Is my fresh ham bad?

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Shawn White

Sous Chef
Joined
Jan 5, 2005
Messages
791
Location
Calgary, Alberta
Gee Suzan that's too bad. You sure don't want to cook it it if you are uncertain. I have had meat come home that smelled sorta like bleach which I returned. It was their 'new' packaging, 2nd and 3rd packages were no better. I quit buying meat from that place for over a year, it seems fine again.

Sulfer smell sounds a little strange to me. It COULD just be due to the water at the packing plant used to hose the meat off before packaging but that's just a guess. I though rancid meat smells sour like sour milk rather than sulfer.

If it were me I'd throw it back in the package and get the butchers advice/try to return it where you bought it from. Hopefully no recipt is no problem.
 
I've encountered this and have no definitive answer. Happened to me with a butt. I tossed...you know, the old better safe than sorry deal.
Take it back and ask the meat manager to give it a whiff.
 
What the hell is a "fresh ham" anyway? Is it just a pork shoulder? or has it been cured? I've always wondered this. I really don't care for ham all that much, believe it or not, so I've never bought one. Just wondering. Woodman
 
Woodman said:
What the hell is a "fresh ham" anyway? Is it just a pork shoulder? or has it been cured? ...

Fresh Ham

Fresh ham, like city hams and country hams, is cut from the hind quarter of the pig, but is not cured or smoked. It is cooked much like any other pork roast.
 
Fresh hams when smoked are normally sliced or chopped due to the make up of the muscles and fat content of the roast. They will not fall apart or be pullable like a shoulder. Boston butt is the top portion of the shoulder, a picnic is the shank portion of shoulder, and a ham is a ham whether its fresh or cured!
 
Larry Wolfe said:
Fresh hams when smoked are normally sliced or chopped due to the make up of the muscles and fat content of the roast. They will not fall apart or be pullable like a shoulder. Boston butt is the top portion of the shoulder, a picnic is the shank portion of shoulder, and a ham is a ham whether its fresh or cured!

That is correct Bob... or Larry in this case.
If you go to Q joints that serve sliced Q, it is usually (but not always) a ham.
 
Don't they make ham out of the picnic as well? I always thought that the picnic was the classic ham? Wood
 

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