Homemade Magalica Ham (Bone In) - Cure & Smoke

Yield: 1 piece (approximately 15 lbs.)

Method
1. Choose your cut of meat. Most hams are from the hind leg. Another option, which is quicker and easier, is to make a “picnic” ham from the upper part of the front leg & bottom part of the shoulder.
2. If preparing brine from scratch, please refer to the below recipe. If using a premade blend, prepare the brine by following instruction on curing packet.

Basic Brine Recipe For Curing Meat Yield: 4 Liters (1 gallon)

Water 4 liters (1 gallon)
Cure #1 6.25% 50g
Kosher Salt 350g
Brown Sugar 225g
Crushed Peppercorns 2 tbsp.
Coriander Seeds (lightly toasted) 2 tbsp.
Fennel Seeds 2 tbsp.
Ground Mace (optional) 2 tsp.
Granulated Onion 2 tbsp.
Bay Leaf 8 pcs.
Mustard Seeds (lightly toasted) 1 tbsp.
Granulated Garlic 1 tbsp.
Maple Extract Powder 1 oz.
3. Inject “Pump” the ham with brine to ensure thorough curing. This is especially important with cuts that have bones. * (see notes)
4. Once you’ve injected your meat thoroughly, place it in the remaining brine in your container of choice and place in the fridge. Ensure the meat is fully submerged. Curing generally takes 5-7 days. So, for a small 2kg picnic ham, you’ll need about 4-5 days to cure. *(see notes)
5. After the curing process has completed, remove meat from brine and rinse thoroughly under cold water for 15 minutes to remove all excess salt and spices. After this, soak the meat in room temperature water for 2 hours to further remove saltiness and cure. Change water every 30 minutes.
6. This step is optional but highly recommended. After the 2 hour soak, remove from water, pat dry with towel and place uncovered on a sheet tray with wire rack and set in cooler for 24 hours. This does 2 things, 1) the remaining cure and salt should ‘equalize’ throughout the meat, resulting in a less salty and more ‘even’ tasting final product. 2) your meat will form a ‘pellicle’. This is a tacky sheen that will appear on the surface of your meat. The pellicle will help your meat more readily absorb a smokey flavor when it comes time to smoking.
7. Set smoker to 225ºF (107ºC) and smoke / cook until the internal temperature is 149ºF (65ºC).
8. Once internal temp is reached, remove, and serve or cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before placing into cooler for final chilling. Keep in mind, the ham must be below 40ºF (5ºC) before cryovac or vacuum seal storage.
Notes
• Good rule of thumb is to make enough brine to fully submerge you ham in the container + 25% for pumping (injecting)
• Feel free to modify the spices as you desire but the ratio for cure, salt, sugar & water should remain the same.
• Pumping brine close to the bone is critical for thorough curing and avoiding rotting
• Rule of thumb is curing time is 1 day / 500g (1.1 lbs.) of meat – DO NOT EXCEED 8 DAYS OF CURING
• For large cuts / full legs of ham, cure for a maximum of 8 days.
• Your ‘pump rate’ is 25%. That is, if your meat weighs 2kg, then you need to inject it with approximately 500ml if brine
• I recommend using a Smart Grill wireless thermometer to monitor the cooking process.
• Before storing in cryovac or vacuum seal bags, the product must be below 40ºF (5ºC)
• Changing the water every 30 minutes during the soak helps to prevent the salt & cure from going back into the ham making it too salty

Temperature Log

Time In - 10:23am
Time Out – 6:10pm
Smoker Temp - 225ºF (107ºC)
Target Temp - 148ºF (64ºC) internal

Time Internal Temp.
10:23am 34ºF (1ºC)
11:23am 37ºF (3ºC)
12:00pm 45ºF (7ºC)
12:37pm 57ºF (14ºC)
1:25pm 73ºF (23ºC)
1:45pm 81ºF (27ºC)
2:28pm 93ºF (34ºC)
3:47pm 117ºF (47ºC)
4:48pm 131ºF (55ºC)
5:22pm 138ºF (59ºC)
6:10pm 148ºF (64ºC)

Видео Homemade Magalica Ham (Bone In) - Cure & Smoke канала Cooking with Chef Joseph J. Shutsa III