If I get the fresh ham ordered tomorrow, I can get it corned in time to stuff it for thanksgiving. It'll take 15 days in the brine to corn the ham. Mouth watering already!
Stupidity is expensive If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!
Fresh ham = not cured or cooked. Corned, = salt and spice cured like corned beef. Stuffed = slits cut in ham, filled with cabbage, onions, and lots of red and black pepper. Wrap in cheese cloth, boil for 15 minutes per pound.
Last edited by Snake River Marksman; 11/02/17.
Stupidity is expensive If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!
I corn a lot of venison roasts and I am always looking to a different recipe to try.
Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Give a man a welfare check, a forty ounce malt liquor, a crack pipe, an Obama phone, free health insurance. and some Air Jordan's and he votes Democrat for a lifetime.
Corning brine : One pound dark brown sugar 2 bay leaves one teaspoon mustard seeds one sprig tyme ( I just use a tsp of dried) 10 juniper berries Tbsp of black pepper Boil it in a gallon of water with 1.5 pounds of Kosher salt for about 5 minutes. Let cool. Put an egg, in the shell, into the brine. If the egg does not float, add more salt and mix.
Ham must be fresh! NOT COOKED OR CURED. You'll probably have to order it at the meat dept. I do.
Put brine in a stone crock or plastic container. Do not use an aluminum pot. Stainless is OK. Put meat in COLD brine make sure it's completely covered. You may need to take a ceramic plate and put on top of the meat with a weight to hold it down. Let it sit at 38° for 15 days, turning it over and mixing every 5 days.
Stuffing the ham: 4 or 5 large heads of cabbage cut into apprx 1" pieces. ( you can mix in some kale or just use kale, your choice) two big onions diced Red pepper Black pepper
In a pot large enough to hold a 15 to 20lb ham, wilt (cook it just long enough that it is pliable) the cabbage and onions. Add red and black pepper till you can really see that there is some in there. drain off the water but save it to cook the ham in. allow the stuffing to cool. mix the stuffing with your hands. If the pepper isn't burning your hands ADD MORE! Take your corned ham, and with a large, broad bladed knife poke holes all the way to the bone. Stuff, stuff and stuff some more of the stuffing all the way down into the holes. It takes a LOT of stuffing and it's messy as hell. Once you have stuffed the ham, wrap it in cheese cloth and tie it with COTTON twine. Put a plate on the bottom of the pot of water to keep the ham off the bottom. Put the ham in the pot of water until covered and simmer (low boil) for 15min per pound. Serve hot or cold.
Stupidity is expensive If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!
A real country ham is a fresh one that was put in salt for a few weeks, hung up and smoked for a week or so, and then left hanging in a dark place for about a year. There are many "recipes" for curing a ham, although most of them are basically the same. Country hams do tend to be a little on the salty side, but a good cook usually knows how to handle that. They are good eating, and we usually buy a whole one around Christmas. Usually, we will have it cut in half, cook one half in oven, or boil it on top of the stove. We then have the other half sliced into frying size slices. There is not much that can beat country ham and biscuits. It's probably a regional thing, with this part of Kentucky and Tennessee being noted for it.
