fall
- Laying plans for a greenhouse on the south side.
Tales from the prepper pantry
- Working through the squash: Spaghetti squash is not setting well with me.
- Meatballs – why they are great
Stretching Meals
- Duck, roasted with veggies and salad. Second meal: Duck Risotto with salad. Total cost: $17. Total meals: 7. CMP: $2.42 and I still have the bones for stock because i used turkey stock in the risotto.
Operation Independence
- Spent 4 hours in the workshop, found some cool stuff: an iPad, yard games, the table top mic stand I have been missing since starting this podcast, four pair of scissors, a webcam that may or may not work for recording in the kitchen for the membership area, a key I lost four years ago to my file cabinet.
- Spent an hour decluttering the library.
- Missed the Weekly Finance Review and have it rescheduled for Tuesday morning! Also failed to do the weekly house declutter so have to make that up because if I can;t keep the house in order, I cannot succeed in business.
How to cure ham
- Brine recipe: 15oz of salt per gallon, 2.3 ounces of sugar per gallon, 4.2 ounces of curing salt #1 per gallon
- Spices: black pepper, coriander, hot peppers, rosemary, garlic, onion
References
Dry cure calculator:
Wet brine method reference:
Make it a great week!
Song: Tripped Out by Sauce