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+title = "Generic Homemade Ham"
+rss = "An easy template for making uncured ham or similar brined pork"
+date = Date(2021, 11, 19)
+tags = ["lyf", "recipe"]
++++
+
+Where I'm from, hams are stupid expensive due to the lack of demand.
+This is unacceptable because I *love* hams![^hamm]  After years of not tasting
+even a single slice, I decided for myself to make some, and noting down
+what works and what doesn't.
+
+Unlike other stuff you usually find on the interweb, the following recipe
+will not require any fancy equipment,[^equipment] chemical[^chemical]
+or quantities that (should) only appear in a math textbook.  It will also
+try to be flexible, so that you can be free to experiment with whatever
+you feel like that day, while knowing for sure you'll still end up
+with something at least remotely resemble a piece of ham.
+
+## Brining
+
+Making ham, like any other food, comprises of only two steps: preparing
+and cooking.  Brining not only makes the meat salty[^self] but also enhances
+its tenderness by braking down the proteins.
+
+The most important ingredients for this process are meat, salt and sugar.
+As for the meat, it's preferably from a pig's thigh, but anything
+with a similar texture will do.  You do want a cut with parallel muscles
+to minimize the amount of silver skin and tendon though, plus it will have
+better presentation.  As always, intramuscular fat is a delicious cherry
+on top, but not too crucial in this case.  On the other hand, any kind
+of salt and sugar would do.  Personally I use sea salt and brown sugar
+because they are the cheapest to be found locally, whilst they add some extra
+flavors and minerals.
+
+### Dry
+
+Dry brining is only suitable for (family-)serving-size cuts of meat,
+somewhere from 200 to 500 grams.  Anything larger would have troubles
+absorbing the seasoning.  Otherwise, cover the meat in coarse salt and sugar
+and leave it in the fridge from a few hours to overnight, depending
+on its mass.
+
+How much seasoning?  Be generous, but you'd want to still be able to see
+the meat underneath.  I don't think you can't overseason it, just remember
+to rinse off the remaining rub before cooking.  As for the ratio, I like
+to twice as much salt as sugar, but I've seen people doing 1:1 or even 1:2.
+
+### Wet
+
+The brine formula I'm about to describe is heavily influenced from [Mike G's
+recipe], which is also uncured ham.  First, pour enough water to submerge
+the meat in a pot (no, don't put the meat in the pot) and heat it up.  If you
+have a fairly fitting container, the amount is close to the mass of the meat
+itself.
+
+Then, add 5% salt, 3% sugar, and whatever spices can go well
+with your future ham.  I usually use a few bay leaves, some thyme
+and crushed peppercorn, but any aromatic, fresh or dry, should work.
+You don't have to be exact with the amount of seasoning either: if you
+don't have a scale, measure with a spoon and be generous.  Due to the lack
+of nitrate, the brining shouldn't occur for more than a few days
+and the more concentrated the solution, the faster the absorption.
+
+Let the brine cool down, pour it in a container,
+drown the meat[^cereal] (use a weight if necessary) and put it
+in the fridge.  A cut of a few hundred grams should take around 24 hours.
+
+## Cooking
+
+After taking the meat out of the fridge and wash it lightly, wait around
+an hour for it to reach room temperature.  If you don't have paper towel,
+place it on a rack or an elevated plane to dry off the surface.
+
+Before cooking, I like to rub a few other extra spices on my meat.
+My favorite are smoked paprika (for the smoky flavor), garlic powder,
+freshly grounded black pepper and perhaps some nutmeg.
+
+From here, it's similar to cooking a steak: you'd want it in an environment
+close to the target temperature, which is around 68°C, or 63°C if pork
+in your area is heavily regulated.  The closer it is, the smaller the difference
+between the center and the outer layers may be, i.e. you'll less likely
+to overcook the latter.  There are three ways[^threesome] to do this indoor:
+sous vide, pan-frying and oven-roasting.  If you have a sous vide machine,
+I'd assume you wouldn't need my instructions, so I will focus on the other
+two methods.
+
+### Pan-frying
+
+First, rub a touch of cooking oil[^oil] all over your meat, then turn on
+the stove to the lowest-possible heat and place the pan and the meat
+on it.  It should take 30 to 40 minutes to reach to desired temperature,
+depending on your stove.  You can use your finger or a chopstick to poke
+on the meat: if it feels raw it's probably raw, if it's solid it's overcooked;
+you'd want it bouncy, right before it stops being so.  Yes, it's a lot of trial
+and error and unnecessarily stressful, just get a thermometer, especially
+the one you can stick in for the entire process.
+
+It is not compulsory to sear a ham, but I'm addicted to the [Maillard reaction]
+so Imma do it anyway.  You can sear before or after cooking, I usually
+do the latter (reverse searing) because it seems to make more sense.
+Move the meat to a temporary plate and wipe the pan clean.  Turn the stove
+up to medium-high and wait for it to get hot.
+
+If your meat does not look like it can fit it a body building contest,
+coat it with little more oil, then drop it on the pan.  Rotate it every 30
+seconds until the whole surface area is golden brown, then transport it
+back to the plate for resting until you can comfortably touch it before slicing.
+Serve with yellow mustard.
+
+### Roasting
+
+If you have an oven, place the meat on its rack and turn it down to lowest heat
+(mine is 100°C).  In this method, a thermometer is also compulsory to monitor
+the meat inner temperature, which should take around 80 minutes to raise
+to the target one.  I suggest bisecting the checking intervals, e.g. check after
+40 minutes, then 20, and so on.
+
+If you're worried about the wasted energy, you can cut some carrots, potatoes,
+tomatoes and/or onions (anything high in carbs, really) in half and throw them
+in the oven.  After taking the meat out, turn the oven up to highest and you'll
+have some beautifully caramelized side dishes.
+
+The oven I have at home is not powerful enough for searing the meat (quickly)
+so I usually turn to the pan instead.
+
+### Slow cooking (bonus)
+
+This is a bonus because I could never make a ham out of it, but pulled pork.
+On the other hand, it's so tender that you won't be able to slice and needs
+much less attention.  Since we won't sear the meat, it's a good idea to use
+a binding like mustard to stick even more rubbing spices on the surface.
+
+After rubbing, touch the bottom of the slow cooker with a bit a oil
+to avoid sticking, drop the bay leafs from the brine on it and place the meat
+on top.  Cook *low* from six to eight hours, then using forks or chopsticks
+separate the muscles from each other.  You can serve immediately or let it
+cook a bit more after pulling.
+
+[^hamm]: Especially [Jon Hamm's John Ham].
+[^equipment]: Ain't nobody got at smoker at home.
+[^chemical]: Where can I get nitrates?  A chemistry lab?
+[^self]: Like yours truly.
+[^cereal]: Or the other way around, it's not cereal.
+[^threesome]: Nice!
+[^oil]: One with smoking point above 170°C.
+
+[Jon Hamm's John Ham]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiLJsOsRKUI
+[Mike G's recipe]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fm3lNM5vV4
+[Maillard reaction]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maillard_reaction