Joint of wiltshire ham frozen just before xmas - ok still?

SkeeterUK · 20 Sep 2020 at 23:58

Hi all.

Got a joint of wiltshire ham, its been in freezer since about late dec last year. Took it out of freezer tonight to thaw to hopefully slow cook in 2 days time.

Will it be ok or should i chuck it away? As not sure how long joints can last in a freezer and its been about 9 months.

Simon0001 · 21 Sep 2020 at 01:47

Its fine

MikeTheNative · 21 Sep 2020 at 10:39

It will still be edible it's just a case of whether you will end up getting the texture you want after that amount of time frozen, slow cooking it though I think it will be fine.

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior · 21 Sep 2020 at 13:57

The issue with pork (in particular) is the fat doesnt freeze fully at domestic freezer temps unless you have a nice stable very low temp, so it can slowly go rancid
Its why its recommended to remove as much fat as possible prior to freezing

"The main problem with frozen storage is deterioration in organoleptic quality. There may be changes in meat texture, fat can become granular and crumble, and there can also be some discoloration of the meat. Fat modification induced by air oxygen produces rancidity and acidity, and a disagreeable taste. Microbial enzymes also remain active, especially those that attack the fat."

If it tastes fine then it almost certainly is, if its tastes kind of off the chances are the fat allowed continued decay and as such I wouldn't personally

If its one them joints thats vacuum sealed in plastic you have far more chance that it will have stood up well to freezing than if its self wrapped

PlacidCasual · 21 Sep 2020 at 15:12

Yeah I agree rancid fat is you’re biggest risk. Cut off any external spare fat before slow cooking. Many ham joints are moderately lean inside so it may not be an issue for the meat. Rancid fat just tastes minging but I don’t think it’s a major safety risk.

SkeeterUK · 23 Sep 2020 at 08:16

ta and yeah it was vacuum sealed.

brendy · 23 Sep 2020 at 09:12

Rancid Fat, I think I watched them once back in the 90's.

SkeeterUK · 25 Sep 2020 at 13:13

Cooked it in the slow cooker 8 hrs with say 300ml of pepsi in and thats all. Took it out took the strings off and fat off then let it cool then popped it in the fridge.

Not sure why but its not as light pink as id hope it would be like the ham from butchers or supermarket its dark like any old gammon joint ive done before. Expected something like this.

https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/sli...iled-ham-sausage-isolated-white-120233087.jpg

But i got more like:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/imageser...f1de0fa372c.jpg?crop=1500,1000,0,0&resize=685

Could it be the time i left it i.e 8 hrs and maybe shoulda took it out earlier like 6 hrs instead? Or was the pepsi to blame?

WJA96 · 26 Sep 2020 at 20:29

1. Wiltshire ham is cured in an extremely acidic live bacterial brine. Hence it tastes different. Traditionally it was cured to be stored without a freezer for 6 months to a year.
2. Pepsi is full of caramel as a food colouring. That’s why it’s gone dark.
3. The ham from the supermarkets is generally cured with nitrites or nitrates (or a mixture of both) and they both induce a pale pink colour in the finished meat. Your Wiltshire cured ham won’t look like those.