Curing Virginia Ham

Meat has been preserved for centuries by drying, salting, and curing. Virginia ham was one of the first agricultural products exported from North America. Today, Virginia ham is still loved around the world for its distinctive savory taste. To cure ham at home, a few simple rules should be followed.

Figure 1 is a “Country Style” ham. This ham has a long shank (solidbone) and a buttcut at the sacral joint. This style of cutting leaves less lean meat exposed in the shank and butt areas, which reduces the possibility of spoilage.

Figure 2 is a “Regular” cut ham. This style of cut is satisfactory for curing and aging hams under conditions of controlled temperature and humidity. The shank is cut short, exposing an open bone with marrow and lean tissue around the bone. The butt is cut between the second and third Sacral Vertebrae which results in a larger lean cut butt face than on “Country Style” hams. »

Start with a Good Ham

To get a high quality cured ham, you have to start with a high quality fresh ham. Choose ham from young, healthy, fast-growing hogs with a desirable lean-to-fat ratio. If you are not butchering your own animal, fresh hams can be purchased from grocery stores or a local butcher. Hams for curing should have a long thick cushion (Figure 1), a deep and wide butt face, minimal seam, and external fat as seen on the collar (Figure 1) and alongside the butt face (Figure 3A), and weigh less than 24 pounds. Heavier hams are normally fatter and are more likely to spoil before the cure adjuncts penetrate to prevent deterioration.

Keep the Hams Properly Chilled

Fresh hams should be kept chilled below 40°F before being cured and then kept between 36° and 40°F during curing.

Cure Application

Hams can be cured in just salt, or you can add a dry sugar cure for a richer, sweeter flavor. For each 25 lbs. of fresh meat, use:

• 2 pounds salt
• ½ pound sugar
• ½ ounce coarse kosher salt

Figure 3A illustrates a high-quality ham that has a firm, bright-colored lean with at least a small amount of marbling (specks of fat in the lean) in the butt face.

Figure 3B reveals the type of ham to avoid. Its muscles are soft, usually pale in color and lack marbling. They also “weep” excessively and will shrink more during curing. The open seams between the muscles allow bacterial and insect invasion.

Mix these ingredients thoroughly and divide into two equal parts. Apply the first half on day one and the second portion on day seven of the curing period. Rub the curing mixture into all lean surfaces (Figure 1) of the ham. Cover the skin and fat (little will be absorbed through these surfaces).

Virginia style hams should be cured seven days per inch of cushion depth (Figure 3A), or one and a half days per pound of ham. Keep accurate records of placing hams in cure and mark on your calendar when its time to remove hams from cure. During the curing period, keep hams at a temperature of 36 to 40°F.

After Curing—Soak and Wash

When the curing period has passed, the hams should be placed in a tub of clean, cold water for one hour. This will dissolve most of the surface curing mix and make the meat receptive to smoke. After soaking, scrub the ham with a stiff bristle brush and allow it to dry.

Cure Equalization

After the ham has been washed, store it at 50-60°F for approximately fourteen days to permit the cure adjuncts to be distributed evenly throughout the ham. The product will shrink approximately 8–10 percent during cure application and equalization.

Final Steps

In Southeastern Virginia, most hams are smoked to accelerate drying and to give added flavor. The Smithfield ham is smoked for a long time at a low temperature (under 90°F). Wood from hardwood species of trees (trees that shed their leaves in the fall) should be used to produce the smoke. Hickory is the most popular, but apple, plum, peach, oak, maple, beech, ash, or cherry may be used. Pine, cedar, spruce, and other “needle leaf” trees are not to be used for smoking meat since they give off resin which has a bitter taste and odor.

The fire should be a “cool” smoldering type that produces dense smoke. The temperature of the smokehouse should be kept below 90°F. Hams should be hung in a smokehouse * so that they do not touch each other. Smoke until they become chestnut brown in color, which may take one to three days.

In Southwest Virginia, hams are not traditionally smoked after curing, washing, and equalizing. Instead, the final step is to rub hams with the following mixture.

For 25 lbs. of ham:

• ½ pound black pepper
• 1 cup molasses
• ¼ pound of brown sugar
• ¼ ounce coarse kosher salt
• ¼ ounce of cayenne pepper Then bag the hams as shown.

Age the Hams for 45 to 180 Days

As with wine or cheese, it is during the aging process that rich flavor develops. Age hams for 45 to 180 days at 75 to 95°F and a relative humidity of 55 to 65 percent. Use an exhaust fan controlled by a humidistat to limit mold growth and prevent excessive drying. Air circulation is needed, particularly during the first seven to ten days of aging, to dry the ham surface. Approximately 8 to 12 percent of the initial weight is lost.

Pests

As unpleasant as it is to think about, it’s important to know that pests are drawn to cured meat and can ruin all your hard work if you don’t take certain precautions. The insects attracted to cured meat are the cheese skipper, larder beetle, and red-legged ham beetle. Mites, which are not officially insects, also may infest cured meats.

1. Cheese Skipper

This insect gets its name from the jumping habit of the larvae which bore through cheese and cured meats. Meat infested with this insect quickly rots and becomes slimy. Adult flies are two-winged and are one-third the size of houseflies. They lay their eggs on meat and cheese and multiply rapidly.

