Author Topic: Bacon and ham, sausage to come...  (Read 4360 times)

MrsKK

  • Guest
Bacon and ham, sausage to come...
« on: December 11, 2016, 06:09:23 PM »
Again, I've been away for awhile.  I haven't made any cheese since May, leaving the calves to empty out the cow.  I did make some Black Forest Maple Bacon in August, though, using the method here.  Bottom line: meat candy. Just be sure to cook it low and slow or it carbonizes very, very quickly.  This stuff is too premium to waste that way.

I have fresh pork shoulders to make into ham and am looking for good solid recommendations on how to do that.  I tried a couple of fresh hocks when I did the bacon, using the same method, but they ended up way too salty.  I probably should have cured them for less time, I am guessing.

And I tasted Sopressata for the first time a week ago while on a trip, so now I have the goal of making my own salami.

I had to butcher a cow in October...she was slaughtered and quartered for me and I was able to hang the meat in a cooler for 10-14 days, but yes, I did the cutting.  Sad story as she was my replacement heifer, but that's just how it goes.  Anyway, I have a lot of beef in the freezer, too, that I'd be interested in curing if anyone has some suggestions.  I have made corned beef and pastrami in the past with very good results.

New hobbies!

Offline Al Lewis

  • Old Cheese
  • *****
  • Location: Port Orchard Washington
  • Posts: 3,285
  • Cheeses: 179
    • Lou's Food & Drink
Re: Bacon and ham, sausage to come...
« Reply #1 on: December 11, 2016, 07:02:08 PM »
Sorry to hear you had to slaughter your heifer.  I have a few recipes on my blog however they are pretty much pork recipes for wet curing hams, dry curing bacon.  I do have one for pastrami on there.  If you need a recipe for anything in the "Charcuterie" line I have several very good books on the subject and would be glad to provide you with a recipe or two.
Making the World a Safer Place, One Cheese at a Time! My Food Blog and Videos

reg

  • Guest
Re: Bacon and ham, sausage to come...
« Reply #2 on: December 11, 2016, 08:26:23 PM »
MrsKK glad to see you getting into the hobby. Usually pork shoulders are used to make sausage both fresh and cured but in fact there are many things you can make with it. The muscle at the very top of the blade is used to make capocollo or some call it coppa, that is a dry cured and extremely good. I have also made bacon from that cut using the wet cure method then smoking it

A couple of books that I would suggest would be Salumi by Ruhlman and Polcyn and Olympia Provisions by Elias Cairo and Meredith Erickson. If there is anything I can help you with that would not be a problem

reg

  • Guest
Re: Bacon and ham, sausage to come...
« Reply #3 on: December 11, 2016, 08:43:04 PM »
MrsKK, attached is a photo of my old curing room, just about everything there is sopressata and some of those are at different stages of dry curing

Offline Al Lewis

  • Old Cheese
  • *****
  • Location: Port Orchard Washington
  • Posts: 3,285
  • Cheeses: 179
    • Lou's Food & Drink
Re: Bacon and ham, sausage to come...
« Reply #4 on: December 11, 2016, 09:30:49 PM »
I would also suggest "Charcuterie" by Ruhlman and The Sausage-Making Cookbook: Complete Instructions and Recipes for Making 230 Kinds of Sausage Easily in Your Own Kitchen by Jerry Predika
Making the World a Safer Place, One Cheese at a Time! My Food Blog and Videos

MrsKK

  • Guest
Re: Bacon and ham, sausage to come...
« Reply #5 on: December 11, 2016, 09:38:18 PM »
Aw, Reg, you've got me drooling in envy!  The only commercially available sopressata in the local small town is way over priced and very low quality.  I'm hoping to find some in the larger city near us the next time we travel that direction.

For now, I'm looking for ham curing recipes.  I have requested the Charcuterie book by Ruhlman from the library.

Oh, it is probably pork butt, not shoulder that I have.  I will definitely be curing & smoking all of our pork from now on instead of having them do it for me when we butcher.  Two piggies growing for the spring!


MrsKK

  • Guest
Re: Bacon and ham, sausage to come...
« Reply #6 on: December 11, 2016, 09:52:12 PM »
Thanks, Al, I've just ordered the Predika book from Amazon, a used copy based on your recommendation.

One thing's for sure, we'll never go hungry around here.  I'm sure thankful for being able to raise our own meat, eggs, and milk.

MrsKK

  • Guest
Re: Bacon and ham, sausage to come...
« Reply #7 on: January 25, 2017, 04:54:40 PM »
I smoked the bacon and ham a couple of weeks ago and the bacon is hanging to allow the flavors to meld better.

I rushed the ham and cooked it too soon, as the outside was overwhelming in smoke flavor.  It is SO hard to be patient!  But the inner portion was quite good and the leftovers from the outside will be great for flavoring soup.

Does ham HAVE to be smoked after doing a dry cure?

reg

  • Guest
Re: Bacon and ham, sausage to come...
« Reply #8 on: January 26, 2017, 01:14:39 PM »
Good morning Karen. What type of cured ham were you looking to make ? How did you cure your ham, did you hang the ham to dry or go directly to the smoke house ?

MrsKK

  • Guest
Re: Bacon and ham, sausage to come...
« Reply #9 on: February 07, 2017, 03:28:45 AM »
I did a dry rub of TenderQuick, cloves, and brown sugar.  I don't remember exactly how long, maybe 2 weeks?  Then rinsed it off and put it on a rack in the fridge to develop a pellicle, maybe 2 days.

I smoked it after that.

AnnDee

  • Guest
Re: Bacon and ham, sausage to come...
« Reply #10 on: February 07, 2017, 08:04:18 AM »
can you make and age meat near or in the same place as cheese? Now I am thinking of venturing into meat curing, and I'd like to make chorizo and salami.

reg

  • Guest
Re: Bacon and ham, sausage to come...
« Reply #11 on: February 07, 2017, 01:07:58 PM »
MrsKK sounds to me that you went in the right direction with your cure and to answer your question the ham does not have to be smoked after curing, that is a matter of personal preference. For myself I like to put a smoke on it but I'm not a big fan of overly smoked products.

Did you use a bone in leg for the ham ? On most bigger bone in cuts we use a wet cure method and inject cure along the bone and into the muscle in order to get a more balanced cure

AnnDee, you are better to make and cure your sausages in a separate area if you can. If not you get a transfer of molds much like you get from aging different types of cheese in the same cave

MrsKK

  • Guest
Re: Bacon and ham, sausage to come...
« Reply #12 on: February 07, 2017, 04:36:50 PM »
That ham did not have a bone in it.

I will definitely be experimenting with it again, until I get it "just right".  Ha ha! 

The bacon is to die for.  I used less maple syrup this time and plan on even less on the next cure, or maybe do a slab or two without, just to see how we like it.  I love the Black Forest blend of spices.