Smoking my own ham

[aesthete]

I've got a spare shelf in my smoker this thanksgiving, (I'm smoking a turkey) and was thinking about smoking my own ham. I can get a fresh ham from the local farmer's market, but I think that hams are usually cold smoked and then just baked. Is this a good idea? anyone done this before? I've cooked a million pork butts and shoulders to make pulled pork, but I think hams are a totally different thing.

any advice, ideas, or directions?

 

[Uncle Bob]

BBQing a "fresh" ham is an excellent idea. I have done this many times, and it is delicious. However, my advice/idea is.. On this occasion, I would buy a whole bone-in or butt portion brined cured ham. (Grocery stores are full of them!) Remove, all but a very thin layer of fat, and place on your top shelf. When it reaches 145* to 150* remove, cool and slice. Go very easy on the smoke. Your turkey, and the ham should look like it has spent a weeks vacation on Miami Beach. A nice golden tan!

Have Fun & Enjoy!

 

[QSis]

Well, what is it that you want to end up with?

If you smoke a fresh ham without curing it, you will eventually end up with pulled pork.

If you want to cure it, that's a different story.

If you want to smoke an already-cured ham, that's really easy and delicious, and I have a perfect recipe for Thanksgiving.

Note, I have only used the glaze, I have NOT used the injectable marinade. There are a lot of words here, but it's really very easy and people think you are brilliant!

Lee

http://www.eggheadforum.com/archives//2003/messages/72626.htmn

 

[bbally]

I can walk you through it if you want to cure one and smoke it. I make artisan commercial hams, salmon and bacon.

Little work, if you want it for Thanksgiving we have to start tomorrow.

 

[aesthete]

Oh man, this is clearly the best idea, but if I had to start immediately, I don't think I could get it done (I'm leaving town for the weekend, won't be back til Sunday)

I would love to try this sometime, though. If the offer stands in the future, I'd love to give it a shot. How difficult a process is this?

 

[Phil]

Not hard at all...

Butt ham portion on a smoker @215 for about three hours. That's about all you need. Then the Mrs. takes it and wraps it in foil along with brown sugar, teriyaki sauce, a little water, and cooks it at about 300 for two more hours. It falls apart and melts in your mouth. She loves it so that's how we do it.

 

[aesthete]

thanks for the tips. my ham plan has been abandoned as I got a call from a friend who hunts, and he took down two Does a few days ago, and is donating either a Ham or Shoulder from one of them to my Thanksgiving feast. I'm guessing I'm going to use the spare rack in the smoker for the Venison. Now I've got to figure out what to do as I've never cooked Venison before.

thanks for the help so far, I think i'm going to try and cure/smoke my own ham sometime this holiday season

 

[bbally]

thanks for the help so far, I think i'm going to try and cure/smoke my own ham sometime this holiday season

Happy to help anytime you want to learn to do it. I will even send you the cure salts so I know you have the correct stuff for the first one.

 

[Androsh]

Curing and smoking venison ham

Hi, Andrew here. I would like to learn the process for curing and smoking venison ham. I have been reading a few articles, and it seems that it is best to remove the bone and brine the meat? So If you would like to teach me the process, It would be greatly appreciated. TY, Andrew. Androsh47@aol.com

 

[Hooz]

If you want to cure a fresh ham country style it is going to take you 6 to 12 months. Many of you are probably not old enough and have not gotten up on Saturday mornings at 5 am at 20 degrees and killed 2 to 4 hogs every Saturday outside from October to end of Jan. depending on temp and whether hog was in heat or not. Never kill a sal in heat. Meat will smell awful when frying. We sold 200 to 400 lbs. every Saturday with a waiting list. Sometimes we would cut up whole hog, hams and all in sausage just to fill orders. We could not deliver but had to be picked up at house.
Our hams, sometime 25lbs. or more were salt cured in our smoke house. Never ate one less than 6 months cure. Wife and I have bought all kinds of Country ham and can not find anything close. Most websites say there hams are cured 3 months. Hams and sausage have so many preservitives that all taste is gone and do not take time to do full cure. Sorry to be so long winded but wife and I get so frustrated trying to find ham and sausage that is eatable. We are trying our first time at grinding our own sausage in many years. We bought a boston butt today for 99 cents a lb. and are going to grind it tomorrow to see how it works. After cutting into strips made about 6 lbs. of meat. In refridge cooling with seasoning on it and will grind tomorrow.
Have not done this in about 15 years and never less than 200 lbs. at a time. Excited to see how it turns out. Saw venison mentioned but this is for pork only.

Hooz

 

[Crash]

I can walk you through it if you want to cure one and smoke it. I make artisan commercial hams, salmon and bacon.
.

Please do!! I've been wanting to try this.

 

[xmascarol1]

country ham

Hooz, I never made that much sausage or cured ham at once, as we just usualy raised 2-3 pigs / year when the kids were growing up. My gramma, told me how to cure the ham, by wrapping it in brown paper, after covering it with brown sugar, salt, red and black pepper, and letting it hang in the back of the downstairs fridge for 9 months. Boy, it was the best, and you can bet we didn't eat that all at once either. We would sliver off a few slices for Sat. breakfast with biscuits and red eye gravy, and eggs. You've got me inspired again to obtain a good fresh ham and make another one, as well as get busy on making a supply of pork sausage!