A question on the preservative quality of ham...

[Spinster]

Thank you to both of the last two gentlemen.

My memory was that use of iodized salt would adversly affect flavor and appearance, but after a long search, I could not find a good reference to that--other than multiple recipes that say clearly 'non-iodized salt'.

Pickling salt is ground in a manner that improves its absorption, though it still has anti-caking additives. Kosher salt is almost 'flaked' and dissolves most easily. It has no additives.

Smoking adds flavor, and some preservation. It's not as fail safe as salt cure. As a hobby, we often turn to Scott's Double Smoked Bacon in slabs for a ration issue. It will hold for an event span, but cannot be stored long term without refrigeration.

Iodized salt was introduced into our food system as a public health measure in 1924. It aids in protecting against mental retardation and to combat endemic goiter--a thyroid related disease that produces a large swelling on the neck, often as big as a baby's head and results in a 'pop-eyed' look as pressure forces the eyes to protrude. Coastal people got this trace element from seafood, but inland people, especially poor people, lacked this element in diet. As a child, I remember my mother being careful to purchase only Morton's table salt(the first company to sell iodized salt in this country) and sending me back to the store when I bought 'the wrong kind'. I had great aunts with goiter, subsistence farmers in the North Georgia mountains.

[Bear Flagger]

Country ham is a dry cure, most hams are wet cure meaning they are soaked in a salt solution. Dry curing involves being packed in salt, and sometimes other dry ingredients. Prosciutto is the Italian version, and is normally served raw, it might be easier to find in some areas.

[Julius]

Thank you to both of the last two gentlemen.

My memory was that use of iodized salt would adversly affect flavor and appearance, but after a long search, I could not find a good reference to that--other than multiple recipes that say clearly 'non-iodized salt'.

Pickling salt is ground in a manner that improves its absorption, though it still has anti-caking additives. Kosher salt is almost 'flaked' and dissolves most easily. It has no additives.

Smoking adds flavor, and some preservation. It's not as fail safe as salt cure. As a hobby, we often turn to Scott's Double Smoked Bacon in slabs for a ration issue. It will hold for an event span, but cannot be stored long term without refrigeration.

Iodized salt was introduced into our food system as a public health measure in 1924. It aids in protecting against mental retardation and to combat endemic goiter--a thyroid related disease that produces a large swelling on the neck, often as big as a baby's head and results in a 'pop-eyed' look as pressure forces the eyes to protrude. Coastal people got this trace element from seafood, but inland people, especially poor people, lacked this element in diet. As a child, I remember my mother being careful to purchase only Morton's table salt(the first company to sell iodized salt in this country) and sending me back to the store when I bought 'the wrong kind'. I had great aunts with goiter, subsistence farmers in the North Georgia mountains.

I have expierience with iodized salt and curing expierements. That was before I knew the difference in salts. I dont use iodized salt at all at home. We do have it though. The wife uses it in her baking.

The prodest member of the goiter neck mess

[maillemaker]

Have a plan B for any of those contingencies.

Hunger.

Steve

[KenH]

As a Personal Chef who makes a lot of his own signature products, I must agree that 'salt is not salt'. Iodized salt should never be used for smoking, pickling, brining or salt curing anything - ham or cabbage or pickle vegetables. Use Kosher or Pickling or Sea salt with no additives. Also do not use "low-sodium" salts which substitute Potassium Chloride for the Sodium Chloride. Potassium Chloride does not have the same working properties as Sodium Chloride although they are both technically salts.

[lincolnsguard]

If you put iodized salt on a ham for curing, it's going to turn funny colors. Promise.

You can't use iodized salt when you make salt pork neither. Makes it turn a nice green blue color with a wonderful slime.

Kosher salt is not iodized.

Cook you rations before the event if you can. Use a bit of apple cider vinegar when you cook. Your meat will keep for 36 hours, just fine and you can eat it cold or re-heat it. Nobody will die and you don't have to worry about cooking your food in the dark.


Sigh. It's unbelievable where this thread has gone. All the NCO's are dead. lol.

[Bear Flagger]

There is also pink salt with nitrates used for curing meats. Not to be confused with pink Himalayan salt.

[Rob Weaver]

Hunger.

Steve

I appreciate everybody who corrected my comment on salt. What I meant is that it all will preserve, not that it will all be identically adequate for the task. I don't cook or pickle, so I appreciate the advice of those who do.
I'm fine with being hungry myself, or if an adult reenactor ruins his food and chooses to tough it out. I think when you're planning something for minors, you should have a back-up plan. You don't want a kid becoming ill, or a heat casualty because he didn't eat properly, and you don't want him telling his parents "They didn't feed me."

[hanktrent]

These hams can also be smoked, but not all smoked hams are salt cured.

I'm curious about that. Other than some basic styles of jerked meat, which would be cut very thin and dried relatively quickly over a fire, what kind of hams aren't salted first? I thought any kind of larger cut of meat needed some kind of salt treatment for preservation during the smoking process?

When it talks about "smoking" the ham here, I'm guessing this is part of the curing process to add flavor, and is not actually cooking the meat as I tend to think of in a modern "smoker"?

It's my understanding that smoking has several purposes: to lower the moisture content of the meat to preserve it better, to keep insects away with the smoke while the drying is occurring, and to coat the outside with residue from the smoke to deter future infestation by insects.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com

[Provost-ADC]

I've spoken imprecisely, sir.

I'm differentiatIng between a wet cured/canned ham that is then smoked to add flavor but not fully dried and a true dry cure salt ham.

Then there is the problem of 'smoked flavoring' added chemically without the preservative qualities.