Brining a "ready-to-cook" ham with a "fresh ham" recipe?

I couldn't find any "fresh hams" in the supermarkets around me - and I considered myself lucky to find a "ready to cook" ham.

I have a coke brine recipe from cooks illustrated ( if you dont have a cooks illustrated membership, someone copied the recipe here: http://www.razzledazzlerecipes...ham-recipes/coca.htm )

The question I have is - can I do this brine with a "ready to cook" ham? Should I adjust it at all? Will the brine make a difference?

Anyone know where fresh hams are typically sold? Maybe I can just go find a fresh ham and find something else to do with this "ready to cook" one.

Fresh hams are typically sold around the holidays, especially Christmas and Easter. I find them year round at better stores that cater to a substantial Hispanic clientele.

You can use the brine cut the salt by 50%. Also, give the brine a boost by simmering the aromatics (the garlic, bay and peppercorns) in 1 liter of the Coke for about 10 min. Into this dissolve the salt, allow to cool, then mix with the rest of the (already chilled) Coke.

No need to separate the garlic cloves, nor peel them. Rub off any loose skins from the two heads, halve horizontally, then crush well (not 'lightly') with the side of a wide knife. When brining is done and you remove the ham, just pick off any stray skins that cling to it.

I wouldn't brine for less than 24 hours.

(If you find a fresh ham follow the instruction above including the 50% salt reduction. Brine at least 2 days if a half ham; 3 is better, especially if whole and especially of skin-on.)

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:
Fresh hams are typically sold around the holidays, especially Christmas and Easter. I find them year round at better stores that cater to a substantial Hispanic clientele.

You can use the brine cut the salt by 50%. Also, give the brine a boost by simmering the aromatics (the garlic, bay and peppercorns) in 1 liter of the Coke for about 10 min. Into this dissolve the salt, allow to cool, then mix with the rest of the (already chilled) Coke.

No need to separate the garlic cloves, nor peel them. Rub off any loose skins from the two heads, halve horizontally, then crush well (not 'lightly') with the side of a wide knife. When brining is done and you remove the ham, just pick off any stray skins that cling to it.

I wouldn't brine for less than 24 hours. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks for the tips! Next time I'll be sure to look harder for the fresh ham.

The other question I have is about the cooking process - the recipe calls for starting in an oven at 500F for 20 mintues, then reducing to 350 and cooking it for 2.5 hours more - glazing it every 45 minutes.

To adapt this to my grill - I was planning to start hot (hot bed of lump, with some hickory chunks) around 500 degrees indirect heat, and let it coast down to the 300s and go for a few hours at that temp. I will be gone for about 3 hours at church (from 1pm to 4pm - bad timing for getting a ham ready for dinner!) - but I'm confident I can get my vents set up and can probably rig up my stoker on my kettle to keep it around 350 or so while I'm away. I can monitor my stoker from remote and can make a quick run home if I have to.

I've got a kitchen torch that I've used in the past to apply glazes towards the end of cooking - I was thinking when I get back I could apply the glaze in coats and torch it a bit to get it to adhere and carmelize slightly between coats.

Would cooking the ham on a rotisserie be a good idea? (It's a butt-end ham, 8lbs I think, not spiral cut). it's either that or a roasting pan I think.

I've got a few options to cook it. Either indirect on my 22" kettle, indirect on my 22" kettle on a rotisserie, indirect on a gas grill (that tends to run hot, so I'd use one burner to keep ), in the oven, in my WSM (which I have a hard time keeping at temps above 300 if I'm not constantly tending to the fire, even with lump - maybe being at 4500ft above sea level contributes to that)

Again - thanks for the advice. I will definitely chop the salt down and follow your advice on the brine. I will start brining it in a few minutes, actually

For anyone looking for a less-ghetto link with the recipe, I found a newspaper that reprinted it:

https://secure.deseretnews.com...,5412,350015,00.html

I'd rotis were I you but would not start at 500. Cook at ~325, tops.

Oh, yes, minimize the salt in the rub, if using. Use just a pinch. Cut the oil to 1 T. Add it and, if needed, a little water to make the paste. Go for a tight paste, not something at all loose or runny.

Thanks again for all your tips. Rotisserie it is!

I will also follow the advice about the temps.

I'll post a follow up with results when all is said and done.

Thanks again, Kevin - your knowledge and experience is invaluable. Thank you for sharing it.