VENI HAM
- Thread starter swampy
- Start date
flyingfisherman
Well-Known Member
Ok guys, after stratts thread on smoking, im wondering about cold smoking one of these haunches before i hang it, to impart a bit of a different flavour to it?
Is this possible? Just thought because its already brined, i could cold smoke it for 5 or 6 hours then hang it with the other one to dry.. Im coming up to the 2 week point with my haunches. Because i didnt follow the instructions completely verbatim, i havent re-salted them half way through.. Theyre due to be hung up tomorrow, then i am away for 3 weeks with work, so will have to get the missus to weigh them and make sure they dont dry out too much!!
I'll take some pics so far, what ive noticed is that theres a lot of fluid come out of the haunches and they have firmed up a lot.. the mix i got from sausagemaking.org do smell nice though. looks like its got peppercorns and juniper berries in..
Is this possible? Just thought because its already brined, i could cold smoke it for 5 or 6 hours then hang it with the other one to dry.. Im coming up to the 2 week point with my haunches. Because i didnt follow the instructions completely verbatim, i havent re-salted them half way through.. Theyre due to be hung up tomorrow, then i am away for 3 weeks with work, so will have to get the missus to weigh them and make sure they dont dry out too much!!
I'll take some pics so far, what ive noticed is that theres a lot of fluid come out of the haunches and they have firmed up a lot.. the mix i got from sausagemaking.org do smell nice though. looks like its got peppercorns and juniper berries in..
flyingfisherman
Well-Known Member
flyingfisherman
Well-Known Member
Ok, so my two are hung up now.. one cold smoked for 8h and the other unsmoked. They weigh 1.78kg each, so once they get to 1.33kg i will assume they are ready.. The look and smell good already so hopes are high!
Next update at the end of the month..
Next update at the end of the month..
flyingfisherman
Well-Known Member
I think it probably assists with the process stratts, stops oxidisation as well I suppose.
Reason a lot of people don't vac pack is due to lack of access to one I think.. The haunch which was smoked looks the same as the other but smells great!
Reason a lot of people don't vac pack is due to lack of access to one I think.. The haunch which was smoked looks the same as the other but smells great!
Stratts, leaving the liquid in the ziplock bag or vac pack is the best approach. The liquid effectively becomes the brine as the meat leaches moisture and mixes with the the dry cure you applied to it. The salts etc in the cure are usually pretty accurately calculated on an weight of cure to weight of meat ratio so pouring off the liquid pretty much dilutes the process.
Zip lock bags with the air sucked out are a god alternative is someone doesn't have a vac packer. If you do vac pack and your machine will let you to, over ride the vacum before it gets too extreme so that the liquids can leach out slightly as in FF's picture above.
Zip lock bags with the air sucked out are a god alternative is someone doesn't have a vac packer. If you do vac pack and your machine will let you to, over ride the vacum before it gets too extreme so that the liquids can leach out slightly as in FF's picture above.
flyingfisherman
Well-Known Member
Ok, a quick interim update. Had a friend go round and check my hams while ive been away.. By the time he checked them, about 10 days had elapsed, and the weight has dropped by about 7%. I'll take advice, but i would rather take the drying/curing bit slowly to ensure the whole haunch dries consistently.. It has been very cold in the shed, so assume that as it warms up (if it warms up!) the process may speed up..?
My friend assures me the smoked one smells good enough to eat now! The pic doesnt show much of a change, but you can see the colour is darkening nicely, no sign of mould and they are nice and firm.
You can see theres a bit of silver skin left on the haunches, im hoping this wont matter too much when i get it sliced wafer thin..?
My friend assures me the smoked one smells good enough to eat now! The pic doesnt show much of a change, but you can see the colour is darkening nicely, no sign of mould and they are nice and firm.
You can see theres a bit of silver skin left on the haunches, im hoping this wont matter too much when i get it sliced wafer thin..?
flyingfisherman
Well-Known Member
Hey Stratts..
I will take some pics and put them up. i was telling legolas about them last week.. I started spotting small blobs of white mould on the unsmoked one.. I darent let it develop, so wiped it down with some vinegar. I also moved their location, into the car port, where theres a bit more of throughflow. Theyve now started darkening in colour and look like theyre drying out.. On the unsmoked one, small spots of white mould are showing again, but am intending to leave them alone this time. I weighed one the other day and think it had lost just over 10% so we're getting there..
Pics to follow...
PS: i think ive got the trailer sorted..
