A Front Leg Ham ~ Using a Pork Butt

[thirdeye]

For this beauty, yes it's a butt, I used an injectable curing brine and a boneless pork butt. I did shape the end opposite the money muscle to give it a traditional 'rear leg ham' look. You can see the money muscle, and you can sort of visualize the taper on the opposite end.

It cured with daily turns, then rested uncovered for 18 hours, just like I do my bacon, but being boneless.... I did net it, money muscle muscle end is down so it would hold it's shape. I used my Mini WSM for 10 or 11 hours of cold smoking, maximum smoker temp of 100°.

Next I hung it in the Big Chief for 6 hours and brought the smoker temp up to 140°, 150°, 160°.

Here is the ham after cooling and blooming in the fridge for 18 hours.

For cold slicing I oriented it so the slices would be like a pork steak. This made it easy to separate the muscle groups when making a sandwich, or leaving the slices whole for breakfast.

 

[Burnt at Both Endz]

Nice!

 

[KClandcruiser]

That is a thing of beauty! Looks like your process worked out perfectly

 

[gtr]

That is spectacular! :whoo:
I did a butt ham years ago & loved it - not sure why I haven't done it again (aside from being a lazy sumbich )
Love love love that - very nicely done! :clap2:
Is the curing brine the one from one of your posts recently? I can't remember the name of it, but I checked it out and got very good results with some bacon.

 

[Smoking Piney]

Gorgeous, thirdeye! :thumb:

 

[thirdeye]

That is spectacular! :whoo:
I did a butt ham years ago & loved it - not sure why I haven't done it again (aside from being a lazy sumbich )
Love love love that - very nicely done! :clap2:
Is the curing brine the one from one of your posts recently? I can't remember the name of it, but I checked it out and got very good results with some bacon.

If it was for bacon, I bet that was my dry cure. I also do a dry cure for Buckboard bacon made from loins and butts, but I haven't posted any of those for a year or so, and they would have been loins.

This cure is a wet curing brine that is injected, which means it's working from the inside out. It comes by way of daveomak who posts on another forum and I'm really sold on it. Below are the amounts of ingredients per pound of pork, and it's mixed into the vegetable stock in the order listed. You inject on a 1.5" grid pattern and put any left over in the curing zipper bag. I use one of those plastic shaker bottles for mixing. Curing time is from 5 or 6 days to 12 or 14 days.

Unsalted vegetable stock - 45 g/lb
AmesPhos (STTP) - 1.8 g/lb
White sugar - 4.5 g/lb
Canning salt - 9 g/lb
Cure #1 - 1.1 g/lb

 

[Fire and Ice]

Meat Love:thumb: :clap:

 

[Titch]

mighty fine looking plate and process

 

[scp]

That ham and egg shot...had me wishing it was breakfast time.

 

[BillN]

Nice work there, I have always preferred ham made from the shoulder for best flavor.

 

[sudsandswine]

Yum, very nice. Where did you get that netting, out of curiosity?

 

[tom b]

I have never done anything like this, pretty cool Thirdeye! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Bjorn]

Amazing! Thanks for the post!

 

[Big George's BBQ]

That looks amazing. I have thought of doing it. Have never bought a scale

 

[jermoQ]

Thanks for sharing that! That is one of the best breakfasts there is as long as you have good ham! I am sure yours was.:thumb:

 

[Stingerhook]

I am sooooooo ready for breakfast.

 

[PaPaQ]

OMG!!! That looks awesome!

 

[thirdeye]

Yum, very nice. Where did you get that netting, out of curiosity?

The Sausage Maker carries it and sells on Amazon, its in roll and called 'meat netting'. It is size# 28, and the butt was a tight fit. But it's an easy fit for a pork loin. I also have some for a ham that is a finer netting it's called CM 36" Cotton Stockinette and it's pre cut into 36" lengths.

 

[cholloway]

I was lead to believe a cured and smoke butt made buckboard bacon and
a loin produced Canadian bacon.
Is this not true?

BTW, you nailed it whatever you call it.

 

[thirdeye]

I was lead to believe a cured and smoke butt made buckboard bacon and
a loin produced Canadian bacon.
Is this not true?

BTW, you nailed it whatever you call it.

Yes, kinda, sorta...depending on your lingo or jargon. Buckboard usually refers to a cured product NOT from the rear leg of a hog, but I also refer to Buckboarding as a technique

Canadian bacon is usually cured, but not always, and sometimes smoked, but not not always. You can Buckboard a butt or a loin, country ribs, or even pork chops.... and when I make it I use a dry cure and usually hot smoke it. Others might use a wet brine cure. Buckboarding does result in a ham-like color and texture and depending on how you slice it can resemble streaky belly bacon or Canadian bacon. It's way good and somewhat easy to make.

Hams from a rear leg are also cured, but you can buy a fresh one. Country hams are dry cured and age for months in a smoke house. They have a stronger flavor and can be saltier. City hams can be dry cured, but they are generally 'pumped' (injected) with a 'pickle' or a 'sweet pickle' curing brine. Or a combination cure technique can be used. After curing, they can be baked, hot smoked, cold smoked or any combination. But the important step is the injection. It has to be very deliberate, and must get around all the leg bones to prevent souring.

So, when using an injection cure on a fresh ham, butt or loin, particularly when they are cold smoked..... I call the finished product a ham, but calling the butt or loin Buckboard would be equally correct. I guess you could also call them 'corned' (because the cure is similar) but that is reserved more for cuts of beef or venison.