Looking for double smoked ham suggestions?

Cheesy potatoes are my go to ham side. Me personally I don't like rub on a ham, I prefer a sweet glaze of Dijon mustard, brown sugar and honey. I also baste with apple juice in a pan. The apple juice, ham drippings, and glaze make an awesome sauce for it.

Dr. Chicken’s Double Smoked Ham - http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showpost.php?p=122018&postcount=14

Ham should be a fully cooked or partially cooked ½ shank variety or can be shoulder variety (water added can be used, as long as the water added does not exceed 23% water added product.) If it is pre-smoked with hickory, that seems to work out best. Patti/Jean or Cooks among the best, but other varieties can be used!


Glazing Sauce:

½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup maple syrup (use dark grade B real maple syrup if available)(dark grade B has more flavor than grade A)
¼ cup honey
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 – 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp instant coffee granules (use a good brand because it makes a difference)
1 Tbsp dry ground mustard
2 Tbsp orange juice concentrate (a good brand provides better flavor)

Blend all ingredients in a sauce pan with a wire whip and heat slightly until everything combines into a viscous or thick looking sauce.


Cooking instructions:

This can be done on a grill over indirect heat or in a water smoker or other type of cooker, again over indirect heat or “low & slow” type cooking. Do not tent over ham if done on grill, water smoker or other cooker; this would prevent smoke from penetrating the ham.

Place chunks of mesquite, hickory or pecan on coals 5 minutes before putting ham on cooker. This will allow the ham to obtain maximum smoke flavor during the cook cycle. If even more smoke flavor is desired, place ham in freezer for 1 to 1 ½ hours prior to cooking to allow outer edges of ham to start to freeze. Go easy on this procedure; you don’t want the ham frozen hard!

If using a water smoker, fill water pan ¾ full with hot water and add 2 cups of orange, pineapple, or orange/pineapple mix, sweetened grapefruit or apple juice to the water. (all of them act as tenderizer as the steam penetrates the meat.) (I use a ¾ full drip pan when cooking on the Eggs, filled with a 50:50 mix of water and orange juice.)

Again, cook for 25 to 30 minutes per lb. until internal temp on the ham shows 140°. A couple of books suggest 145° and 160° respectively. Shirley O. Corriher in her book “CookWise” suggests 140°. We found this to be exactly right. After removing from the Egg, it will climb up to 145° internally. The ham will retain it moistness and the flavor will go thru out the ham this way.

Update: Pull the ham from the cooker at 135° internal. Jim Minion and I have been playing around on this issue. Both of us feel 135° internal is enough to carry the ham up to 145° internal while you let it rest wrapped in foil for an hour or so. I wrap the ham in a double wrap of heavy duty foil. That seals the juices inside (relatively speaking!) and keeps the ham from starting to dry out during the resting period. The 135° internal temperature suggestion is right in line with Shirley O. Corriher and her book "CookWise". This is one gal that has her act together! It is a great reference book for a lot of things. Start your cooking process at 225° on the dome thermometer of your ceramic cooker. Then let it gradually creep up to 250° to 260°. The 275° suggested temp. is a mit too high, in my opinion and after cooking 50 to 60 of these over the last 3 or 4 years.

Baste ham with glazing sauce every 10 to 15 minutes during the last hour of cooking time. Glazing compound will burn, so do not start glazing the ham until the internal temp of the ham reaches 120°.

NOTE: The secret to this process is plenty of smoke and the real maple syrup and granular coffee crystals in the glazing sauce. Use a cheaper cut of ham like mentioned before, and people will think you bought an expensive ham that you had to “hock” your kids for! Yuk! Yuk! (see my pun there?) The glazing sauce will give the ham a fantastic taste, smell and color!

If you start glazing the ham at 120° internal, you'll only have to apply the glaze twice. Do this 30 minutes apart. That way you won't lose a lot of cooking time trying to apply it every 15 minutes. 2 applications of the glaze will do a wonderful job if you make sure you get it into the cut areas.

NOTE: Don't use a spiral cut ham the first time out. They tend to dry out too easily! If you are forced to use one, use 1 & 1/2 X the "Sweet Kiss of Death" injectable marinade I suggest. That will prevent it from drying out during the cooking process. Also, be sure you keep your cooker down to that 260° as a maximum.

