revenge of ham

The ham was ready. Now for smoking.

I took the idea from various recipes to put it on to the BBQ and cover it over, providing a crude smoker. I was able to use some Apple Wood Chips from Colorado thanks to my good friend Dominic.

I was continually prodding it with my probe thermometer, waiting for the magic 76C to appear. This took about two and a bit hours with my small piece of meat. The window cleaner looked at me very strangely, playing with the BBQ in late December.

This piece was actually too strong, too briny. I tasted a piece and stamped the floor like a Tex Avery cartoon. I soaked it a little but it went too far. However I prepared a second joint the same way and that was very tasty indeed.

The photos make it look more pink than it did in real life - I didn't add saltpetre (nitrite) to the mix, which encourages that rosiness.

ham

Wow, how exciting is that title?! You're desperate to read on, aren't you.

I wanted to make my own ham. I think all these home preserving techniques are getting lost, and the results you get are so unique and personal compared to vacuum-wrapped plasticky salt logs.

I've started here with pork leg, very inexpensive. I then made an 85% brine solution and added juniper berries, peppercorns, bay leaves and a couple of cloves. But these could be any number of aromatic things. Now I'm leaving the pork submerged in this liquid for a day and a half per pound (that's four and a half days for me). See you on Saturday for the results!

ham and leek macaroni

A homestyle "Pasta 'n' Sauce": fry some leeks, gammon, add macaroni and then keep covering with chicken stock until tender. Simple and brill. Next time I'd add a slosh of white wine for a sweet kick, but this was great winter stuff.