Ham

Journal

December 2020

December 20

Ever since I went on my bacon run this year (just before COVID lockdown), I've been hankering for ham. I made ham terrine several years ago from the ham hocks from my first pig roast, but it was too salty and dry. I've gotten more precise with smoking (thanks to the snake method and the thermometer that Justin gave me), and my early smoked bacon made me want to make some smoked charcuterie. I haven't been able to find the right cut of meat, though. Raw ham is hard to find, and I wasn't motivated to ask for it directly from the farmers or butchers.

Yesterday, however, I discovered that the Whole Foods on Franklin was selling "pork legs" — ham cut into cross sections. I bought a 5.65 pound hunk, and decided to give my experiment a go.

I needed a minimum of 1.8 oz of salt for this size pork. I had some ancient leftover rub from the pancetta I attempted to make many moons ago, so I decided to use that, estimating (based on the original Ruhlman recipe) that about a third of it was salt. It smelled juniper-y and delicious! I then added more salt (for an estimated total of about 2.1 oz, just to be safe), ground up some ancient dried rosemary from Mom and the last dried Bay leaf from one of my hikes. Finally, I added some brown sugar.

I coated the ham well, paying special attention to the parts near the joint. It fits well in a dough bucket and should start generating its own brine soon. I plan on turning it at least once a day. I read somewhere that I should estimate a day for every half pound, so 11 days until I smoke this bad boy — just in time for the New Year!