You Can Cure Your Own Porkless Hams!

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On the other hand, the concentrated salt solution used in the second procedure dilutes evenly . . . allowing you to adjust its density to the correct level (at which the egg will just barely break the surface of the water) from the top all the way to the bottom of the container.

[3] SOAK. Next, completely immerse the venison in the brine (I tie the pieces to a stick and later refasten the strings to mop handles which then suspend the future ham in the smoker) and leave it to soak in a cool place for 48 to 60 hours, depending on the flavor desired. The longer its stay in the solution, the saltier the taste.

You'll notice a reddish tinge to the water as the cure displaces the remaining blood and body fluids, and you may also find that small flecks of fat rise to the surface. Don't worry . . . this is to be expected.

[4] SMOKE. When the soaking is completed, immerse each piece of meat in boiling water just long enough to cause a whitish tinge to form on the surface. Then hang the chunks in the smoker until they're thoroughly dry . . . from three to five days, depending on the intensity of the smoke and the temperature in the smokehouse. Test the meat by slicing and squeezing it. The piece is dry enough when no juice can be seen in its center.

It's the smoking that gives each ham its fine flavor and quality and great care must be taken to observe the following directives:

[a] Burn wood of good quality in the firebox of your smokehouse. Find out which variety is popular for the purpose in your area, and try it. Above all, don't use scraps of softwood from a lumberyard . . . unless you like the taste of pine tar.

[b] What you want in the smoker is smoke, not heat. Too high a temperature will bake the meat before it can be properly cured. This means that the fire must be separated from the chamber in which the venison hangs.

I made the smoker shown in the drawing from a discarded water tank, by cutting a door in the front and suspending racks from the top to hold the mop handles from which the meat is hung. A six-inch hole in the side allows the entrance of a stovepipe which, in turn, runs six feet away to a firebox made from an old washtub.

A damper installed in the pipe further controls the smoke and heat.

To operate the smoker, I build a good fire in the tub . . . and when the blaze is quite hot, I put on a fresh log and cover the firebox. I then open the damper to allow the smoke to flow into the water tank. (Some rusted-out holes in the top of the smoking chamber provide just enough draft to fill the unit with a fragrant cloud.) Every eight hours or so I add a new chunk of fuel and recover the tub. The firebox and pipe become hot during this process, but the smoker remains just slightly warm so that the ham cures without baking.

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