Brine Injected Ham - Know What You are Purchasing

Knowing what your buying when it comes to ham is important, just as with buying any food product. So, knowing what the label means is a must when going out to purchase a ham. How hams are cured and injected will have a big impact on the final product. Make sure you understand how they are injected and what you are buying.

There are many ways of curing hams, but for the most part they are all injected with a solution. This solution consists of brine salts, sugar, and nitrates. With these injections will come a weight gain to the ham. Differing amounts of injections will of course increase the weight of your ham by differing amounts.

If you've gone to your local super market and seen a ham labeled "ham with natural juices", this is a ham that has gone up in weight by 8% from the injections. Now on the other hand if you find a label on your ham that reads "water added" this means that the ham's weight has increased by more than 10% from the injected brine solution.

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