Sunday, December 4, 2005

Curing Hams a picture guide

 


 Cured Hams: A Picture Guide To The Product


 



Well they have been down in the pickle the correct amount of days, today
we crack it back open and see if we made money or dumpster offerings!








Here they are open and looking good!








So up out of the pickle they come and into the bus tubs for the short
ride to the smoker.







Three or four to a pickle bucket depending on my work load. In this case
two tubs of three. Racked up and ready to roll to the smoker!








Looking close in the upper right corner of the rack stack, you can just
see Big Dog Chefs pink tutu in the crate ready for the laundry. (And you
guys thought he was kidding about his uniform!)



Everything is out of the pickle








Setting up the fire box with hickory to make the smoke







Loading them on the racks and getting set to program the temp profile








Starting the smoke








When they reach the hold temp and have their bone come up to the
prescribed temperature they should carve off and show this type of
beautiful color and marble.







All in all I am happy with this years products. I think dropping the
dextrose and going to a honey brown sugar cure with the clove in the
background is working well. I would say it must be as they cleaned up
two hams on Saturday night at the first catering using our home cured
Country Christmas Ham!



Did up the dishes and cleared out of there. Have to go back tonight
about nine and get them out of the smoker and look at the finals.



You might ask why with commercial hams would we go through the brain
damage of curing and presenting our own hams. Well several reasons, in
catering its about who can not only do the meal, but do the meal and put
the most money in the bank. (As in left over money not the turn over!)
And this allows several marketing advantages, we sell this as heirloom
country ham, so our competitors are forced to find a place to buy such a
beast. And they are expensive. Two we carve this live on the spike and
it presents really really nice. And last it is unique, no one in our
area will copy it, and no one in our area could make the taste.


Chef Bob Ballantyne

The Cowboy and The Rose Catering

Grand Junction, Colorado, USA

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