Dr Chicken's Double Smoked Ham with the Sweet Kiss of Death Injectable Marinade

As recommended by many a Brethren, I did this method of ham for Easter today.

Here's a link to the recipe that I went off of:
http://forum.texasbbqrub.com/showthread.php?t=31411

Had a 9 lb 11 oz ham that we got over the summer from a hog.
Also decided to smoke a 7.5 lb ham I also had in the freezer to slice for lunchmeat.

Here's the hams unwrapped:


Here's the injection recipe (I made a double batch cuz I had 2 hams):
1 C water
1 C Lt Corn Syrup (I used Karo, and ran out so part was actually dark corn syrup)
1/8 C Amaretto
2 TBS Butter Pecan Extract (couldnt find this so I used 4 TBS Butter Pecan Syrup as suggested by Dr Chicken)
1 TBS Rum Extract
1 Tsp Orange Extract
2 TBS Vanilla Extract
Warmed and stirred to consistency and let cool to nearly room temperature.

Didn't look that spectacular.....


As suggested by the recipe, I double wrapped the hams in food film before injecting.


Injected all of the marinade between the two hams. They couldn't take any more, in fact.....there was a lot in the pan:


The UDS was brought to 275 degrees and had some hickory and cherry.
I scored the ham 1/2" deep and the hams went on the smoke at exactly 7:00.

After about 3 hours, the hams were at about 120 IT so it was time to start applying the glaze.
Here's what the hams looked like (I also had a rump roast and a corned beef point (soaked) on also to slice for lunchmeat):



Here's the glaze recipe:

1/2 C Brown Sugar
1/4 C Maple Syrup
1/4 C Honey
2 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar
1-2 TBS Worschestershire Sauce
2 TBS Instant Coffee Granules
1 TBS Ground Dried Mustard
2 TBS Orange Juice Concentrate
Here's what the glaze looked like:


Here's after one glaze basting:


After the end of the cooking time and here's what it looked like right before I pulled it off:




Glazed the hams about 3 times over the next hour. The hams came off at right at 11:00 when they got to 135-140 IT. They looked really yummy:


Hams went in a Cambro and held for a couple of hours until the rest of dinner was done then I sliced it:





Thanks for lookin y'all.

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

Harbormaster said:

Great documentary Wampus.

But you forgot something.

How the heck were they?

Click to expand...

Yeah.....good question Clark.

Thing is, we weren't that impressed at dinner time. There were absolutely no comments of, "Oh, wow....this ham is incredible!" at all. I thought it was OK, but after quizzing folks after dinner, the consensus was that it was not that great. My BIL and SIL thought it tasted "off". Couldn't pin point what it was and the wife and kids also said they didn't care for the overall flavor either.

HOWEVER....

I just got done running the second (store bought) ham through the slicer after a few hours in the fridge and after sampling it, we all agree that IT is DARN TASTY! I prepared them the exact same way, so I have to assume that it was just the butcher prepared ham. Perhaps he did something when he smoked it that threw the flavor off. The meat was tender, it just had an odd flavor to it. At first we all assumed it was the injection, but I'm not sure.



Guess I'll have to do this one again on a store bought ham and see for sure!

I know that the glaze and marinade tasted pretty farkin amazing in the pot by themselves!

JONESY said:

I hate to be a downer, but I'm guessing the ham on the left, in the first pic is the butcher ham? To me it looks severely freezer burned, it just doesn't look right. You said the store bought tasted great, and if I'm right about which one came from the butcher, I can see why.

Click to expand...

YES....the ham on the left (in the first, raw photo) is the butchered ham.

We got it last May, so it's been in the freezer for 10-11 months. It was wrapped in plastic and white freezer paper.

That may be the very thing that made them different.




Dumb question, but......how long can I expect to store meat that's not been vacuum sealed without this happening? I'm assuming vacuum sealing will also help this? At least I hope, cuz I've sure done a LOT of it lately!