Best kind of ham for smoking?


 
R

Ryan Gardner

TVWBB Fan
My wife is wanting me to do a Ham for Easter. I've done hams on my kettle and in the WSM before, and they've all turned out pretty good - but I am just wondering what I should do to get the best results possible.

I've read this: http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/hamselect.html

Most of the hams I can find around me are ready-to-eat. I can occasionally find a ready-to-cook ham.

Are there such things as completely uncooked and unsmoked hams? I would assume that smoking an uncooked ham all at once on a WSM would give the best results.

What is the best place to get a good-quality ham that will be very juicy and very tasty (not too salty)?

Are there any good internet stores?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Ryan Gardner:
My wife is wanting me to do a Ham for Easter. I am just wondering what I should do to get the best results possible.


Most of the hams I can find around me are ready-to-eat. I can occasionally find a ready-to-cook ham.

Are there such things as completely uncooked and unsmoked hams? I would assume that smoking an uncooked ham all at once on a WSM would give the best results.

What is the best place to get a good-quality ham that will be very juicy and very tasty (not too salty)?

Are there any good internet stores? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Starting with a great ham is key.
I do both ready to cook, and to ready eat hams, both turn out great on the WSM. Ready to eat must not be over cooked, or they will dry out, i just heat to 120. Ready to cook must be cooked to a higher temp than the ready to eat hams because they are not cooked competly through, I cook to 140.
A uncooked ham is a fresh ham, you have to do it all with one of those critters. The curing/bringing then smoking/cooking till done phase.
As far as the internet goes there's tons of choices out there. If you have a Honey Baked Ham store near you they are quite good, just warm up and serve.
One of the great things about living here in Amish town is we have alot of great hams, and meats to choose from.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Are there such things as completely uncooked and unsmoked hams? I would assume that smoking an uncooked ham all at once on a WSM would give the best results. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>As Bryan notes, an uncooked, unsmoked ham is known as a 'fresh ham'. ('Ham' means hindleg of the pig, period--though the word alone has long been used as shorthand for cured ham or smoked ham.)

Fresh ham, being uncured and unsmoked is raw pork, not unlike loin though better marbled, grainier and more flavorful. I brine mine in a flavor brine for several days then smoke/roast at higher heat (~325) to an internal in the 150s but they can be cooked at lower temps and/or cooked to lower or higher internals. Very flavorful, they come out like somewhat of a cross between loin and butt. I serve sliced.

For a fresh ham to be 'hammy' it needs to be cured first. This isn't hard at all--you simply need the ham (they usually run 17-22 lbs), a curing container, curing salt, an injector, fridge space, and about 1.5 weeks of cure time.

I smoke/roast uncured ones more often than curing one for smoking (I lean toward making bacon, tasso and hocks for cured pork) but I do them on occasion cured. They're easy. The hardest thing can be finding a fresh ham. Do that first--and soon--then decide how you want to cook it, cured or not. You can freeze it till several days before smoke/roasting--or till several days before starting the cure. (I've no idea when Easter is.)
 
I used to smoke fresh boneless ham instead of butt on occaision. Not so much any more. It pulled ok and was quite good but a bit dryer than butt.

Had fresh ham a lot growing up on holidays. But not sure if my granmother brined it or not. I do remember that she used to cure a whole ham sometimes and I stilll remember them as being so much better than the store bought. Mildy salty and much more flavorful.

Kevin - what sort of brine do you use?
 
Taken to a lower internal (150s tops) it's moist and flavorful--and one of my favorites. I've never much cared for it taken higher, especially if pulled, though it chops well.

Here is a blurb on my last one, this past Christmas. I brine 3 days. The paste rub I made was of hot sauce, fresh garlic, thyme and some sugar (iirc); the sauce a roasted pineapple-Dijon. I cook skin on, crosshatched. (For cured hams I remove the skin and surface fat before curing, usually.)

Kevin


On edit: Found this, a pic from the cook above. Don't have any others. The crosshatched skin is removed and served separately (actually, those standing around the kitchen--and me--scarf it up during carving and it doesn't make it to the table; spicy sweet and crunchy chewy).

 
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