Cooking with Jonny69: home cured ham

I can't see how this is unsafe....

1 - Salt has been used for centuries to act as a preservatives in meat and all sorts. This has PLENTY of that.

2 - You also boiled it for 2 hours! that will cook anything, so there is no chance of it being raw.

Could do this in your sleep? :p
 
The problem is that the main cause for concern for any food that is left for a long time is botulism. You can't destroy it by normal cooking - the spores only denature at 120C and will be unaffected below that no matter how long you cook them.

As such the only real way to deal with botulism is by avoiding the spores forming in the first place, which is fairly straightforward: firstly, it isn't really a big deal in the UK, we have very strict laws on how food is to be treated and cases of poisoning are exceedingly rare. Secondly, the bacterium only produces the toxin under oxygen starved environments (usually this is a big problem with canned/jarred food and the reason all canned food must be boiled when sealed), so leaving a little gap for air to get in and out should minimise the risk.
 
shroomz said:
The problem is that the main cause for concern for any food that is left for a long time is botulism. You can't destroy it by normal cooking - the spores only denature at 120C and will be unaffected below that no matter how long you cook them.

As such the only real way to deal with botulism is by avoiding the spores forming in the first place, which is fairly straightforward: firstly, it isn't really a big deal in the UK, we have very strict laws on how food is to be treated and cases of poisoning are exceedingly rare. Secondly, the bacterium only produces the toxin under oxygen starved environments (usually this is a big problem with canned/jarred food and the reason all canned food must be boiled when sealed), so leaving a little gap for air to get in and out should minimise the risk.
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But surely you are at risk then every time you cook a joint of pork?
 
Jonny69 said:
I'm cooking up some salt beef tonight. I've had it in a salt/saltpetre brine with no sugar for 8 days and tonight it's simmering with a couple of carrots, an onion, some cloves and peppercorns. Going to serve it with dumplings and mashed potato, real Yiddish style. Tomorrow it's salt beef bagels with English mustard and pickles for lunch :D
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Will there be a thread for this, too? :D
 
I made some of this a couple of days ago. It came out really nice, though I varied the recipe by finishing off the ham in the oven, smothered in honey (the ham, not the oven).

It was pretty damn nice but I have to say that the outside bits with the honey on were the nicest. I may have to try 'curing' it in a tub of honey instead of salt+sugar :)
 
JHeaton said:
Will there be a thread for this, too? :D
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I might do one. I've only done that one bit of beef, but I think I know what I need to do differently next time to make a real kosher style bit of salt beef :)

FrenchTart said:
I made some of this a couple of days ago. It came out really nice, though I varied the recipe by finishing off the ham in the oven, smothered in honey (the ham, not the oven).

It was pretty damn nice but I have to say that the outside bits with the honey on were the nicest. I may have to try 'curing' it in a tub of honey instead of salt+sugar :)
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Definitely try altering the cure because it changes the way the meat tastes. I've tried a number of different combinations with bacon and it usually turns out good!
 
Jonny69 said:
I might do one. I've only done that one bit of beef, but I think I know what I need to do differently next time to make a real kosher style bit of salt beef :)
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What was in the salt beef cure?

I've got a bit of silverside curing at the minute. Should be ready on Sunday.
My cure is 500g of salt, 300g of sugar, 10g of saltpetre.
Then I add the following flavourings into it:
1 crumbled up bay leaf.
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp juniper berries
1 tbsp black peppercorns
a few all spice berries

Will try and remember to get a few pictures of it.
 
I'm sorry Jonny, I couldn't wait. Every time I opened the fridge it was just there, staring back at me, begging to be eaten :(
It's sat on the hob cooling down after cooking now :D

Been in the brine 3.5 days
 
I have been searching for a straightforward recipe so now I have yours, thanks! The ham is in the fridge so I'll let you know how it turns out.
 
Where'd be the best place to get salt petre? The chemists doesn't seem to do it round here. Presumably there is some sort of limit on the order to avoid MI5 breaking down your door?
 
jizzyJames said:
Where'd be the best place to get salt petre? The chemists doesn't seem to do it round here. Presumably there is some sort of limit on the order to avoid MI5 breaking down your door?
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You can get curing salts that have it pre-mixed or use alternatives - I'd recommend getting the pre-mixed stuff personally.
 
Looks nice, i wonder if its cheaper to do this than to buy ham at a counter in a shop. Usually the ham i like is HJ ham and it costs about £2 for about 6 slices or so. Better than the expensive stuff at asda etc.

I like my ham really dry and not moist and most shops only sell wet ham which is eww as i like to rip strands off which imo is the nicest way to eat it on its own.

Also £3 for that big chunk of pork, nice. ;)
 
SkeeterUK said:
Looks nice, i wonder if its cheaper to do this than to buy ham at a counter in a shop. Usually the ham i like is HJ ham and it costs about £2 for about 6 slices or so. Better than the expensive stuff at asda etc.

I like my ham really dry and not moist and most shops only sell wet ham which is eww as i like to rip strands off which imo is the nicest way to eat it on its own.

Also £3 for that big chunk of pork, nice. ;)
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Yeah, it's far far cheaper to make your own..and nicer :)
 
You can get saltpetre on eBay. You can't buy it by the kilo any more, but a 100g tub will last yonks :)
 
Remember my friend telling me that you can't get salt beef that has been cured with Salt Petre commercially any more? They use something else? Or is he talking ball.
 
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