Cured ham ...

[wind_magic]

Pig thread!

In ancient times (the 1960's and 1970's) before widespread use of refrigeration on boats, people used to keep hanging hams while cruising and cut bits and pieces off of them along the way to flavor beans and the like. Somewhere along the way people seem to have decided that everything from lard to eggs has to be refrigerated or they are going to die from it, and that goes doubly for big chunks of unrefrigerated meat, but it wasn't always like that! So I'm curious ... who out there is still cruising with pigs ?

"Eternity is two people and a ham" (usually attributed to Dorothy Parker)

[sailingdog]

It really depends on how the ham is cured.

[mgmhead]

I'm taking it personally but my wife says YES, she does!

[bubb2]

Country ham and red eye gravy. you are making me hungry. I grew up on it.

[wind_magic]

I found this entry from S/V HIGH COUNTRY that talks about their experience keeping a ham while cruising, LINK

[WanderingStar]

One of my crew brought a salt mutton leg on my cruise. It molded. I don't refrigerate ketchup, mustard, or pickles on the boat. My Pop doesn't refrigerate butter at home.

[merc2dogs]

When I was a kid, some stores had hams out in the aisle, which were the one's we bought, and some in the coolers, the cooler ham just didn't have the same flavor.

We had hooks in the ceiling of the pantry and had several types of meat on them, (along with strings of dried vegetables) it was only in the 70s that we started having 'refrigerator' ham in the house. Never did find a suitable taste replacement for -real- ham.
One thing that always got me about refrigerated ham, is the iridescent 'oil on water' type sheen that's visible on sliced ham, and the moisture content.

I'm also one of those 'unrefrigerated' types, very little needs to go in the cooler, though some go in simply because there's room. (pickles are in the big jar on the floor next to the fridge, peanut butter is on the shelf above the sink, right next to the butter. Margarine is in the refrigerated aisle at the supermarket)

Currently,while not cruising, I always have food in my truck. Pepperoni, salami, real ham, peanut butter and jelly, cheese, bread, real butter etc (I drive a LOT for work, have a rep for carrying more food than tools)

Very seldom have I ever run into something going bad, even many of the 'refrigerate after opening' things hold up fine for up to a month, bread is the hardest to keep unless you double/triple wrap it because it dries out and begins to taste stale. (or eat it fairly quick)

Ken.

[TQA]

On a slow 29 day transatlantic passage without refrigeration we had some small smoked salami which kept just fine and tasted the same on day 30.

Mind you nothing tasted as good as the mangos I bought back after clearing in at Fort De France. We had been fantasising about fresh fruit for at least a week!

[SecondWindNC]

mmmm ... ham

[flyingwelshman]

Be very careful with unrefrigerated foods- particularly protein-rich foods like meats.

A very quick lesson in safe food handling:

most pathogenic organisms (bacteria in particular) thrive in the environments that exist in the foods we like.

These organisms can be infectious - we get sick from the living organisms in our bodies. These organisms can be destroyed by cooking. Salmonella, listeria, viruses and parasites fall into this category.

Cooking alone may not make food safe, however.

Some organisms produce toxins which are stable in high temperatures. While temperatures over 75C will destroy the organisms, the toxins will still be present and make you sick. Bacteria such as clostridium botulinum, clostridium perfringens and staphylococus aureus fall into the category of intoxicating organisms.

Clostridium botulinum (which cases botulism) is of particular concern with cured meats - that is why nitrates and nitrites are added to commercially produced cured meats (these chemicals also enhance the colour of the meat.)
Some organisms are both infectious and intoxicting. E-coli (0157:H7) for example.

To understand a bit about how to reduce the risk of getting sick remember Fat Tom.

Fat Tom lists the requirements for pathogenic growth.

F = Food - the type of food that pathogenic bacteria like is high in protein (animal or vegetable) We can't do much about this as this is what we like too!

A = Acidity - the bacteria that makes us sick thrive in a slightly acid to neutral pH environment (4.6 - 7.0) Most of our favourite foods are within this range as well.

T = Time - most pathogenic bacteria multiply asexually at a rate of doubling every 10 - 20 minutes. After 4 hours of active growth all pathogens are assumed to have reached dangerous levels.

T = Temperature - pathogenic bacteria grow most rapidly between 4 & 60 degrees celsius (this is called the 'Danger Zone' in foodservice) Temperatures below 4 do not destroy bacteria: in fact they can still be active (albeit very slowly) down to minus 18 degrees celsius. Freezing does not destroy bacteria - it does destroy certain parasites. Bacterial growth stops at 60 degrees celsius, but pathogens are not destroyed until they are exposed to temperatures of 75 degrees celsius or higher. Improper temperature control is the leading contributing factor involved in food poisoning.

O = Oxygen - be careful with this one: some organisms need oxygen (aerobes), some require no oxygen (anaerobes). Organisms that are intoxicating (clostridium botulinum) which is found in most soil (and on things grown in soil) is benign when exposed to oxygen - that is why you can eat vegetables right out of the garden. Once the oxygen is removed the bacteria flourish and produce very dangerous toxins. We had a local case where a man became seriously ill (some reports were that he died) as a result of eating a potatoe that was wrapped in tinfoil and allowed to sit out for a day before it was cooked.
Some organisms (e-coli 0157:H7) will survive with or without oxygen (facultatives).

M = Moisture - Now we come to the 'meat' of the question. This is how some cured products can be safely (relatively) stored without refrigeration.
Pathogens require a water activity (aW) of 85 (or 86) in order to thrive. If the water content of the food is tied up by bonding with hydrophiles such as salt or sugar, the bacteria cannot grow. Other ways to reduce aW is by dehydration. Jerky does not need to be refrigerated. Dried beans, rice etc. do not need to be refrigerated. (once rehydrated legumes - beans, chick peas, lentils etc. and rice can harbour pathogens as well as raw meats!)

Curing hams etc. involves brining (salting - often with sugar added) as well as, in some cases: smoking. The acids from the smoke, as well as the salts and sugars used in the curing process can really reduce the aW and make the hams relatively safe. Salamis, prosciuttos and other cured meat products can also be relatively safe. The trade off is the safer the food, the saltier it will be. Thats why some products have to be soaked in fresh water to leach out the excess salt (cod, bully beef etc).

Regarding moulds: they may produce toxins but they are also part of the aging / curing process. They should be trimmed or washed off (the recommendation is that the mould should be trimmed off to a depth of 2" - yeah right!)

Anyhow, I hope this helps to understand some of the concerns regarding cured meats.

The old adage, "If in doubt, throw it out" might be a a good one in this discussion.

I don't know about all of you but I don't think my black water tank could handle a couple of people with food poisoning for more than a day - and I'm not that in to gunnel hunching!

Bon appetite!