Pig in a bucket

A couple of weeks ago I posted about the pig we bought. A pig in parts, so to speak. We've cooked some of the chops but this is the first ham from this pig.



















This is the way it started. The butcher did a nice job cryopacking it. It's vacum packed in heavy plastic. Very nice.























We do a brine cure. Basically its a solution of sugar and salt with spices. I have used maple syrup and other sugars. This one is molasses. I like cloves, black pepper and whatever else I decide on at the time. I am still working on our own personal recipe.

The bucket is a food grade bucket. I give it a good cleaning with hot soap and water first then sterilize with bleach. It's important to do a good cleaning because the meat is going to be in there a while. I generally brine for 6 or 7 days.
























This is my brine cooler. This time of year we could probably do it without the cooler. We have a room between the house and the barn that stays right around 36 this time of year. It's our walk-in. But the cooler helps with keeping the temperature stable. And in the summer, the cooler is necessary. I put a couple of ice blocks in top of the bucket. Inside the cooler it does a good job of chilling. I keep a refrigerator thermometer in there to make sure I am below 42. But too cold slows down the bringing.



















Going into the oven....



















Sliced on the table