Someone on another forum suggested removing all the skin before cooking. DON'T!!!!! That's the easiest way to ruin the ham by drying it out.

Start your cooking process at 225° then let it gradually creep up to 250° to 260°. Baste ham with glazing sauce every 10 to 15 minutes during the last hour of cooking time. Glazing compound will burn, so do not start glazing the ham until the internal temp of the ham reaches 120°. Do this every 30 minutes, that way you won't lose a lot of cooking time trying to apply it every 15 minutes. Two applications of the glaze will do a wonderful job. Somewhere at the end of the second glaze cycle the internal temperature of the ham should be 135 degrees. The 135° internal is enough to carry the ham up to 145° internal while you let it rest wrapped in foil for an hour or so. Wrap the ham in a double wrap of heavy duty foil. That helps to seal the juices inside and prevents the ham from starting to dry out during the resting period.

As IamMadMan suggested, Dr Chicken's is great.

You can do as you please, but for those of us in the commercial industry...we need to bring the reheated IT up to 165. I've never smoked a spiral ham, but have done whole hams many times...usually with no extra seasonings, but I'm not against it (although I'd probably just oil it a little and not use mustard). I also don't typically buy "ham, hams"...I'm more of a picnic ham kind of guy.

I smoke mine nekkid with pecan wood at 275 / 300 temp.When IT gets to 125 I coat with a thin paste made up of brown sugar,pineapple juice,and a touch of ground cloves.I coat about every 30 minutes until IT reaches 140 then pull and rest for 30 min. I find that if you will put a foil cover over the last 3 or 4 inches of the shank end after an hour, it will help keep it from drying out.As far as sides.Boiled cabbage,new potatoes boiled with butter,fried okra,mac & cheese,butter beans,etc.I guess you can tell I'm country.Simple but so good.

I try to keep it simple, heat smoker at 275ish (whole meal on the smoker) I put the ham in pan and glaze with apricot jam thinned with a little apple juice. Usually use a water pan in the cooker and pull when ham is about 130 in center at the thickest part. I baste with more jam several times during the reheating process.

I'll throw in whole sweet potatoes (poke the sweets first) on the grates and cook until they are soft (couple of hours), I like to roast brussel spouts in a pan topped with bacon (hour and 1/2). Core some apples, place in a pan and fill cores with a mix of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger, etc... cook until soft (about and hour+).

TravelingJ said:

That Dr. Chicken recipe seems easy, and not a lot to mess with. I just have to grab some instant coffee for that. I don't see any mention of a rub or seasoning, so I'm assuming that one just goes on the smoker nekkid, until it gets the glaze? Have you guys tried that injection?

Cook-I've read the same about the sliced ham. But, it's what I had already grabbed. I guess that's the fun of this-I can easily change it up next time!

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Correct, it is a glaze and just goes on the outside (I've used it with and without the instant coffee, both work fine). It also calls for an injection, I've also done it without the injection and as long as you can control your cooker with gentle, heat it's been fine without the injection just keep some fruit juice in the pan that holds the ham for added moisture.

I've also done many spiral hams, just keep the meat moist on gentle indirect heat and it will turn out great. His recommendation isn't to avoid spiral hams, just try not to use it on tour first attempt so it doesn't dry out. But to put you at ease, I also purchased a spiral ham in advance before I found the recipe, and it all turned out well.

Try it first time out and you can adjust to your taste accordingly. Keep us posted.

TravelingJ said:

Didn't work. At all. I had just put a new controller on my pellet smoker, and it did not work smoothly. The ham is covered in soot, and even trying to grab a piece way away from the edge-it tastes like my cigar ashtray smells. I have the glaze made, but didn't even try to put it on-I didn't want to push the soot further into the ham.

Luckily, she brought home Tamales from a lady at her work, so pizza is avoided!!

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Sorry to hear you had problems with your controller. You can trim the outside of the ham and use it when making soups and such.

I have had trouble with spiral sliced ham drying out when cooking them to 140 IT. Perhaps it was because I was cooking it at 275-300 like I cook most everything else? I also have not injected them, so maybe that would help keep it from drying out.