Tomorrow!! First WSM smoke! 2 half hams, & my thinking on this..


 
Greg H. in Oakland TN

Greg H. in Oakland TN

TVWBB Member
Now with Photos!! First WSM smoke! 2 half hams...

First off; Merry Christmas everyone! :)

I did a dry run yesterday with about 3/4 of a load of charcoal, just to get an idea since my hams are 'ready to cook', and kind of big. One is 10.4lbs. The other is 12lbs.
I used the minion method yesterday just to try it out, since I had never done it before. All coals burned up. And, I was able to keep the temp between 300-350 for over 5 hours with a little adjustment. But; the temps. stayed nicely in the 210-250 range into the 6+ hour area. That was fun.

Tomorrow's weather forecast is indicating high temperature in the Oakland/Memphis area to be around 34 degrees. It's gonna be chilly.

Looking at the apricot recipe listed here, I decided to do one of the half hams like that (top rack), & the other (lower rack) using a mustard base, and a dry rub that I use on my ribs. This one has always been a hit when performed on my Performer or One Touch w/Smokentor.

So; since it is recommended in the cooking section here to get the WSM to 325, and use a dry water pan when cooking a 'ready to cook' ham, I think I will load my chimney full, and load both charcoal baskets on my Performer, firing the chimney with a single Weber Lighting Cube, and the Performer with the propane starter at the same time. Then: maybe add unlighted charcoal to the pile of lighted.
I'll have the Maverick 733 probes inserted ready to monitor the temperature in each half ham.
From what I can determine in my reading here, it might 5-6 hours to achieve the needed temperature. And, I will apply the apricot mixture about an hour before pulling the top ham.
I will go with 2-3 chunks of applewood.

Anyone with any helpful hints, I'm open to suggestion.

Thanks!
 
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I'm smoking. But; I was already at 136 degrees on my Maverick (on the top rack) in 2 hours, with dome temperature at about 310. So; I moved the probe, thinking maybe I was near a bone. Then; I took my Weber digital, and placed it in the same spot. It's reading 20 degrees less. What do you trust? Lol!

I'm getting a Thermapen.


Kevin L (NKY) said:
I am thinking that what a waste I am not there to taste test these hams
Ham, Smoke what else is there to say, hmm good.
Click to expand...
 
The results were excellent! :) I was a bit paranoid as the temps were getting close to the top. But; all turned out quite well. I found it interesting that the top grate was running about 12 degrees warmer than the lower grate. Since; I have never before cooked using 2 levels, I had no idea.
Everyone really liked both hams. This makes me very happy!
I am ordering a Thermapen. I like the Maverick thermometer for giving me the readings, and letting me know where I am. But; I want to know for certain - no wondering. That makes me crazy.
I took photos. But, I have not been on my PC. I have not been able to post pics from my iPad.

Anyway; I pulled both hams at about 3hrs. 35min. The dome temps. were staying around 310. I added some charcoal within the last hour. I started with a chimney full, & 2 full baskets that I started in my Performer w/propane. I added a few handfuls of charcoal, as well. The water was foiled, and I left it empty.
So; taking everything into consideration, & reading on the half ham labels that cooked at about 350 in the oven, figure about 18 minutes per pound. My top rack held the 12lb. & the lower rack held the 10.4lb. Doesn't quite equate does it?
Both cooked very nicely, however.
New Years Day, I'm smoking 8 slabs of ribs, I think. I really like the WSM!

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Wow those really do look great! I haven't tried a ham yet but by the looks of yours I'm gonna have to give it a go. I'm drooling over here :D
 
Thanks everyone! They did turn out quite well. :) it was hard to pick a favorite of the 2. Next time, I will leave the foil pans uncut. As you can see in the photo on the top rack, there is just a little foil up on the edges. Those pans started out as full half pans. I later realized, there was no reason to trim them down.

So,,, the first smoke is done, & a little nervousness is past, as well. Lol! And, when it was all done, the ET-733 Maverick did just fine, I think. However; I did go ahead and order a Thermapen (backlit) along with the silicone boot, and leather case. This will take the guesswork out of it at the end. Monitoring through the smoke with the Maverick is great, though. But; I was getting a bit nervous at about the 3 hour mark when the top rack was showing 148-150, and I was not even close to the designated time according the label on the ham. So; consequently, I began pulling the lid and inserting my Weber digital, & a Taylor analog thermometer to verify. And, they are rather slow getting up to the actual temp, especially the Taylor. That's when I decided, I'm buying a Thermapen.

Looks like tomorrow, I'm going to smoke a Boston Butt. My Wife is picking it up today. So; I will use the minion method for the charcoal, and water in the pan.
I'll use a mustard base and the same rub we used on one of those hams. That rub is the same we use on our ribs, and have always really liked it.
In the meantime, I'll do a little research here to find out the smoking time required.
 
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