For as long as I can remember I've had a country ham at either Thanksgiving or Christmas. It looked like the streak was going to be broken this year, but I'd always wanted to smoke one in my PBC, so this is the year. While proof-reading this, that last statement made me smile - "always"? I've had my PBC a little over a year. LOL
I had a little trouble finding a full thread about how to smoke one, so I'll try to document it here. I picked a Clifty Farms ham up on Tuesday. On Christmas eve, I trimmed off the skin and decided to go ahead and soak it for 12 hours. Personally, I would prefer the maximum salty flavor, but I'm planning on sharing this one with my family, my parents, and my sister. I think they all prefer one that is a little mellower.
After two hours on the PBC, I brushed on a pineapple/brown sugar glaze. Well, glaze may not be the right term, as I added too much pineapple juice, and it's a little thin. The temp at this point was approaching 120. For some reason I was thinking it would be easier to add more glaze later if I left the rods out (true, but there are other consequences). Fortunately, I checked again after about 20 minutes and realized that I was running the temperature up higher than I wanted. I put the rods back in. The temp was around 140 at this point.
I'm planning on keeping a close eye on it and pulling it off at 165. My father-in-law is bringing over a Honey Baked ham for today. I'll be slicing this one and taking it to my parents tomorrow. I'll run half through the food saver and leave at home. That should keep me happy for a few days. Mmm, I can't wait to throw that on some biscuits.
Pictures to follow from my phone. Much easier that way, as it compresses them so that I don't have to edit them to upload them.
Grossie
