OK guys it's on the line.....

Hey guy's it's been awhile (maybe too long) I hope you all are VERY well. My question(s) are. OK this Thanksgiving I am going down to Missouri, to the Ozarks. I plan to have a blast it should be beatiful. On Friday, the day after the main feast, I volunteered to smoke a bird and a ham. First question is, should I do a fresh ham brined, or an already partially cooked ham? A buddy of mine who knows ALOT about cooking was telling me fresh hams take hours and HOURS. On the bottom rack of course is gonna be my bird. I am probably gonna do a self-basting bird (no brine of course) I am leaving the seasoning up to the woman she has LOTS of experience with big birds as I have virtually none. Gonna cook of course at around 350 range. I CANNOT screw this up, my rep is sorta on the line here. I have been talking up how great the bullet is for months. How long should the ham take as compared to the bird? I wanna have them done as close to the same time as possible. Remember this ain't the main meal, but it's an important back-up. Need advice of the pro's. I know I am not thinking of all my questions as of right now so I will probably post some more later, so PLEASE guys be patient. I know I am probably getting WAY to nervous about this.


Big Al

Howdy Al.

Personally I'd do the fresh ham. I like them better.

I do mine at 350. Usually they are about 9-10 lbs or so. I use a razor blade to make a crosshatch pattern in the fat (cutting up to--but not in to the meat. I brine in a mix of 3 qts water, 3 cups apple or cranberry juice, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup kosher salt, a few dozen whole cloves, and 1-2 tsps of freshly grated nutmeg. I soak for 24 hours.

I make a rub of 1/2 cup Tabasco, 2 Tblsp minced fresh garlic, 2 Tbls each of cumin and coriander, 2 teaspoons each of allspice and ginger, and 1 1/2 Tbls each of kosher salt, freshly ground white pepper, and brown sugar.

I grill-roast at 350 and pull at 150 internal (take temps in 2 places once one place hits your temp), and rest it 30 min. They usually take 3-4 hours cook time depending on size. I serve it with pineapple-mango salsa.

Certainly most any brine or rub will work here. Substitute at will. I like this brine on fresh ham and this paste rub makes the fat on the outside very spicy and delicious. The fat fans of my group devour it before I even start slicing the meat. The meat has picks up lots of flavor (but is not spicy-hot like the exterior fat).

You probably already have, but, recheck Chris's information on hams under the cooking tab. There is a ton of good information there.

Since you're cooking away from home, and your reputation is on the line, I would personally go with a partially cooked smoked ham. Put a nice glaze on it toward the end and you're set.

Whatever you decide, I'm sure you'll do fine.

Regards,
Chris

Right, I was thinking of doing the bird beer-butt style. (Foster's, anyone) lol. I think I will do what Chris suggested. How long does a partially cooked smoked ham take? Like I said I wanna get them done at about the same time. And what kind of glaze? I have a nice recipe for a honey/ginger glaze that I do on poultry and pork quite often I reckon that'll work. When should I start glazing the ham? Thanks for your patience guys.


Big Al

Length of cook will depend on weight of meat. Figure 4.5-5.5 hours for an 18-20 lb whole ham cooked to 147-150 internal in a hot cooker (325+). I'm a huge fan of ginger with ham so your glaze sounds great to me. Depending on its consistency and whether you want a thin or thicker end result, you can apply the glaze for the last 30-60 min of cooking.

Caveat: Especially if you buy a half ham, look for and remove the plastic disk many packers put on the end of the bone. Though more common on fully cooked hams I found one on the last partial half I bought.

Wow guys I can now breath a sigh of relief, I just read on here that Butterball is a self-basting bird, I have been debating of what kind to buy and that is excellent news because like I said above, I am not brining my bird. I want to do so well for my family it has been kinda stressing me out LOL last thing I wanna do is screw this up......I know I know.......the total OPPOSITE of what BBQin' should do for a person........butterball here I come!!!!


Big Al