We finally had success with curing a ham. I bought a boneless, skinless picnic ham and we used a modified version of the basic cure. It made the curing time much shorter, only about 5 days. Furthermore, although picnic hams are a little tougher, they are not from the lusciously fatty rear of the swine, the cure worked exceptionally well except for one little tiny part that didn't seem to absorb the cure (you can see the slightly discolored part in the photo). We made a very basic bourbon glaze and managed to consume the majority of the ham that very night, though we were left with some ham which makes wonderful leftovers. Now that we've had success, we'll certainly try including other spices to the cure to add another dimension to the ham.
Bourbon Glaze
1 cup bourbon
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
pinch of cayenne pepper
Heat the ingredients until they are well integrated. Apply the glaze at the beginning and then twice more through the course of cooking the ham.
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