Cure & smoking - ham/bacon

Thanks for the links. After further review I find that it takes longer than I have to properly fully cure a ham. So taking a little of all it I

injected the 10# shoulder with salt, curing salt, honey, bourbon, sugar, water, & apple juice.

then I placed the shoulder in a plastic bag with more of the same, plus some karo light syrup.

it will marinate in the brine next for about 35 hours at which time I will remove from bag, rinse, and coat with some kind of sweet glaze. Probably some pineapple, brown sugar, and orange marmalade.

I added some rosemary & cloves to the glaze.

It smelled like a ham baking in the oven. It looked like a ham when done (pink from curing) at 175 in the center. It cut like ham & it tasted like a honey ham.

I was impressed with myself

sounds good but how much of the ingri.?

I don't measure, I season to taste and follow some guidelines.

I started here http://www.mortonsalt.com/consumer/products/meatcuring/index.htm

and did a web search on smoked ham & ham and read all I could and combined several recipes & approximate quantites.

To pickle a ham all the way thru without injecting requires you soak the shoulder in the brine mixture for 5 or more days. Injecting cuts it down to 36 hours or so depending on size.

TravelerOne, Listed below is a link to my Times, Temps and Procedures...

I hope this helps.

CLICK HERE>>>MallardWackers Bacon Procedures

Thanks for all the intel. so far I have a few cures that I will try few of them soon. I will be useing only pork I can (Kurobuta belly&side). So please keep up with the cures and sorry but be able to how It come's out till the end of may... Vacation you know THX Jay

My favorite bacon cure is from Hi Mountain Seasonings. They have a website. A few folks on this forum use them.

This thread is copied from another forum, so it may seem to be not addressed tp the current forum !

I don't measure stuff unless I am baking, then I sort of do 'cause you have to. I sort of cook with what I got and liberally substitue ingredients. I didn't use a blow torch and make the sugar crust, don't care for it.

I can tell you what make a should a ham. Allspice & cloves produce the distinctive ham smell while cooking. I used about eqaul part of salt & Morton's pickling salt, about 1/3 cup each, in the injection with a couple of ounces of blended bourbon, about a 1/4 cup of brown sugar, a couple of ounces of light karo syrup, and about a 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, about 1/4 cup of honey, and about a teaspoon each of allspice & cloves in a two cup measuring cup. Finished filling it up with apple juice. Stirred & dissoved all the spices. I injected the entire 2 cups into the shoulder.

Then I mixed up about the same ingredients for a gallon & 1/2 of mixture. Used about 3/4 gallon of water and about triple all the rest except no more bourbon.

I soaked the shoulder in this mixture for 48 hours. I created a glaze using peach preserves, brown sugar & karo syrup and honey, mixed to a thick sauce, and spread it on top and sprinkled it with allspice & cloves.. I then put a layer of bacon the keep it moist. You don't get a crust this way, but it sure is moist ham.

I tented it with aluminum foil and cooked at 250 until it was 167 internal, removed and set it on the counter for about 30 minutes until the temp start falling. Then I debone and sliced and ate.

There is no recipe per say to tweak. As I tell my family - "If you like it good, if you don't maybe better luck next time. But one thing is for sure, it will never be the exact same again !".

The shoulder - 10.35 pounds cost me $8.75 at Kroger on special.

Just another sugestion for cures...I get all mine from Butcher & Packer, they cheap and have some variety. Great Service.

ClICK HERE>>>>Butcher & Packer Curing Salts