Homemade Salt Curing Mix
Applying the curing mixture The curing mixture should be applied at the rate of 1-1/4 ounces per pound of ham. Follow these steps: Apply the cure to the ham by opening the hock end and forcing three tablespoons of cure into the opening. This gets the cure to the joint in the middle of the ham, which decreases the chance of bone sour or spoiling. Frost the skin side with cure and place the ham in the proper position on wrapping paper. Place the remaining cure on the cut surface of the ham. Wrap the paper tightly and smoothly around the ham to hold the cure in place, and place it in a stockinette. Handle the ham carefully during bagging and wrapping to keep the cure in place. You can leave the ham on a table or shelf until the cure is wet, which helps keep the cure in place. This usually takes 1 day.
Applying the curing mixture
The curing mixture should be applied at the rate of 1-1/4 ounces per pound of ham. Follow these steps:
Apply the cure to the ham by opening the hock end and forcing three tablespoons of cure into the opening. This gets the cure to the joint in the middle of the ham, which decreases the chance of bone sour or spoiling.
Frost the skin side with cure and place the ham in the proper position on wrapping paper.
Place the remaining cure on the cut surface of the ham.
Wrap the paper tightly and smoothly around the ham to hold the cure in place, and place it in a stockinette. Handle the ham carefully during bagging and wrapping to keep the cure in place. You can leave the ham on a table or shelf until the cure is wet, which helps keep the cure in place. This usually takes 1 day.
Ingredients
- 6 cups Curing Salt???
- 3 Tbs Red pepper
- 3 Tbs Black pepper
- 3 cup Brown sugar
- 1 Fresh Ham
- Unwaxed butcher paper
Ham sock
- Cure under 40 degrees for about 2 days per pound (Avg 60 days)
Remove paper and clean
- Cold smoke after cleaning - Keep smoker under 105 degrees
- 12 - 24 hours
- Aging room at 70 to 75 degrees @ RH 60% for 6 to 9 months
Directions
- Mix salt, red pepper, black pepper and brown sugar in a bowl and set aside, this is your curing mix.
- With a ham that’s between 36 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit, rinse in cold water and pat dry.
- Put a layer of curing mix ¼” – ½” deep on a tray to act as a bed for the ham.
Place the ham on top of the layer of curing mix.
- At the H-bone (hip) and the hock joints, cut slits down to the bone then pack with as much of the salt mixture as possible.
- Rub and cover the rest of the ham with the curing mix.
- Leave the tray in a cool place (such as a refrigerator or a cooler packed with ice) for 18 days at 36-40 degrees.
Cure for 18 days (or more – see recipe notes).
- Once the ham is cured, rinse well with cool water then smoke it, cook it or freeze it for later (see recipe notes for cooking tips).
Notes
If using a cooler, be sure to check your ice daily and replenish it as needed.
If you are going to smoke your ham, it has to be firm to the touch. If it’s not firm to the touch, continue curing and checking it daily.
If ham is ready to be smoked, thoroughly rinse off the salt and pat dry before smoking.
If you are freezing then firmness does not matter. Slice the ham and freeze or freeze whole.
When ready to eat, you can bake the whole ham.
If you’d like to serve the ham in slices, we recommend soaking the slices in cold water for an hour up to 12 hours in the refrigerator. Then cook up in a frying pan. (You can also simmer the ham slice in a little water in the frying pan, remove the water, then continue cooking.
Nutrition
69.7 kcal Serving: 1oz. Calories: 69.7kcal Protein: 5.2g Fat: 5.3g Saturated Fat: 1.9g Cholesterol: 15.9mg Sodium: 364mg