Let's Talk BBQ
Cured Meats & Food Preservation => Cured meats & Food Preservation => Charcuterie: Ham, Bacon, Sausage, etc. => Topic started by: TentHunteR on January 01, 2013, 01:17:10 PM
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This post features my friend, Jason, who wanted to learn how to cure & smoke a ham.
A local grocery store had fresh picnic shoulders on sale for $1.19/lb and they were huge; between 9 - 10 pounds. PERFECT! So we picked up everything needed (which isn't much): The brine ingredients (Cure #1, Pickling Salt & Brown sugar), an injector, & a food-safe tub.
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We started by trimming & removing the skin.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_JFLnY4Pf1k/UOIXgpLxqVI/AAAAAAAAESg/3r8XXjm6Vb0/s800/JTHAM01.JPG)
Inject, then into the brine for a few days in the fridge.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-dizeXaHffy4/UOMgvJ0WkWI/AAAAAAAAESA/299UCCGlOWk/s800/JTHAM02.JPG)
It's good to learn this old school method, so lets pull out the old Weber Kettle.
Cold-smoked for about an hour or so using about 8 briquettes & a chunk of hickory (do NOT soak the wood chunks).
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-msPT56zrxfE/UOIXgwJUVVI/AAAAAAAAEQ0/o5iD36wmRcE/s800/JTHAM03.JPG)
We added more charcoal & hickory chunks as needed to maintain a temp range of 225°-250°.
About 4 hours into the cook. Internal temp is about 120°. Time to rotate.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-sFQjSdo1_6Y/UOIXhFL-F_I/AAAAAAAAEQ0/A3cwuYelZbI/s640/JTHAM04.JPG)
Done at an I.T. of 150° (about 5 1/2 hours). Time to pull & let cool down.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-SY4WKpDH9qw/UOIXhQxkPRI/AAAAAAAAEQ0/Qro0lKmmzG4/s640/JTHAM05.JPG)
After cooling we wrapped them in some plastic wrap to rest for a couple days before roasting.
What, are you kidiing? You bet we sliced into mine for a sample. Hey, You gotta have quality control! ;)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-B_pWz-eKrJU/UOIXheCL3PI/AAAAAAAAEQ0/KcypgAZCvsA/s800/JTHAM06.JPG)
Jason said he'd send me some final pics of his after he roasts & glazes it, so stay tuned!
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Very nice!
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Nice job on the hams.
Will you post the complete recipe someplace because you have inspired me to make a ham.
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those look really good. nice color. quality control is a must. 8)
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Geat tutorial and good lookin Ham, Good work !!
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Nice job on the hams.
Will you post the complete recipe someplace because you have inspired me to make a ham.
Here is a great example of why we have the poll going on where to post cooks and the need for recipes posted whenever possible!! ;)
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OK, Here's Jason's pic he just sent me. He used a brown sugar & orange juice glaze. He said it tastes great!
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-QcTPy-0ngA4/UONGdGUJOII/AAAAAAAAETQ/PcOzuWyP6mU/s720/Jason1.JPG)
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Outrageous!!
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Nice job on the hams.
Will you post the complete recipe someplace because you have inspired me to make a ham.
Here is a great example of why we have the poll going on where to post cooks and the need for recipes posted whenever possible!! ;)
Agreed. I have this ham brine recipe posted already, but just to be sure...
Here's my
Basic lower-salt Brown Sugar Ham Brine/Cure recipe:
6 Quarts filtered Water (1.5 gallons)
1 1/4 cup Pickling/Canning Salt
2 cups Brown Sugar
4 - 6 tsp. Curing salt #1 (such as InstaCure #1 - 6.25% Sodium Nitrite)
Note: This represents the lower end of the range for how much nitrite cure should be used in a pickle brine. You can increase it if you prefer, just reduce the amount of salt by an equal amount to keep it lower sodium. I find this amount works really well.
Just mix vigorously in a tall stock pot for a couple minutes until all is dissolved. No need to boil & wait for it to cool.
Remember: if you do boil - DO NOT add the Nitrite Cure until AFTER the brine has cooled!
Thoroughly inject the ham with brine solution about every inch or so, especially around the bone (this will give about a 30 - 35% injection/pump by weight). Place the roast in the rest of the brine making sure it's totally submerged. Add a little more water and use a plate to weigh it down if needed.
Injecting cuts the cure time down, thereby reducing the salt level and ensures curing around the bones.
Allow it to brine/cure at the following rate:
7 - 9 pounds: 2 - 3 days
10 - 12 pounds: 3 - 4 days
13 - 15 pounds: 4 - 5 days
Smoking the Ham
Before smoking: Remove the ham from the brine and pat it off with paper towels. It will feel tacky which is normal - this is the pellicle forming. You can let it air dry on a wire rack for a while and the pellicle will get tackier, but the pellicle will continue to form even in the smoker.
Cold smoking
This step is totally optional, but allows a deeper smoke penetration. When I cold-smoke, I usually do it for a couple hours at least.
Note: if you have a pellet smoker/grill you can alternately run it on smoke mode for a couple hours.
Hot smoking
If eating right away: Hot-smoke to an internal temp of 165° (pit temp of 200° - 250°), start glazing with your favorite glaze when the I.T. hits around 145°.
Or, better yet...
Smoke it ahead of time to an internal temp of 150°, allow to cool, wrap and rest in the fridge for 48 hours. This allows the smoke to permeate throughout the meat. After resting for 48 hours, the ham can be roasted in your oven to an internal temp of 165°, start glazing at 145°.
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Wow!! Thanks for posting the recipe too!
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Thank you ;D
Your recipe is copy, pasted and flied in my special recipe file under Cured Meats.