On the ham, I did my usual cure, which you can refer to the previous post or follow the chart below. The only thing different here is I added 4 Tsp of hickory powder to the mix. Oh, a big correction here. on the notes below the chart, it says to apply at rate of 8 percent of the meat weight when it should be 6.25 percent of the meat weight.
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I trimmed all fat and rubbed in the cure mixture. Put all the muscles in a covered meat lug for three weeks. Removed and rinsed and put on bacon hangers and returned to the fridge for another 2.5 weeks.
Hung the ham (still on bacon hangers) in the FEC 100 for 8 hours at 170 degrees using pecan pellets. I had some temp creep, due to the hot temps outside so it was running 175-80. Pulled at internal 155 (a little high.) I had very little fat render off the ham.
Returned to the fridge (still on bacon hangers) for 10 or so days to equalize.
We ordered a Berkel 827A ½ HP 12-inch meat slicer from websturant.com. Here are some pics.
The Berkel slices much better than my old Chef’s Choice 7 inch slicer which is now for sale. The new slicer weighs about 60 pounds so not to bad moving around. It is a lot bigger than my old chef’s choice.
In the pics below, the old slicer is positioned on the product table of the new Berkel for perspective.
I went ahead and ordered a 2’ x 4’ SS table and casters also. I’ve never been able to do such nice thin and big slices in my life., I only wish I had some bacon to slice. I guess on of our sows is going to have to go to freezer camp so I can practice slicing bacon. By the way, the white Styrofoam plate below the ham slices is 8 inches wide.
Here are some of the bigger slices in either 8x12 or 6x12 vacuum seal bags, laying on a 2'x4' table. You can see how long of a throw the Berkel has.
By the way, the ham was great, very dry and taste wonderful. The big girl weighed 546 pounds so she had some nice marbling in her hams. Great flavor.
We Put up 28 bags with just over 18 pounds total. Began with 32 green weight with about 28 remaining after close trim. This represents nearly a 36 percent moisture loss, which accounts for the hams extraordinary dryness and enhanced flavor.
