On Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:40:22 -0400, Mark A.Meggs
> wrote:

>On Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:35:54 -0400, Mark A.Meggs
> wrote:
>
>>On Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:11:46 -0500, Omelet >
>>wrote:
>>
>>>Googled for some recipes, looks like a dry curing process that I've not
>>>tried yet. I'm sure I could get a fresh (uncured) ham but I could not
>>>find whether or not the rind gets removed before curing.
>>>
>>>I'm also wondering if this can be done at 40 degrees. My Hobart has the
>>>capacity if I were to "hang" it from the bottom shelf for the required
>>>curing time.
>>>
>>>Any ideas? :-)
>>>
>>>And could a Pork Shoulder roast (butt) be used?
>>
>>From Charcuterie by Ruhlman & Polcyn -
>>
>>"The dry-cured ham elicits a reverence perhaps unmatched by any other
>>single charcuterie item. By dry-cured ham, we mean the whole back leg
>>of a mature hog packed in salt for weeks and hung to dry for many
>>months or even years."
>>
>>"The general method for any dry-cured ham is standard. The hams are
>>packed in salt and sometimes stacked on top of each other, their
>>weight pressing water out, and typically cured for about a day for
>>every pound of weight."
>>
>>"The quality of dry-cured ham may be most reliant on the quality and
>>diet of the hog. You can dry-cure any fresh ham it's not difficult,
>>but if the hog is from an American commercial grower, the ham is not
>>going to taste anywhere near as fine as it would if it were from a hog
>>raised on grass and acorns and allowed to grow big and fat (the
>>Iberian hogs can grow to four hundred pounds, while American factory
>>hogs average about two hundred and fifty pounds at slaughter)."
>>
>>What counts most is the qualtiy of the ham. If you don't have access
>>to top quality "free range" acorn fed pork, why bother?
>>
>>If you're relayy interested in curing meats, I suggest you check out
>>the book.
>>
>>- Mark
>
>Forgot to say - Ruhlman & Polcyn recommend refrigeration for the
>salt-cure, then 60 degrees at 60-70 percent humidity for drying.
>
>- Mark

Thanks for typing that up, Mark. The quality of the uncured meat will
affect the cured product. Pigs taste better when they eat stuff other
than Purina Hog Chow and antibiotics and growth hormones. I know this
because I've tasted pastured pork.

When I cured a ham, I used a temperature-controlled wine storage unit,
but some weeks into the process I noticed the condensation tray at the
back of the thing was pretty full. If the meat dries too fast, it'll
get a hard skin that will prevent the interior from adequately drying
and curing. Rot can set in under those conditions. So I set a bowl of
water in with the ham to raise the humidity. I changed the water (and
the bowl) fairly regularly as the weeks progressed.

I probably didn't cure my ham long enough -- just six months. But it
did taste very good when it was done.
--

modom