First Smoke - Fresh Ham

Hi All,

My inaugural smoke with my WSM 18 was last weekend with a fresh, uncured and unsmoked ham (12lbs). I used the Minion method with Sugar Maple woood chunks and a full water pan. Cooking time was 6 hours to 160 F. Weather was 65 with some wind. I noticed the following:

1) Once the (room temp) meat was in the smoker good smoke was immediate as the temp came up to 215 within 45 minutes. I thought the temp would have risen faster. It never exceeded 250 with all bottom vents fully open throughout the whole cook.
2) I had wood buried in the unlit coals and a few chunks on top of the hot coals (8 chunks total). Great smoke for the first hour and then very little from the top vent. As the cook went I tapped the legs a few times and restarted the smoke but never got as much or as long as at first. Is this normal? In the end the ham was well flavored with smoke and had a great ring regardless.
3) I too had smoke grease (?) leaking from the bottom vents, the door and even from the temp gauge. Also had condensation in my gauge. This seems normal but any thoughts?
4) I seemed to have lost my coals / heat after 6 hours. I believe this was because I didn't fully fill the charcoal ring (maybe 2/3).

I know ham was a strange choice for my first smoke but it was Easter and the weather was good. The finished product was a mahogany coloured, well smoked pork leg (because, is it really a ham if it's uncured?). Does anyone have any thoughts on the above? I'm doing ribs this weekend and will have better info I think.

Thanks,

James

1) The meat acts as a heat sink in the beginning and if the mass is on the large side it will slow the come-up in temp. I might have expected a rise past 250 myself, but this is dependent on amount of lit and type of fuel used.

2) Yes, normal. One does not need to see smoke for smoking to occur.

3) Yes, normal. Moisture in the draft mixes with smoke particulates and can run down the sides of the cooker, dripping out the door and/or vents.

4) I always fill the ring unless I know the cook will be short. After the cook I shut down the cooker so all extinguishes. Any unlit I use for the next cook.

Ham is the proper word for a rear leg of a pig. The proper term for cured leg is 'cured ham', but the 'cured' was dropped over the years - years ago. So most people think of ham as automatically meaning cured when in fact it doesn't.

"good smoke" is thin, blue, and almost invisible, when the smoke it thick and white its "bad."

If you fully fill up the ring with briquettes, you should get a good 8 hours before you need to stir the coals, to get it going for another 2-3 hours.`

take care when playing with your fire, its easy to get ash on the meat.