2. Larder Beetle

This insect is dark brown and has a yellowish band across its back. The adult is about ⅓ inch long. Its larvae feed on or immediately beneath the cured meat surface, but do not rot the meat. The larvae are fuzzy, brownish, and about ⅓ inch long at maturity.

3. Red-Legged Ham Beetle The larvae are purplish and about ⅓ inch long. They bore through the meat and cause it to dry rot. Adults are about ¼ inch long, brilliant greenish blue with red legs and are red at the bases of their antennae. They feed on the meat surface.

4. Mites Mites are whitish and about inch long at maturity. Affected parts of meat infested with mites appear powdery.

To help prevent insect and mite infestation, start the curing and aging during cold weather when these insects are inactive. Proper cleaning of the aging and storage areas is essential since the cheese skipper feeds and breeds on grease and tiny scraps of meat lodged in cracks. Cracks should be sealed with putty or plastic wood after cleaning.

Screens should be installed to prevent entrance of flies, ants, and other insects that carry mites.

Double entry doors are recommended to reduce infestation of insects.

If any product becomes infested after precautions have been taken, it should be removed from the storeroom and the infested area should be trimmed. The trim should be deep enough to remove larvae that have penetrated along the bone and through the fat. The uninfested portion is safe to eat, but should be prepared and consumed promptly. The exposed lean of the trimmed areas should be protected by greasing it with salad oil or melted fat to delay molding or drying.

Protect the hams by placing a barrier between the meat and the insects. Heavy brown grocery bags with no rips or tears in them are ideal to use for this purpose. Place the ham in a bag and fold and tie the top. Then, place the bagged ham in a second bag, fold and tie. The hams wrapped by this method can be hung in a dry, cool, protected room to age. This room should be clean, tight, and well ventilated.

Preparing the Ham

The traditional four-step method of preparing Virginia ham is to:

1. Wash ham with a stiff bristled brush, removing as much of the salt as possible.
2. Place the ham in a large container, cover with cold water, and allow it to stand 10–12 hours or overnight.
3. Lift the ham from the water and place it in a deep kettle with the skin side up and cover with fresh, cold water.
4. Cover the kettle, heat to a boil, but reduce heat as soon as the water boils. Simmer 20 to 25 minutes per pound until done.

Another method of cooking is to soak, scrub, and place the ham in a covered roaster, fat side up. Then, pour 2 inches of water into the roaster and place it in a 325°F oven. Cook approximately 20 to 25 minutes per pound. Baste frequently. Cook to an internal temperature of 155°F as indicated by a meat thermometer placed in the thickest position of the ham cushion. If you do not have a thermometer, test for doneness by moving the flat (pelvic) bone. It should move easily when ham is done. Lift ham from kettle. Remove skin. Sprinkle with brown sugar and/or bread crumbs and brown lightly in a 375°F oven, or use one of the suggested glazes.

Orange Glaze: Mix 1 cup brown sugar, juice, and grated rind of one orange, spread over fat surface. Bake until lightly browned in a 375°F oven. Garnish with orange slices.

Mustard Glaze: Mix ¼ cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons prepared mustard, 2 tablespoons vinegar, and 1 tablespoon water. Spread over fat surface and bake as directed above.

Spice Glaze: Use 1 cup brown sugar and 1 cup juice from spiced peaches or crab apples. Bake as directed above. Garnish with the whole pickled fruit.

Cooking Ham Slices

Baking: Place thick slice in covered casserole and bake in 325°F oven. Brown sugar and cloves, fruit juice, or mustard-seasoned milk may be used over the ham during baking. Uncover the last 15 to 20 minutes for browning.

Broiling: Score fat edges and lay on broiler rack. Place 4 inches from broiler and broil for specified time, turning only once.

Frying: Trim the skin off the ham slices. Cut the outer edge of fat in several places to prevent it from curling during cooking. Place a small amount of fat in a moderately hot skillet. When it has melted, add ham slices. Cook ham slowly, turning often. Allow about 10 minutes total cooking time for thin slices. Remove ham from pan and add a small amount of water to raise the drippings for red-eye gravy. To decrease the salty taste, fry ham with a small amount of water in the skillet.

How To Carve a Ham

The most delightful flavor of Virginia ham can be enjoyed from thin slices. Thus, a very sharp knife, preferably long and narrow, is needed. With the ham on a platter, dressed side up, make a cut perpendicular to the bone about 6 inches in from the end of the hock. Then follow the steps in figure 8.

How To Debone Cooked Ham

The ham is easier to slice when the bones are removed while the ham is warm.

• Place skinned ham fat side down on three or four strips of firm white cloth 3 inches wide and long enough to reach around ham and tie. Do not tie until bone is removed.
• Remove flat aitch bone (pelvic) by scalping around it.
• Take sharp knife, and, beginning at hock end, cut to bone the length of ham. Follow bones with point of knife as you cut.
• Loosen meat from bones. Remove bones.
• Tie cloth strips together, pulling ham together as you tie.
• Chill in the refrigerator overnight. Slice very thin, or have the ham sliced by machine.