The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Food & crafts => Food processing => Topic started by: Possum on April 22, 2017, 10:41:44 am

Title: Why is my ham crumbly?
Post by: Possum on April 22, 2017, 10:41:44 am: I have been wet curing my own ham for a couple of years now. The flavour is wonderful but I can never produce the firm texture that you get when you buy ham from the butcher. Someone told me that if you increase the sugar in the brine, a firmer texture will result. However I already use two parts sugar to one part salt. (And five parts water).

Does anyone know what I am doing wrong?
Title: Re: Why is my ham crumbly?
Post by: bj_cardiff on April 22, 2017, 06:16:18 pm: Are you overcooking it?
Title: Re: Why is my ham crumbly?
Post by: Possum on April 23, 2017, 10:23:35 am: Hmmmm... That had occurred to me as well. I simmer it for 2 hours. Is that too long?
Title: Re: Why is my ham crumbly?
Post by: pgkevet on April 23, 2017, 01:28:49 pm: That reminds me of dennis the Irish Vet I worked with for a while. He'd never cooked or looked after himself and was now i his own flat. He asked me for some ideas about cooking. I suggested that as an irishman he might like to start simple and try boiled potatoes.
"I like boiled tatties." he said. So I explained that he scrub them and pop them in a pan of water and simmer for about 20mins. The next day he came back with:
"That didn't work out so good. The little ones was fine but the big ones was still raw."
Title: Re: Why is my ham crumbly?
Post by: Possum on April 24, 2017, 08:38:35 am: Oh dear! Poor Irish vet!

So are you saying that cooking time depends on the size of the ham? Mine usually fit into a five litre cooking pot (with a bit of persuasion). Would an hour be OK?
Title: Re: Why is my ham crumbly?
Post by: Herdygirl on April 29, 2017, 10:24:02 pm: I tend to boil mine for an hour if its a bit salty and then roast for an hour, or just roast it
Title: Re: Why is my ham crumbly?
Post by: pharnorth on April 30, 2017, 05:31:47 pm: Typically 20minutes per 500g plus 20min. So for a 1.5kg ham 4x 20mins, that is about 1 and a half hours.

Note it takes quite a while for the ham to reach the same temperature as the water so you need to calculate the time from when it is boiling quite hard, not just a few bubbles.

If you are finding it too salty pour off half the water after the first 45 mins and refill with boiling hot water.

I have found if I overlook it goes a bit crumbly so a touch of trial and error needed but also most butchers use brine injection to create their hams quicker, that may mean a different texture but at the expense of flavour.
Title: Re: Why is my ham crumbly?
Post by: Possum on May 20, 2017, 09:59:58 am: Thanks Pharnorth. I will try that method and see if it improved the texture.
Title: Re: Why is my ham crumbly?
Post by: farmers wife on May 21, 2017, 10:57:41 pm: try reading this site, some clever people on here; http://www.localfoodheroes.co.uk/?e=697 (http://www.localfoodheroes.co.uk/?e=697) lots of pages of different ways
Title: Re: Why is my ham crumbly?
Post by: halfwaytothegoodlife on September 05, 2017, 01:06:02 pm: I was always told 20minutes per 500g plus 20min from boiling! But I actually prefer a dryer/more crumbly ham anyway...