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[BigDave83]

Saw a boneless butt at Gordons the other week figured i would brine and cure make a ham.

Don't recall the weight, but mixed up a gallon of brine.

1 Gallon Water
1.5 T Cure 1
0.5 Cup Sea Salt
0.5 Cup Brown Sugar. usually use dark but only had light.
0.5 Cup White Sugar
 Mix well until dissolved, Injected as much as possible all over the butt after I incompetently tied it up. I put it in my pickle bucket and a water filled quart bag on top to weight it down. Lid on and in the garage fridge for probably about 5 weeks. I usually do at least 3 but was not sure when I wanted to make it.

  Decided to have a friend of the GF's and his son over Saturday night for dinner so thought it would be a good time for the ham.

 Rinsed off hit the outside with garlic and black pepper, into the little cookshack smokette for about 8 hours at 225°. Took it out 165 and foiled to rest while i finished up the buttered noodles and potatoes.

 Very good, it could use more salt but I usually go low on salt as it does not like me at times. Store bought hams usually make my legs swell pretty bad. I had thought about tossing it in the oven on 450 to brown but the GF said it was okay the way it was. Not sure what happened to get the whitish spot. almost like cure did not get to it. This was a first for me getting that.

 I use Pops Brine recipe with my measurement adjustments. I use less cure and cure it longer. I usually will do 2 or 3 of them and then pull them like you would for pulled pork, a nice change up. Just need to cook it to 200° plus.

Thought I would share this after the Cured Turkey thread.

[Bar-B-Lew]

looks good

[02ebz06]

Looks tasty, I might have to give it a try.
Thanks for posting.

[pmillen]

Yep.  I didn't know you could accomplish reduced salt curing by extending the time.  It's a good-looking result.

[BigDave83]

Yep.  I didn't know you could accomplish reduced salt curing by extending the time.  It's a good-looking result.

You don't really accomplish less salt it is more about using less cure and allowing it longer to cure. Salt is determined by the amount put in at the start. I believe Cure 1 in a brine is 4oz  1'2 cup to a gallon, I used 1.5T to the same gallon. so less than half, but I allow it to work longer than if I had used the 1/2 cup.

[yorkdude]

That is really good looking. I have never cured a ham but I absolutely love the meat. Nicely done.

[pmillen]

You don't really accomplish less salt it is more about using less cure and allowing it longer to cure. Salt is determined by the amount put in at the start. I believe Cure 1 in a brine is 4oz  1'2 cup to a gallon, I used 1.5T to the same gallon. so less than half, but I allow it to work longer than if I had used the 1/2 cup.

Ummmm, I didn’t mean salt as in table salt.  I was thinking of salts as in the chemists’ terminology.

Table salt is sodium chloride (NaCl).  Cure 1 is sodium nitrite (NaNO2).  To a chemist, it is also a salt.

It’s sodium that people are generally instructed to reduce for health reasons.  But it’s common for physicians to simply say, “Reduce your salt consumption.”  They generally mean table salt because it’s the most common sodium source in our diets.

Sorry that I often write in such a confusing manner.

[BigDave83]

You don't really accomplish less salt it is more about using less cure and allowing it longer to cure. Salt is determined by the amount put in at the start. I believe Cure 1 in a brine is 4oz  1'2 cup to a gallon, I used 1.5T to the same gallon. so less than half, but I allow it to work longer than if I had used the 1/2 cup.

Ummmm, I didn’t mean salt as in table salt.  I was thinking of salts as in the chemists’ terminology.

Table salt is sodium chloride (NaCl).  Cure 1 is sodium nitrite (NaNO2).  To a chemist, it is also a salt.

It’s sodium that people are generally instructed to reduce for health reasons.  But it’s common for physicians to simply say, “Reduce your salt consumption.”  They generally mean table salt because it’s the most common sodium source in our diets.

Sorry that I often write in such a confusing manner.

Sorry I am not that smart.

[BigDave83]

Brined a butt, and stashed it in the back fridge, kind of forgot about it, I usually do 3 weeks I think this one was 7, things going on and all and it slipped my mind I had it back there.

Put it in the little cookchack electric smoker Saturday night for about 13 hours. Took it out and in to a pan, plastic wrapped, put a folded bath towel on the table, the pan and then 2 more folded towels on top and allowed to rest for a few hours. We ate it on some onion rolls.

For seasoning course black pepper and granulated garlic, added more once meat was shredded.

[pmillen]

Ohhhh!  That looks good.  I want a taste.

[urnmor]

Looks like a winner and did you notice any difference in the longer brine time

[BigDave83]

Looks like a winner and did you notice any difference in the longer brine time

 Not really, I have gone 6 weeks, this may have been more salty than the last one I had done, but is has been probably a year since the last ones, so it could have just been my imagination.

[urnmor]

Thank you