Process
Equalisation and resting
The product is held, wrapped or unwrapped, while the cure distributes itself evenly through the piece.
Published parameters
| Parameter | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Brine concentration after equalisation | 10 percent prohibits S. aureus enterotoxin production during warm drying | Reiman et al. 1972, cited in FSIS-GD-2023-0002 |
| Minimum internal brine concentration, country ham method | 6 percent by the end of the drying period | FSIS-GD-2016-0002, Ham and Shoulder Treatment Method 4 |
What the step is for
Removes the salt gradient. FSIS identifies it as the critical step for inhibiting C. botulinum in dry-cured hams.
Equalisation is the least visible step and the one the safety literature keeps returning to. A ham that has taken up enough salt overall can still have an interior that has taken up almost none, and the interior is where the anaerobic conditions are.
FSIS will accept the brine concentration measured in the biceps femoris as a reasonable estimate of the minimum brine concentration in the ham. That is a useful piece of information: it names the muscle that cures last.
Hazards this step bears on
Arithmetic for this step
Instruments this step is measured with
Every parameter above is stated in a unit. These are the instruments those units are read with, and that is the only claim being made for them: they let you find out what your product is. None of them makes this step safe, none of them is required by any of the sources cited above, and this site does not tell anyone that a procedure works. Consumables, cures and cultures are deliberately not linked from a method page; they are on supplies.
Affiliate links
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Bench scale, 15 kg
Weight loss is measured against the green weight, and 9 CFR 319.106(b)(7) states its figure as a percentage of that weight. A whole leg needs a scale with the range for it.
Parameter: 9 CFR 319.106(b)(7), at least 18 percent below fresh uncured weight
Listing
33LB/15KG Digital Kitchen Scale, USB Rechargeable Stainless Steel
- Lowest new, checked 2026-09-04
- $12.99
- Brand
- PHX Grove
- ASIN
- B0GFK27PBS
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Water activity meter
Water activity is the number the shelf-stability limits are stated in, and it cannot be computed from weight loss or from composition. It is measured or it is unknown.
Parameter: FSIS-GD-2014-0010, aw 0.85 in air or 0.91 vacuum packed
Listing
- Lowest new, checked 2026-09-04
- $499.00
- Brand
- GOYOJO
- ASIN
- B0CCR7Z6G2
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Vacuum sealer
The shelf-stability limit rises from 0.85 to 0.91 when the product is in oxygen-impervious film. FSIS adds that such a product should carry a Refrigerate After Opening statement.
Parameter: FSIS-GD-2014-0010, aw 0.91 anaerobic
Listing
- Lowest new, checked 2026-09-04
- $31.99
- Brand
- Avid Armor
- ASIN
- B0DB621S6S
Affiliate link, tag carbs.com-20. Prices read from the Amazon Creators API on 2026-09-04 and not re-fetched since. Amazon prices move within a day; treat these as the figure on that date, not as a quote.
Regulatory citations are to the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Title 9, as in force on 1 January 2026. FSIS guideline citations give the guideline identifier; the documents are listed with their URLs on methodology.