MMM MMMM Good

[Hntrjohn]

This past july shot a real nice hog. When I brought it to the butcher to have him cut and wrap it for me I asked him to do something new for me.

I had him make the hams itto ham. Smoke and cure it. First time I had wild pig ham and it was great!

Something some of you might want to try out.

 

[BDB]

I did the same thing and am cooking a 4 pound ham tonight for dinner. First one out of my hog also. How long did you cook it for? Since it was cured and smoked, do you need to cook it or just have it heated all the way thorugh???

BDB

 

[Troggy92]

Let me ask you this...how old ...errr... young do the pigs needa be to get a good ham outta 'em? :recall davis sign:

 

[bighorn67]

I cured and smoked my own hams from my November hog. The cure is an apple juice/brown sugar/maple syrup base with a lot of salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and a table spoon of salt peter. The salt peter makes the meat retain it's pink color.

It was the best ham I have ever had. I've got another whole back leg to go.

I would say your best bet for good hog meat is 150lbs or less.

Dave

 

[BDB]

Mine was about 100lbs and turned out great. Problem is the wife doesn't like much wild game. I cook it for her and she says its good, but more the thought of it than the taste I guess. More for me

. Looks like I'll be eating this 4 pound ham for another meak or two (dinner last night and lunch this today).

I am not sure if it is the wild hog or just the company that I had cure and smoke it but it is very dark and has a consistency and to some extent a little flavor of corned beef. Darker and strnger than a normal store bought ham. Awesome though !!!

 

[Hntrjohn]

This was 205 # boar field dressed, not exactly young.
Betty Crocker cookbook said cook at 325 for 20 minutes per #.

 

[Freedivr2]

You're right, the hams out of a hog under 200# are GREAT when done right. I'm sure there's a couple methods to do it "right", so here's some help for guys like me who don't want to mess with the curing part.

Go to a meat market called "Eschbachs Meats" on Western Avenue (just two blocks north of 182nd street) in Gardena. Fritz (an ol German butcher) does a wonderful job on curing and smoking hams and bacon (and chops, so I hear). He has a machine with needles that injects curing salt and sugar into the hams, then slow smokes them for a couple three days. We had a couple of them for Christmas with the entire extended family and they were a hit and 1/2. Fritz does good hams. I think he charged me $18 for the curing/smoking of two hind qtrs. (4 hams), and he said it doesn't matter if you have 2 hams or 10 hams, bacon and chops, he does it all for one "lot" price.

Oh yeah.....he said you don't have to cook em if you don't want to after he's done with them. They're fully cooked, cured and smoked, just like store bought hams.