I will take some pics and put them up. i was telling legolas about them last week.. I started spotting small blobs of white mould on the unsmoked one.. I darent let it develop, so wiped it down with some vinegar. I also moved their location, into the car port, where theres a bit more of throughflow. Theyve now started darkening in colour and look like theyre drying out.. On the unsmoked one, small spots of white mould are showing again, but am intending to leave them alone this time. I weighed one the other day and think it had lost just over 10% so we're getting there..
Pics to follow...
PS: i think ive got the trailer sorted..
flyingfisherman
Well-Known Member
So..
Here is the update. Theyre approaching their target weight, so should be good to try soon. They were hung to cure on the 6th of February if memory serves me right. One went into the cold smoke for 8 hours or so and the other remained unsmoked. Apart from a nice aroma from the smoked one, you couldnt really tell by weight. I have noticed a few tiny spots of white mould on the unsmoked one, but the other seems to be untouched.
For hanging, i used a stainless steel hook and hung them in my chiller, with the power off and the door slightly ajar. I wanted to avoid dust settling on them as well as possible rodent activity. After about 3 weeks and consultation from Legolas, they werent losing much weight, i assume the reason was because of the temperature, which i dont think got about 5 degrees in that 3 weeks but also the lack of air movement in the chiller.
I moved them to my car port, where i hung them on the cold smoker box. Here theres a lot more air flow, but still remains dry and rodent free. They started losing weight at a faster rate and i would imagine at the current tempo, they will have reached 25% weight loss by next week, which will take the air drying process to a total of 6.5 weeks.
Next update will be when they reach that weight and i slice some up!
Here is the update. Theyre approaching their target weight, so should be good to try soon. They were hung to cure on the 6th of February if memory serves me right. One went into the cold smoke for 8 hours or so and the other remained unsmoked. Apart from a nice aroma from the smoked one, you couldnt really tell by weight. I have noticed a few tiny spots of white mould on the unsmoked one, but the other seems to be untouched.
For hanging, i used a stainless steel hook and hung them in my chiller, with the power off and the door slightly ajar. I wanted to avoid dust settling on them as well as possible rodent activity. After about 3 weeks and consultation from Legolas, they werent losing much weight, i assume the reason was because of the temperature, which i dont think got about 5 degrees in that 3 weeks but also the lack of air movement in the chiller.
I moved them to my car port, where i hung them on the cold smoker box. Here theres a lot more air flow, but still remains dry and rodent free. They started losing weight at a faster rate and i would imagine at the current tempo, they will have reached 25% weight loss by next week, which will take the air drying process to a total of 6.5 weeks.
Next update will be when they reach that weight and i slice some up!
2 munty haunches gone in the fridge tnite dry curing in vacuum bags. 1 from a kit I got given at Xmas and 1 of my own concoction. Only 1kg each so should only take a week to cure then into my biltong chamber for drying. Will get pics up once they start doing something in the fridge,
Cheers
Stratts
Cheers
Stratts
Something tha's confusing me, once the initial drying period is over how do you store it without it continuing to dry making it inedible?
My two haunches have been in the fridge curing for 5 days now so they'll soon be out hanging. The one in the shop bought cure mix has leached a lot more liquid than the cure I made up from salt and prague powder which is strange, but the shop bought one had more salt on the instructions so this may be the reason,
Stratts
My two haunches have been in the fridge curing for 5 days now so they'll soon be out hanging. The one in the shop bought cure mix has leached a lot more liquid than the cure I made up from salt and prague powder which is strange, but the shop bought one had more salt on the instructions so this may be the reason,
Stratts
flyingfisherman
Well-Known Member
I've had the same thoughts. I need to slice mine and try it. Wondered about coating in beeswax?
If you vack pack it either whole or sliced it won't lose anymore weight. I've not used bees wax to seal hams but once i've got a pigs leg ham to the weight I'm aiming for I mix a paste of lard black pepper and semolina flour and paste that over the exposed flesh, that does the job too. Although that said, its fine on just the end of a ham but I reckon a completely lard covered venison haunch would be a pain to handle.
Stratts,
You don't store it, everyone else eats it!
"Fresh is Best"
With Biltong I prefer it moist. Vacuum packing and then freezing may prolong it but it's not the same
I would treat it the same as proper bread. Great on day 1 but by day 3 your making toast or Panzanella.
Stan
flyingfisherman
Well-Known Member
I'm hoping they keep more than a few days!! Or last should I say. I'm going to ask the butcher if he will run some through the slicer for me.. Good idea J About vac packing.. You over this neck of the woods for a taste test at some point?!
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