Here is a note from a friend of mine. Assuming that the brine solution and brining times were the same, any ideas on why one was saltier than the other?
"I just cured two hams, one was a 10 lb butt roast that was amazing, and a picnic ham with the bone-in that most of it was so salty you couldn't eat it. I used the same mixture in both hams.
I can't figure out why it worked so well with one and not the other???"
First, I went ahead and split this topic from the other thread and into its own thread so we can focus on it better!
Second, A few questions come to mind before a good answer can be given:
1) You mention he used "the same mix for both." Are we definitely talking a brine, and not a dry-rub cure (dry rub applied to the meat then placed in plastic bags to cure).
2) IF brined, were they injected first or just immersed?
3) Were both hams placed in the same brining container, or did he mix two separate batches of brine, one for each ham?
Depending on the curing method the amount of meat to bone ratio, the shape and thickness of the two roasts, and some other things could have played a role. Maybe someone else could think of an easy answer, but I really need more details before I could even begin to answer.
Let us know the details, or better yet... encourage your friend to join the forum and give us the details him/herself!
