So I have a fresh ham curing in the fridge, should be ready to smoke next Wednesday. 17 pounds trimmed. I am planning on a mix of hickory, apple, and pecan. I haven't thought much about a rub/ glaze. If anyone has experience and ideas I would appreciate it. this is my first. Will it freeze well cut into big chunks and vacuum packed, and glazed after that?
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Glaze should be an afterthought on ham.. good ham needs no glaze..it will keep for 6-8 monthes probably longer if vacuum sealed properly..a good ham is like a pork butt.. serve with sauce on the side.. -
So I smoked the ham today. It is like I have heard, much better than most bought ham. Outstanding. Cured 12 days.
A couple friends are happy to know me, gave some away.
One thing I should point out. I did this on the PBC, on the grate. It fit at first barely, after a few hours the meat puffed up and then the lid lifted up a bit. The grate would have been better about a half inch lower? I suppose I could have hung it with a couple/few hooks, I thought the grate was a better bet.
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Ham right out of the smoker is really good..I can't see your pictures.. maybe it is just me..Comment
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This sounds really good. I would love to try a ham in the PBC. I would hang it though. As long as you hook the meat with four hooks, you should be fine. I only go to the grate after I wrap.Comment
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Just a word on whole fresh hams, from my butcher. They usually have them in at major holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. The day right before the holiday, they usually mark them down 50%.Comment
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Just saw this I do a couple of hams a year and more when my neighbor was still a live and raising the hogs for us. We used a nitrite brine such as Meathead uses on his bacon but I had a recipe from another source. Your timing on the brine was spot on 12 days for that size ham is good. I would inject the brine down along the bone also to make sure it also make sure there was penetration all the way to the bones. You can also flavor the brine like bacon. The guy that raised the hogs and I liked a good flavored maple brine, so we added a good bit of maple syrup to replace some of the water. You can add anything or nothing and like you did use what ever wood you want. I used maple wood of course. You can even debone and smoke it in pieces reducing your smoking time. Freezing it fine, I just use Ziploc freezer bags and it is good even a year later as long as your freezer is at 0 or below.
Sounds like you had some fun and are going to do it again. Good for you. The best time to smoke them is in the winter when you can keep your smoker at around 200 and bring the temp of the ham up slowly.Last edited by mountainsmoker; June 10, 2019, 08:24 PM.Comment
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