1st weekend project.......Honey Ham Chubs

[Sailor1]

Ground up 10 pounds pork butt using fine plate grinding once. 

1/2 cup of water
2 tsp of cure #1
8 tsp pickling salt
1.4 oz Dark Brown Sugar
1 cup honey or 12.5 oz
1 tsp liquid smoke

Mixed the cure into the water until dissolved.  Added the salt and mixed until dissolved.  Then in goes the Brown Sugar and mixed until dissolved.  Then added the liquid smoke and gave it a nice stir.  Then poured the mix into the measuring cup that held the honey and stirred it up until well blended.

Poured the mix into the meat tub and hand mixed the pork until all the liquid was adsorbed and well blended.  Then transferred the mix into a bowl that has a tight fitting lid and into the fridge for a few day to cure and hopefully develop a nice sweet honey hammy taste.

These will be stuffed into chubs and smoked for 3 hrs using ……wait for it…….Hickory

This is a variation of what I made a week or so ago and what Cliff made.  I was not real happy with curing the pork strips in Morton’s Tender Quick however they did turn out dang good. 

Meat all mixed up and going on vacation for a few days in the fridge.


Be back in a few days when it is time to stuff and smoke.

[sliding_billy]

I'll be watching.

[Pappymn]

[TentHunteR]

I'll be curious to see how you liked this method.  I am so happy with how ours turned out I will be using this method from now on.

Staying tuned, Jim!

[sparky]

sweet sticks.  I like it.   

[CDN Smoker]

Pappy,you drinking again

[HighOnSmoke]

I'll be watching this one.

[nepas]

Looks good Jim

Air between the meat and lid of container can make for potential spoilage. What i do when i let meat come together like this is press clear wrap tight onto the surface of the meat and then put the top on. Just my thing.

[ACW3]

Pappy,you drinking again

They're not bloodshot, yet!

Art

[Sailor1]

Looks good Jim

Air between the meat and lid of container can make for potential spoilage. What i do when i let meat come together like this is press clear wrap tight onto the surface of the meat and then put the top on. Just my thing.

Good advise!  Just did another quick mix of the meat and put plastic wrap down and sealed the lid.  Smells wonderful!

[TentHunteR]

Jim I was just looking at your ingredient amounts...  Did you use enough salt?  I used 8 tsp per 5 lbs and it wasn't over salty (I prefer lower salt).

[Sailor1]

Jim I was just looking at your ingredient amounts...  Did you use enough salt?  I used 8 tsp per 5 lbs and it wasn't over salty (I prefer lower salt).

Cliff......I normally use 4 tsp of salt per 5 pounds when I make sausage.  Before I stuff these I will do a quick test fry to see if I need to add more salt.  I know that most recipes call for at least 8 tsp per 5 pounds but so far I have been happy with only using 4 tsp.   This is a test batch and trying to see what it needs or don't need.

I really do appreciate you bringing this up as my measurements may confuse those that try the recipe that I posted.

Jim

[TentHunteR]

Jim I was just looking at your ingredient amounts...  Did you use enough salt?  I used 8 tsp per 5 lbs and it wasn't over salty (I prefer lower salt).

Cliff......I normally use 4 tsp of salt per 5 pounds when I make sausage.  Before I stuff these I will do a quick test fry to see if I need to add more salt.  I know that most recipes call for at least 8 tsp per 5 pounds but so far I have been happy with only using 4 tsp.   This is a test batch and trying to see what it needs or don't need.

Perfectly understandable. I like lower salt too and ironically also tend to stick to 5 tsp per 5 lb (including cure if using) for most sausages. Another advantage of making it yourself!

[africanmeat]

[Sailor1]

Wanted to stuff and Smoke on Sunday but had problems.  Explained in this thread http://www.letstalkbbq.com/index.php?topic=8741.0

So I mixed the meat on Friday night with plans to stuff Sunday.  Got them stuffed and smoked Monday. 

Money shot


A few weeks ago I did a batch where I cut up strips of pork butt and cured overnight with Morton' Tenderquick and Brown sugar.  I took a piece of the MTQ batch and a piece of this fresh batch and did a blind taste taste with my wife.  Hands down she picked the new and improved batch outlined in this thread. 

I want to thank Cliff for posting his idea on ham sticks and curing ground pork instead of curing the strips.  I just built off his idea.  The recipe that I posted in this thread is a keeper (at least for me) and I will be making these again.  3 nights in the fridge works well.  2 nights may be enough also.  They really have a nice hammy taste and the honey really comes though.  They will make a great Ham & Honey sammy.  Stack some cheese on them and give them a grilling and you got a perfect grilled ham and cheese sammy.

Thanks for looking!

Jim