Are these green areas on my cured ham a health problem?
In below images I highlighted a green coloration on my cured boar ham. It cured for 5 days in an open plastic box in my cellar. I put a lot of salt around it and a weight on top (it was maybe 75% submerged and fully coated with salt and powdered celery).
I then hung them in my cellar, but when I was cleaning them I saw what I encircled in the images below. These seem to be near the holes we used to hang the animal from. When I smell the holes there is a very faint smell of maybe sweat or something. It is hard to tell if it is actually a bad smell from the boar or not.
This is my first time curing/drying meat so I am not very confident obviously, can anyone see if I have a problem? (P.S. I know the lighting is not ideal in the pictures, sorry)
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Why does ham have green spots?
The shiny, greenish, rainbow like color on sliced ham is a sign of oxidation that occurs when the meat is exposed to the metal on a knife or slicer. The nitrate-modified iron content of the meat undergoes a chemical change that alters the hams pigmentation.How can you tell if ham is spoiled?
Some common traits of bad ham are a dull, slimy flesh and a sour smell. The pink meat color will begin changing to a grey color when ham has spoiled.Is it okay to eat ham with mold?
Mold can often be found on country cured ham. Most of these are harmless but some molds can produce mycotoxins. Molds grow on hams during the long curing and drying process because the high salt and low temperatures do not inhibit these robust organisms. DO NOT DISCARD the ham.Oh, No! My Ham Has Mold On It! And Other Concerns
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Images: Julia Filirovska, Sharon McCutcheon, Artem Podrez, Ylanite Koppens