We put up our own hams the other day. I reckon we’ve done it together about five or six times, always traditional though slightly differently every time, with increasingly lovely and ever tastier results. We tried once from memory, then tapped the source, having Uncle Bob mostly do the tricky pieces and explain everything as he went along. Now we’ve also showed the next generation. We’ve fooled around with process and timing a bit, fine tuning. Last year we took a bigger plunge, picking up four 15# fresh hams from one of the places we’ve been getting pork bellies (to make our own bacon) for a decade or more. Those turned out nicely, with some beautiful center cut slices we saved all year to give Uncle Bob for part of his Christmas present. Of course he got other packets to test earlier in the year, but you should have seen his face light up opening that bundle at Christmas.
This year, we wanted to try two 20# hams, and by chance we learned from the master butcher there that he could do us a short cut that (he said) would be easier to process in the end. Okay, we’re trying that!
That’s salt with some brown sugar mixed in the jar for slathering all over the ham, where it will stay for the salting period. After that, the hanging. We’re hopeful to get as much or more meat from these two than we were able to hack off the four smaller hams last year. They shrink considerably while curing; then, all of the skin hardened down to several layers to protect the meat inside must be removed. And the bone cut from inside; at least, that’s the way we do it. We wanted to be sure we had the process down a little better before risking these big boys. That ‘short' cut removed a tricky joint which is a bear to release from the cured hams, so, as I say, we’re hopeful.
We use everything except the skin, but four hams gave us more hard meat and soup bones than we could go through ourselves. I’m fairly certain we’ll waste less as there’s less skin to discard, and wouldn’t be surprised if we end up with more meat.)
Now they’re in the salt box inside the smokehouse (which is in the background of the picture above). This is about a week’s worth of waiting, three or four more to go.
Here’s hoping!