First time curing country hams

6a3f2aa1101cfb6a95c2d3a6405407ba.jpg

48f5ad5251a96f01836c29c842ed6d46.jpg

5bb031eee9a085c298e2e6ba44a75b33.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
My 82 y/o cousin told me a while back how my ggrandpa used to do his hams. Seems like he used some borax in with the salt. I'll ask him again how they did it. I should have written it down for future reference.

Did you use non-idiozed salt?
 
beamernc said:
My 82 y/o cousin told me a while back how my ggrandpa used to do his hams. Seems like he used some borax in with the salt. I'll ask him again how they did it. I should have written it down for future reference.

Did you use non-idiozed salt?
Click to expand...

Yeah non iodized salt. We will use borax when we wash them in a few weeks. Then black pepper and a sock to hang in until next winter or so.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Believe it or not, we used to season the ham then put it in an ols apple press. My job was to go down into the root cellar and turn the press 1 quarter turn a day. We removed the knuckle bone and being an Italian family, had a nice prosciutto when done. Oh, btw, it was in Yankee territory.
 
Newt said:
Believe it or not, we used to season the ham then put it in an ols apple press. My job was to go down into the root cellar and turn the press 1 quarter turn a day. We removed the knuckle bone and being an Italian family, had a nice prosciutto when done. Oh, btw, it was in Yankee territory.
Click to expand...
More please.
 
Newt said:
I don't remember much else as it was over 50 years ago. The family drifted apart and neat stuff like that hasn't been done much since.
Click to expand...
It's like they say: You don't miss your prosciutto until your mind runs dry!

Wish I'd written down a lot more of the older folks' wisdom. I do, however, pride myself on re-inventing the wheel from time to time! :)
 
Newt said:
Believe it or not, we used to season the ham then put it in an ols apple press. My job was to go down into the root cellar and turn the press 1 quarter turn a day. We removed the knuckle bone and being an Italian family, had a nice prosciutto when done. Oh, btw, it was in Yankee territory.
Click to expand...
We had some ferners for neighbors for awhile when I was a young buck that did a ham something like that. It was dam good. But I'm no help on how they did it. I think that old eyetalyun womans cooking is the only reason we didn't burn em out. Well there was a gal my age in that family & she was a hot 8 year old. To another 8 year old.
 
Windini said:
It's like they say: You don't miss your prosciutto until your mind runs dry!

Wish I'd written down a lot more of the older folks' wisdom. I do, however, pride myself on re-inventing the wheel from time to time! :)
Click to expand...
I found a couple of recipes on homemade prosciutto:
www.themanual.com

Making this meaty treat at home is easier than you think

With a little time and patience, you'll be slicing house-cured ham in no time.
www.themanual.com www.themanual.com
www.thespruceeats.com

How to Make Tuscan-Style Prosciutto at Home

Tuscan-style prosciutto is a popular type of Italian dry-cured ham that you can easily make at home. If you have the time and space to do it right.
www.thespruceeats.com www.thespruceeats.com

Seems similar to country ham.
 
There's a North Carolina guy with a fairly active YouTube channel that covers the whole process, start to finish, killing to cooking. Search for Stony Ridge Farmer. He's up towards the NC / VA state line.

.
 
Gator said:
There's a North Carolina guy with a fairly active YouTube channel that covers the whole process, start to finish, killing to cooking. Search for Stony Ridge Farmer. He's up towards the NC / VA state line.

.
Click to expand...
Yeah I've watched him.
 
Zbizzle911 said:
We bought them from a place near Kannapolis. They were killed yesterday morning and I salted them down yesterday evening. If all goes well this year we are going to do our own killing next year.
Click to expand...
Was it Frank Corriher in China Grove?
 
beamernc said:
Was it Frank Corriher in China Grove?
Click to expand...
No it was Cruse meat packing on Rimer rd Not far off 85 and Lane St. I do like Frank Corriher ham though! I've eaten a lot of theirs lol MY dad used to buy it by the case when he would be by there.
 
I bought one of these for my garage as the damn mice had gotten too smart to get caught in a regular trap. For now, it looks like I have caught them all, but I know more of the little bastards will return.

1613766667479.png
 
When you hang it in the smokehouse drill the bone instead of just the flesh hang. Make sure to add a couple tablespoons of Borax to the pepper rub after you wash off the salt...this keeps the skippers out of the hock. Nothing like Putin up your own! Mold will grow on outside of meat but just wire brush that off when washing salt. The deeper black mold can be cut off. Boil to 150 or you can do a overnight low temp cook that's a lil more complicated. I debone mine whilst hot then cut thin on slicer.....put bone in pot of beans....dang...all this typing making me hungry.
R
 
Curing meat is not a hard process, just takes time and patience. I come from a family of self sufficient Island folks, so way back in the good old days, they cured about everything. Luckily, I have all the old family curing secrets.
They were great at doing Tuna, especially the Roe and Hearts, and my family in Carloforte, still cure Tuna among other things.
I have made some nice Salami and Sopresotta, I also did a "Prosciutto Crudo", which is made from Lamb, that came out good. I am getting ready to do a Braseola soon.
The most important things you need to know are your good molds from bad molds, and your weights. All the recipes I have for curing, that are all over 100yrs old, reference weight loss as determining your desired "doneness".
 
phideux said:
Curing meat is not a hard process, just takes time and patience. I come from a family of self sufficient Island folks, so way back in the good old days, they cured about everything. Luckily, I have all the old family curing secrets.
They were great at doing Tuna, especially the Roe and Hearts, and my family in Carloforte, still cure Tuna among other things.
I have made some nice Salami and Sopresotta, I also did a "Prosciutto Crudo", which is made from Lamb, that came out good. I am getting ready to do a Braseola soon.
The most important things you need to know are your good molds from bad molds, and your weights. All the recipes I have for curing, that are all over 100yrs old, reference weight loss as determining your desired "doneness".
Click to expand...
Recipes recipes recipes.....and pics if y gotem. There are curing and canning sections in this Homesteading thread if you care to share. Is your family Italian?
R
 
cjcullom said:
Recipes recipes recipes.....and pics if y gotem. There are curing and canning sections in this Homesteading thread if you care to share. Is your family Italian?
R
Click to expand...
I'll have to dig some recipes out. My family is from Isle San Pietro, a little island off the Southern coast of Sardinia. Beautiful place. The Island population is right around 3000, I'm probably related to 2000 of them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom