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How I Made Ham - updated with final pics
Posted on 12/20/22 at 10:33 am
Posted on 12/20/22 at 10:33 am
Since ham has been mentioned in a couple of threads, I'll share my ham experience early. I would normally wait until after I glaze the ham. I smoke the ham before Christmas and then I glaze and cook it on Christmas Eve for the family party.
I began with two 22-pound fresh pork hams. I kept 1 whole and cut 1 in half. I keep the whole ham and then give the two halves to friends. I cut the hocks off the ham to get ham hocks.
Both sides of the ham, skin on. Step 1 is to trim the skin off each side and remove the aitch bone.
The next step is to cut the hocks off and to cut 1 ham in half.
I mixed a brine with water, salt, sugar, prague powder, pickling spice, extra cloves. I injected the brine into the hams and then let the hams sit covered in the brine for 2 weeks.
Time to smoke the hams. Hams went on the smoker for 9 hours with hickory wood. Pulled them off, let them cool for an hour, then placed them in large plastic bags and covered them with ice in an ice chest to cool them down.
Ham hocks were pulled off much earlier than the hams. They already went into a pot of red beans!
Hams are smoked and ready for Christmas.
The final step will be to glaze and bake the ham. Or, you can slice it cold if you'd rather.
UPDATE: ham glazed and baked, carved and served.
I began with two 22-pound fresh pork hams. I kept 1 whole and cut 1 in half. I keep the whole ham and then give the two halves to friends. I cut the hocks off the ham to get ham hocks.
Both sides of the ham, skin on. Step 1 is to trim the skin off each side and remove the aitch bone.
The next step is to cut the hocks off and to cut 1 ham in half.
I mixed a brine with water, salt, sugar, prague powder, pickling spice, extra cloves. I injected the brine into the hams and then let the hams sit covered in the brine for 2 weeks.
Time to smoke the hams. Hams went on the smoker for 9 hours with hickory wood. Pulled them off, let them cool for an hour, then placed them in large plastic bags and covered them with ice in an ice chest to cool them down.
Ham hocks were pulled off much earlier than the hams. They already went into a pot of red beans!
Hams are smoked and ready for Christmas.
The final step will be to glaze and bake the ham. Or, you can slice it cold if you'd rather.
UPDATE: ham glazed and baked, carved and served.
This post was edited on 12/25/22 at 2:13 pm
12
Posted on 12/20/22 at 10:42 am to SixthAndBarone
looks really good 6aB.
Posted on 12/20/22 at 10:56 am to SixthAndBarone
Dang those look delicious.
Posted on 12/20/22 at 11:02 am to SixthAndBarone
Good looking hams!
Posted on 12/20/22 at 11:08 am to SixthAndBarone
Looks fantastic. Fresh hams can be tough to find. Ever try making prosciutto? One of the more ambitious projects if you're into curing meat.
Posted on 12/20/22 at 11:40 am to SixthAndBarone
Holy hell that looks good my man
Posted on 12/20/22 at 12:33 pm to SixthAndBarone
Tap-dancing-Christ that looks good.
Posted on 12/20/22 at 12:43 pm to SixthAndBarone
What temp did you pull them? What temp did you run your smoker?
Posted on 12/20/22 at 1:00 pm to mobius99
Thanks, everyone.
I've never tried prosciutto but I'm sure I will eventually. A dry aged cabinet is on my cooking bucket list, eventually I will get one.
I pulled them at 150 and smoked from 200-275. Ideally, I would say smoke at 250-275. I was more relaxed with this cook and let it vary.
Yes, fresh hams are hard to find. Some local grocers have them during the holidays. Many AG stores will have them this time of year, sometimes you have to ask. I get mine from a supplier through one of my business connections. If I wasn't able to, I would ask an AG store about ordering a case (2 hams per case).
I've never tried prosciutto but I'm sure I will eventually. A dry aged cabinet is on my cooking bucket list, eventually I will get one.
I pulled them at 150 and smoked from 200-275. Ideally, I would say smoke at 250-275. I was more relaxed with this cook and let it vary.
Yes, fresh hams are hard to find. Some local grocers have them during the holidays. Many AG stores will have them this time of year, sometimes you have to ask. I get mine from a supplier through one of my business connections. If I wasn't able to, I would ask an AG store about ordering a case (2 hams per case).
Posted on 12/20/22 at 1:13 pm to SixthAndBarone
quote:
The final step will be to glaze and bake the ham.
What's the process for this?
TIA
Posted on 12/20/22 at 1:28 pm to Aubie Spr96
To glaze the ham, I bake the ham at 300 for 3-4 hours. I make a glaze and brush the glaze on the ham every 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven, slice the ham and pour any extra glaze on top of the slices.
You can score the surface before you bake it to make it look pretty and to help get some glaze past the surface.
My glazes vary, but it's usually: brown sugar, root beer (or coke if you'd rather), and ground cloves. Then I add even more sweetness by adding molasses or cane syrup, or sometimes a pepper jelly or even a fruit jelly. You can really add anything you like, I keep mine sweet.
You can score the surface before you bake it to make it look pretty and to help get some glaze past the surface.
My glazes vary, but it's usually: brown sugar, root beer (or coke if you'd rather), and ground cloves. Then I add even more sweetness by adding molasses or cane syrup, or sometimes a pepper jelly or even a fruit jelly. You can really add anything you like, I keep mine sweet.
Posted on 12/25/22 at 2:13 pm to SixthAndBarone
Updated post with glazed pics.
Posted on 12/25/22 at 2:24 pm to SixthAndBarone
It amazes me th e talent of chefs on this board
Well done baws!! I have gotten many, many inspirations from this board, keep ‘em coming and merry Christmas!
Well done baws!! I have gotten many, many inspirations from this board, keep ‘em coming and merry Christmas!
Posted on 12/25/22 at 2:31 pm to PenguinPubes
Thank you. I’m far from a chef, just a guy who enjoys to cook.
Posted on 12/25/22 at 5:15 pm to SixthAndBarone
Would you share your brine recipe?
Posted on 12/25/22 at 5:43 pm to SixthAndBarone
Awesome
Posted on 12/25/22 at 6:50 pm to TastyJibblets
Cure/Brine:
1 gallon water
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup salt
1 jar pickling spice
2 tablespoons Prague powder #1
Mix the ingredients and brine the meat for however long you need to. If you need more, just make another batch. Always plan on 2 or more batches.
I always inject the brine first and then let it soak for a number of days. I like to inject it before adding the pickling spice because the spice will clog the injector needle. So I inject and then add the pickling spice to the brine for the soak.
The reason I inject is because it tremendously speeds up the curing time (the time it takes the brine to reach the center of the meat).
For a large piece of meat (like a 22 pound ham), I’ll inject and let brine for 10-14 days. For something like a brisket, I’ll inject and then let brine for 4-7 days. Those numbers are usually a few extra days than what is probably needed, I like to go long to be sure.
Pickling spice is the name of a jar of seasoning found in the grocery stores. For hams, I always add extra cloves, either ground or whole. You can add anything else you want: nutmeg, cinnamon, etc. the salt, sugar, and Prague is basically the cure. Add whatever seasonings you want for flavor.
1 gallon water
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup salt
1 jar pickling spice
2 tablespoons Prague powder #1
Mix the ingredients and brine the meat for however long you need to. If you need more, just make another batch. Always plan on 2 or more batches.
I always inject the brine first and then let it soak for a number of days. I like to inject it before adding the pickling spice because the spice will clog the injector needle. So I inject and then add the pickling spice to the brine for the soak.
The reason I inject is because it tremendously speeds up the curing time (the time it takes the brine to reach the center of the meat).
For a large piece of meat (like a 22 pound ham), I’ll inject and let brine for 10-14 days. For something like a brisket, I’ll inject and then let brine for 4-7 days. Those numbers are usually a few extra days than what is probably needed, I like to go long to be sure.
Pickling spice is the name of a jar of seasoning found in the grocery stores. For hams, I always add extra cloves, either ground or whole. You can add anything else you want: nutmeg, cinnamon, etc. the salt, sugar, and Prague is basically the cure. Add whatever seasonings you want for flavor.
Posted on 12/25/22 at 9:19 pm to SixthAndBarone
Some of those pics looks like a pathology session from the Dahmer Tapes. 
ETA: Just kidding. I admire your efforts fwiw. I usually snag a pre-smoked spiral cut and go with a cinnamon nutmeg glaze
ETA: Just kidding. I admire your efforts fwiw. I usually snag a pre-smoked spiral cut and go with a cinnamon nutmeg glaze
This post was edited on 12/25/22 at 9:20 pm
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