[Sca-cooks] About that pig leg...

[Terri Morgan]

   Well. I soaked the pork leg in brine (it was very odd to use "kosher
salt" on a pork cut, let me tell you) for 5 days rather than 3 thanks to an
event weekend getting in the way and then prepared to cook it for the
recommended 16 or so hours at 225F. I popped it in the oven at midnight -
this was good and bad. Good because that way I thought I would be awake and
alert when it reached an internal temp of 155 and bad because it didn't need
to cook for *nearly* as long as we thought and it's very strange to be woke
up by the sound of a thermometer alarm buzzing against the oven. Perhaps
because I was so sleepy that I didn't score the flesh so it may have acted
as a sealant, the whole 26.5lb thing was done by 4:30am. I let it cool
completely and then we proceeded to slice. I should say, my husband sliced.
I watched while he wrestled. There was a lot more fat on it than I had
expected but we got at least 14 pounds of meat, maybe more, and it was
succulent, oh yes... :)
   The meat nearest the bone in the inside of the "hip" of the cut was still
far more red than I was comfortable with but I have saved the drippings and
on the day of the event I'll heat up all the slices in a sealed pan with the
drippings poured back on to keep them moist. That should take care of any
fears about it being under done. All the rest of the meat was - ham-like
rather than pork-like, if that makes sense.

   Thank you, everyone, for your advice and support. The cooler worked
wonderfully to brine the meat and cleaned up like a champ. I learned that
the pork leg does not need to be covered, nor does one necessarily need to
score the outside, either. And I can see, by the amount of fat on it, why
Smithfield Hams decided to forgo selling it... must have been a very
pampered pig in its day.


in happy relief,
Hrothny