Homemade Sausage Making

I have a whitetail deer leg that I plan on turning into a Christmas ham. My original plan was to simply follow a brine cured ham recipe for pork and make it that way. After doing a bit of searching I find dry rub recipes that folks are pleased with too. I think I need to get the ham curing by next Saturday (12/11/2010) so it can cure, smoke and sit a week in the fridge.

Any recommendations on cure?

Dave Zac

When I have cured deer ham I have used brine and injected some to speed up the proccess. I was after "corned beef or pastrami". Its good but Its not a piggyham.
I put lots of garlic and some pickling spices in the brine. Then use garlic and pickling spice for a rub and smoke .
Im thinkin maybe white meats pork ckicken turkey cure like ham and beef deer ect like red meat. Maybe chuckwagon or another more learned one could enlighten us?

Uhhh..... learned?
ho, ho, ho.... ha, ha, ha...
Thank you just the same kajun! Nice of you to say that. But shucks, I'm just an ol' cowpoke who fell off his horse headfirst into the cactus!
Best wishes, Chuckwagon

Don`t feel like learned one , but let me try.
White meat like turkey or chicken does not need nitrates and nitrites
to cure. You can use 100% salt.
Main role of nitrates and nitrites
, in the simple words is, to keep the pink color of red meat and keep biological regime (nitrates and nitrites
kill bacteria ). For poultry products, to be consumed in 24 to 48 hours, there is no need to use cures containing nitrites.
One more remark, you ALWAYS should keep proper meat and process temperature.

So I decided to go with a boiled ham. Cured the ham in brine after injecting 10%. Cured for 6 days. Then put in pot of water at 170° F (77° C) until reaching an internal temp of 150° F (66° C). I let it sit in the fridge for 2 days before slicing for a test. It came out well, except I prefer a bit saltier ham.

Dave Zac,the reason can be, that the ham was boiled for +/- 2 hours. Water rinsed away , fair amount of salt. For cooked products, I'll recommend ham press.