Smoking Meat - The Complete How to Smoke Meat Guide. Barbecue University® The Smoke Ring- All you need to know about barbecue. How To Cure Ham at Home, It's Easier Than You Think! Wet Curing (Brine) Ham Instructions and Tips. Home cured and smoked ham doesn't seem as though it should sneak into any sort of "easy cooking" recipe compilation. It's something that sounds hard to do, that few people know how to do, and that does take a long time…but home cured ham is actually very easy to make!
Home curing your own ham (wet cure) takes just a few minutes of active work and about a week of waiting until you are left with a ham you have preserved yourself. There are two kinds of American ham, of course, wet cured and dry cured. The famous hams of Virginia are dry cured, and they cannot, unfortunately, be reproduced in a week inside your refrigerator. The hams that you buy pre cooked at the supermarket can – and you can make them better at home. Home curing a ham is quite safe, but you will need to get a hold of some insta cure #1 (also called pink salt or D.Q. curing salt, among other things).
This ready to use curing salt is sold as a pre mixed combination of 93.75% salt and 6.25% nitrite. Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4. How to Cure Ham. Turn the heat down to a simmer when the water starts to boil and add the salt, sugar and seasonings. Seasonings may include peppercorns, pickling spices and juniper berries. Stir until the salt and sugar have completely dissolved. Allow the water to cool for 20 minutes on the stove top. Put the stockpot in the refrigerator and cool until the water reaches 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a kitchen thermometer for accuracy.