Best Salt Lick Home Cured Ham Recipes

SALT CURED HAM: OLD-FASHIONED PRESERVING

Steps:

• Mix salt, red pepper, black pepper and brown sugar in a bowl and set aside, this is your curing mix.
• With a ham that's between 36 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit, rinse in cold water and pat dry.
• Put a layer of curing mix ¼" - ½" deep on a tray to act as a bed for the ham.
• Place the ham on top of the layer of curing mix.
• At the H-bone (hip) and the hock joints, cut slits down to the bone then pack with as much of the salt mixture as possible.
• Rub and cover the rest of the ham with the curing mix.
• Leave the tray in a cool place (such as a refrigerator or a cooler packed with ice) for 18 days at 36-40 degrees.
• Cure for 18 days (or more - see recipe notes).
• Once the ham is cured, rinse well with cool water then smoke it, cook it or freeze it for later (see recipe notes for cooking tips).

HOME-CURED HOLIDAY HAM

Steps:

• Place kosher salt, brown sugar, pickling spice, and pink salt in a container large enough to hold the brine and the ham.
• Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil and pour over the brine ingredients; whisk to dissolve. Pour in 1 gallon fresh cold water to cool down the mixture.
• Score the skin side of the pork roast with a sharp knife. Cut into the fat beneath the skin but not into the meat. Score about 1 inch apart, then score in the opposite direction to get the classic diamond-shaped pattern.
• Lower scored roast into the cooled brine, skin side up. Use a plate to weigh down the roast so that it cures fully submerged in the liquid. Refrigerate for 1 day for every 2 pounds of pork (for a 7 pound roast, cure for at least 2 1/2 days). Turn the roast over halfway through the brining process.
• Remove roast from brining liquid. Discard the brining liquid and transfer the roast back to the brining container. Cover the roast with fresh cold water to rinse off some of the salt. Depending on how salty you want your ham, you can soak it for just a few minutes or overnight. Remove roast from the water and blot dry with paper towels.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Add a cup of water to a roasting pan with 2 whole star anise. Place roast on a rack in the roasting pan.
• Roast until ham reaches an internal temperature of 130 to 135 degrees F, about 2 hours. Ham will not be fully cooked at this point. If water has nearly evaporated, add a splash more. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Continue to roast until skin is browned and crispy and ham reaches an internal temperature of 145 to 150 degrees F.
• To make the optional glaze, mix the mustard, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and salt together in a bowl. Brush glaze on the ham at this point, not before. Return roast to oven for about 5 minutes to crisp it even further.

SALT LICK HOME CURED HAM

Steps:

• In a large stock pot, add water (can use half of necessary amount to infuse ingredients and add remainder as ice cold water later to facilitate cooling), salt (or Tender Quick if using), sugar, cure (if using), pickling spice, Dizzy Pig rub and garlic. Bring to hard boil for 10-12 minutes to infuse the brine with aromatic flavors and dissolve salt and sugar. Cool brine in non-reactive curing vessel (food grade pail or cooler works well for this larger project) until curing brine is 36-38°F. Strain brine and draw off approximately 4 cups of curing brine for each ham being cured. With meat injector/syringe, pump as much as 4 cups of brine into the ham, being sure to reach areas close to the bone. This ensures complete and even curing of the ham ‘right to the bone’. Immerse injected ham into curing vessel and refrigerate for 8-10 days Hot smoke until internal temperature of ham reaches approximately 135°F. At this point, begin to baste with glaze consisting of: 1/4 cup mustard,1/4 cup honey,1/8 cup orange juice, 1tbsp of the Dizzy Pig rub you used in the curing brine Glaze every 15 minutes until internal temp rises to 145-150°F Enjoy the best ham you’ll ever eat!