laveen1
Knows what a fatty is.
My first ham - 12 Lbs. fresh, 1/2 ham (skin on - shank end).
I cured it, smoked it, and baked it.
The cure:
Cured for 6 1/2 days @ 34 - 40 deg in a brining bag.
Water 256 oz. 8 Qts
Kosher salt 22.5 oz. 3 Cups
Brown Sugar 30.0 oz. 4 Cups (packed)
Prague powder 3.3 oz. 16 Tsp.
The smoke:
Webber 22 1/2 in. charcoal w/hickory chips. (Indirect heat walled off w/aluminum foil.) Large drip pan with water. 8 1/2 hours to an IT of 137.
The ham was too large to smoke with cut side down.
Temp control was a b^?@*!
At the grill 215 to 250.
At the dome 240 to 270.
The bake:
Next day 4 1/2 hrs @ 350 to an IT of 158.
Scored (full length) and inserted cloves after about 2 hrs.
(I wonder if I should have waited another hour before scoring?
I ended up with about 7 lbs. of meat and a nice soup bone. I'm sure the skin and fat helped most of the meat stay moist. About an inch of the cut end was kind of dry, and had a black "skin" over it. The rest of it was very good. I had hoped it would come out even more moist, but no one complained. Four of us sat down and demolished 1/3+ of it in less than an hour. Now, two days later it's almost gone.
Questions:
Was the cure time and mixture OK?
What could have I done to protect the cut end from drying out?
What about the smoking temperatures?
Should I do the final bake longer at a lower temp?
Should I have let the smoker finish cooking the ham instead of finishing in the oven?
Any suggestions about temp control?
I would really appreciate any suggestions or comments. Luckily, there is a pig farm about 45 minutes away so I can get really fresh meat. I'm pleased this came out as well as it did, and will probably do more very soon. (The wife is wondering "MORE HAM?? What the h#!! are we are going to do with more ham?) Maybe I can freeze some and send to friends and relatives at the other end of the country.
FYI: For size comparison: The cutting board is 16 inches long.
I cured it, smoked it, and baked it.
The cure:
Cured for 6 1/2 days @ 34 - 40 deg in a brining bag.
Water 256 oz. 8 Qts
Kosher salt 22.5 oz. 3 Cups
Brown Sugar 30.0 oz. 4 Cups (packed)
Prague powder 3.3 oz. 16 Tsp.
The smoke:
Webber 22 1/2 in. charcoal w/hickory chips. (Indirect heat walled off w/aluminum foil.) Large drip pan with water. 8 1/2 hours to an IT of 137.
The ham was too large to smoke with cut side down.
Temp control was a b^?@*!
At the grill 215 to 250.
At the dome 240 to 270.
The bake:
Next day 4 1/2 hrs @ 350 to an IT of 158.
Scored (full length) and inserted cloves after about 2 hrs.
(I wonder if I should have waited another hour before scoring?
I ended up with about 7 lbs. of meat and a nice soup bone. I'm sure the skin and fat helped most of the meat stay moist. About an inch of the cut end was kind of dry, and had a black "skin" over it. The rest of it was very good. I had hoped it would come out even more moist, but no one complained. Four of us sat down and demolished 1/3+ of it in less than an hour. Now, two days later it's almost gone.
Questions:
Was the cure time and mixture OK?
What could have I done to protect the cut end from drying out?
What about the smoking temperatures?
Should I do the final bake longer at a lower temp?
Should I have let the smoker finish cooking the ham instead of finishing in the oven?
Any suggestions about temp control?
I would really appreciate any suggestions or comments. Luckily, there is a pig farm about 45 minutes away so I can get really fresh meat. I'm pleased this came out as well as it did, and will probably do more very soon. (The wife is wondering "MORE HAM?? What the h#!! are we are going to do with more ham?) Maybe I can freeze some and send to friends and relatives at the other end of the country.
FYI: For size comparison: The cutting board is 16 inches long.
