How To Smoke A Ham Recipes

HOW TO SMOKE A HAM

Steps:

• To make the brine: Place half of the water and the remaining brine ingredients in a large stockpot that's big enough to fit your ham and deep enough to allow the ham to be fully covered by the brine. Alternatively you can use any clean bucket.Bring the brine to a boil and stir until the sugar and salt is dissolved. Turn off the heat. Pour in the remaining water to cool down the brine and then let it cool completely.Place it in the brine and ensure that it is completely submerged under the brine. If it keeps floating to the top, weigh it down. Cover and refrigerate. Let the ham cure for 7 days. Once the curing period is over, remove the ham from the brine, thoroughly rinse it under water, then blot the ham with paper towels and place on a rack to continue drying in the fridge for at least a couple of hours or overnight.Optional: At this point you can apply the rub to the ham if you wish.
• Prepare your smoker according to manufacturer instructions and get it to a temperature of 250 degrees F.Place the ham in the smoker. Plan on about 4-5 hours but start checking for doneness sooner. Add about one cup of wood chips roughly every 45 minutes throughout the smoking process or less frequently for a milder smoke flavor. Smoke the ham until it reaches an internal temperature between 130-140F (use an instant read thermometer). It's now time to apply the glaze.Once the ham reaches an internal temp between 130-140 degrees, apply some of the glaze.Brush the ham all over with a coating of the glaze.After 20-30 minutes brush the ham all over with some more of the glaze until the internal temperature reaches 165 F.Periodically check the internal temperature towards the end so that you do not exceed 165 F.
• As soon as the internal temperature reaches 165 F, remove the ham from the smoker and wrap it in aluminum foil.Place the wrapped ham in a warm place to let rest until ready to serve. At this point you can also let it cool completely, refrigerate, and then gently reheat in the foil when ready to serve.Slice the ham against the grain in 1/4 inch slices and serve with the remaining glaze.

HOW TO SMOKE A HAM

Steps:

• What you put in your spice rub will depend on personal tastes.
• Salt, sugar, onion powder, and paprika are all popular options. Any kind of barbecue spice mix could work, as well.
• Once the rub is assembled and mixed together, take a sharp knife and cut perpendicular lines through just the skin on your ham (it should look like a checker board by the time you're done).
• Coat your ham in the rub and pat it firmly against all sides, making sure the rub gets into the cuts you made.
• Place your ham on a metal baking sheet and cover it with plastic wrap, placing it in the refrigerator for at least four hours and up to fourteen to allow the meat to absorb the flavor.
• Simply light a few chunks of charcoal and your wood chips (or log if you prefer) and allow the smoker to come to temperature, somewhere between 230 and 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Take the ham out of the fridge and remove the plastic wrap or aluminum foil, letting it warm up slightly for half an hour (to save time, you could do this part right before you start up your smoker).
• After the ham has come up to temperature, place ham directly onto the smoker grate, flat side down.
• You should not place ham too close to the firebox, as this could cause the sugars on the outside of the ham to burn rather than caramelize.
• You'll want to smoke your ham for at least three hours, though you should only go longer at your own peril.
• Keep the heat at a consistent temperature for the entire time.Medium heat is fine.
• If the heat starts to drop down, adjust the temperature as needed and check to see if you need to add more charcoal or wood to keep the firing burning hot and the smoke cloud dense.
• While these steps are optional, they make your meat that much more succulent and delicious and are more than worth the effort.
• Every half hour, thoroughly spritz your ham with apple juice in a spray bottle.
• After around two and half hours of smoking, you can apply barbecue sauce to the outside of the ham, coating liberally.
• You could mix around 1/4 of a cup of honey into your sauce for extra sweetness and to add a marvelous shine to the outside of your ham once it's finished.
• Once you've reached your desired level of smokiness, remove ham from the smoker and serve it however you like.
• As the ham was already cooked before you started the smoking process, you won't need to let it rest before digging in.

TRAEGER SMOKED HAM

Steps:

• Fire up your grill according to manufacturer directions, and preheat to 325°.
• Score the top of your ham in a cross-cross pattern, and place into a large baking pan that has been lined with foil.
• Place the pan, uncovered, into the preheated grill, and cook for 1 hour.
• While the ham is cooking, combine all of the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat, and simmer until the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside.
• After the ham has been on the Traeger for an hour, brush it liberally with about half of the glaze.
• Cook for an additional 30 minutes, and then brush with glaze again. Cook another 15-20 minutes, or until the ham reaches at least 135°.
• Turn the grill to the SMOKE setting, or the lowest temperature before the smoke setting, and smoke the ham for 20-25 minutes.
• Remove from the grill and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Slice and serve with any remaining glaze that didn't get painted onto the ham.

HOW TO COOK A SMOKED HAM

Steps:

• Remove completely defrosted ham from fridge about 60 minutes prior to cooking. Mix all ingredients except whole cloves and maple syrup in a dish and use your hands to evenly coat the ham with the spice mix.
• Preheat oven to 325F. Line a large roasting pan with tin foil and set aside.Place spice covered ham on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to make 1" diagonal slices (about 1/4" deep) into the layer of exposed fat. Repeat in the other direction to make a diamond pattern.
• Place one whole clove in the middle of each diamond.
• Move ham to roasting pan and place in the oven. Bake, undisturbed for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
• Remove roasting pan and baste ham with 1/2 of the maple syrup. Return to oven and continue cooking for 15 minutes.
• Remove and raise heat to 450F. Baste ham with remaining maple syrup and return to oven for an additional 15 minutes. If there are any very dark spots that you think may burn, fold a small piece of tin foil into a square and gently cover those spots.

TWICE SMOKED HAM WITH BROWN SUGAR HONEY GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees f.
• Place the ham, cut side down, directly on the grill grates.
• Close the lid and smoke the ham for 1.5 hours.
• Place the ham in a large 12 inch cast iron skillet. Pour 1 cup of chicken stock over the ham and then cover the ham and the top of the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Close the lid, increase the temperature on your smoker to 300 degrees F and continue cooking for an additional 2 hours, or until the internal temperature reads 140 degrees F.
• When the ham is almost done cooking, prepare the glaze. In a small saucepan, combine all of the glaze ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently with a whisk, just until the glaze comes to a boil. Remove from the heat immediately.
• Remove the ham from the smoker and open up the foil. Drain off any excess cooking liquid and set aside for serving. Turn the ham over onto it's side and brush liberally with the brown sugar honey glaze.
• Place the glazed ham into your oven on High broil. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the glaze is bubbling and caramelized.
• Serve immediately with the drippings from the cast iron skillet on the side, if desired.