Smoking a Ham


 
Status
Not open for further replies.
M

Mark Etheridge

TVWBB Super Fan
Hello Everyone,

I just bought my first WSM this past weekend. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif If you read the my post under Source for WSM you'll notice that I've already broken it in. I was using an ECB with the mods that are found on the internet but this site and everything else I've read has made me believe that the WSM is the best. Anyway, my daughter's baptism is this coming Sunday and I'm planning on smoking a ham (this will be only my fifth cook) and I'm looking for recipes and advice. I've already printed out everything dealing with ham on this site but I'm after more since the Smoke and Spice book really doesn't get into hams. Anything and Everything is appreciated!!
---------------
WAR EAGLE!! Mark
 
Hi Mark,

I’m guessing that you want to smoke a fully cooked “city” ham instead of a pre-smoked country ham or one that’s “green” or uncured. If this is the case, the ham will be ready to eat after it reaches 140 internal.

The addition of smoke should give you a great tasting meal by itself, but you could cover the ham with a sweet liquid of some sort during the last half of the cook to form a glaze and give the ham a more flavorful crust or bark. Waiting until later in the cook will allow smoke to penetrate while giving your glaze sufficient time to “set.”

Pineapple tidbits and juice and brown sugar are a natural accompaniment with ham. Orange juice would probably also work. Another possibility would be maple syrup, ginger, and cloves. A mustard and bourbon glaze should be easy to work up. Around the holidays, there are plenty of recipes floating around for honey-glazed ham that sounds good.

Have you checked out the Good Eats recipes on FoodTV for a baked ham with a bourbon and gingersnap crust that looks delicious and should easily be adapted to the WSM?

To give the ham a sexier appearance, score the ham diagonally about 1/4“ deep to make diamond shapes over its surface. These will create channels for excess fat to drain off while also allowing the smoke to penetrate deeper and give the glaze and/or crust more surface area to cling to.

Hope I haven’t further confused you with these options. Find a glaze with ingredients that suits your family’s tastes and work from there.

Good luck and have fun playing with your food. I’d like to hear what you whip up.

Ken

Why have I suddenly gotten hungry?
 
Ken,

Thanks for the info and no you haven't added any confusion. I'll probably wind up smoking a partially cooked ham. My mother always does a Hamilton brand ham in the oven and that tastes really good.

As far as the glaze goes, I was going to give the Mustard and Whiskey glaze recipe that is on this site a shot but I'll be sure and check out FoodTV.

One question...how strong is the burbon taste in the glaze? My wife has some reservations about using the whiskey.
-----------------------
WAR EAGLE!!! Mark
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mark Etheridge:
[qb]One question...how strong is the burbon taste in the glaze? My wife has some reservations about using the whiskey.[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Not very. You could leave it out and wouldn't be missing much.

Regards,
Chris
 
In the last couple of whiskey based glazes I've made, the amount of liquor used is minimal and contributes much more to the smell of the glaze than taste.

It's funny how I love to have my bourbon over the rocks in a glass but don't like sauces with a strong alcohol taste or powerful smell.

If your wife objects to the strong flavor, cut the amount of liquor by at least half or dilute it with another liquid. The alcohol will evaporate as it cooks. If the diluted glaze appears to be too thin before you apply it, reduce it in a sauce pan over low heat on the stove until it cooks down to a more workable consistency. This method also gives you another chance to adjust the flavors before you commit it to the ham.

Little whiskey taste should remain on the finished ham and will likely be hidden by the smoke and any other more dominant flavors you're using in the glaze. The residual subtle smell should still have enough presence to give your nose the impression of an old fashioned bourbon glaze without the potentially offensive taste.

Good luck with your experiment. It sounds like you're on the right track.

Ken
 
With regard to what Ken said about scoring the fat into Diamond shapes. My mom would push a whole Clove into the center of the Diamond. I'm a Cloves in extreme moderation kind a guy and the flavor was not over powering.
 
Well, I smoked the ham this past Saturday and it turned out great!!! /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif In fact, I believe that it was the most popular meat served (I also fried 2 whole chickens with my turkey frier). And that Mustard and Whiskey glaze was really went well with the flavor of the ham. The WSM really held the temp well...I hardly had to touch it. All in all, my best cook yet. I can't wait to fire it up again. Thanks to everyone who responded to this post. Your insights were greatly apprciated.
------------------------------------
Mark WAR EAGLE!!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

 

Back
Top