Fresh Ham from last week

[RevZiLLa]

OK! This is first for me. I picked up a 9LB "fresh ham". Supposedly it is a ham that has never been cured or nitrited or smoked...totally raw. Some say stores label picnic as "fresh ham", and it DOES look smaller than a ham would be.

The plan is to cook it over apple and hickory at 250* to an internal temp of 185*. If I cooked to an internal temp of 200* it would be suitable for pulling into shreds for BBQ sandwiches. At 185*, it will be sliceable without falling apart. This should take 5 to 7 hours. (it actually took 9 hours between the rain and running out of fuel in the middle of the smoke...)

Since it is a first, I will insure a good meal by putting some turkey Italian sausage and chicken thighs into the smoker too and cook them to an internal temp of 165*. Both of these will take only about 90 min to smoke. I have posted in the food forum how to do these before.

Dinner will be served with corn on the cob, caramelized onions and peppers, creamed corn and cheese stuffed cornbread, and potato salad. Since this is a first....dinner will probably be served late. (IT WAS)

Here is the cut of meat

http://www.bowlingballexchange.com/LousPics/MyStuff/freshham1.jpg

Here is the fat cap on the meat scored like a ham would be in order to give the rub a way into the meat.

http://www.bowlingballexchange.com/LousPics/MyStuff/freshham2.jpg

Here is the meat with a rub on it. I will repost the rub recipe below.

http://www.bowlingballexchange.com/LousPics/MyStuff/freshham3.jpg

WISH ME LUCK!

[RevZiLLa]

Here is the Rub recipe.

2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/4 cup Hungarian paprika (4 tablespoons)

Here are a few more recipes and some cheesecake http://www.bowlingballexchange.com/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif

http://www.bowlingballexchange.com/~...a/recipes.html (http://www.bowlingballexchange.com/~revzilla/recipes.html)

[RevZiLLa]

It took a long time to get this cut to temperature, but it turned out great. Low and slow baby! 9 hours at 250* and it was so good that my wife said there was only one thing that could be better in her mouth...

Here it is fresh out of the smoker

http://www.bowlingballexchange.com/LousPics/MyStuff/freshham4.jpg

And here are a few slices. The rub melted into the pork fat and it was a beautiful thing.

http://www.bowlingballexchange.com/LousPics/MyStuff/freshham5.jpg

[Norcoredneck]

Well what was the verdict?

[RevZiLLa]

It was great. A roast with a rub crust and a smoke ring. Not like a brined ham...but I have had those before. Different is good sometimes. I may brine one and smoke it over corn cobs next time.

[keend]

Looks good! How did the rest of it turn out?

[RevZiLLa]

The sausage and chicken thighs work every time. You will really be surprised by that turkey Italian sausage. Don't forget the caramelized onions to serve it on.