I am too lazy to cure my own hams,so I just buy good store bought,partially cooked ,and smoke them some more.
However,as the holidays near,folks seem to want to try.
Jazzy Joe has done pork and venison hams commercially for years and occasionally shares this technique for fresh pork ham.
This works well in the Cookshacks,cooked to 160� internal.
Posted by jazzyjoe on November 02, 2005 at 15:22:54:
In Reply to: Smoked Ham posted by Booger Red on November 02, 2005 at 13:11:32:
I've done hams seasonally for years. I Just get fresh hams from a local butcher. Get some TQ (I use the sugar cure they make) and follow the directions. You can augment it and add just about anything you want to. I add bay leaves, honey, a little hot sauce, Tony C's, etc. I soak mine for about 4 days and also inject them (artery inject if I can). I start with about 20% of the green weight of the ham and pump the snot out of it the first time. Every 12 hours or so I'll pump it again. For the last couple of injections (the last 36 hours of the soak) I'll add fruit juices to the brine. Usually some cherry and pineapple juices and pump that in as well.
I will start by scoring the ham in a cross pattern and apply a light rub of cracked pepper, onion powder, garlic, cumin and then stuff just about as much brown sugar around and on it as it will take. You really want these 2 processes to be seperate and also, salt is not needed in the rub. I smoke at about 250* till done. I have some pineapple and cherry juice and I heat it up on the stovetop. I will then add some gelatin and sugar to it and thicken. I will place pineapple slices with cherries in the center of them all over the ham. Then drizzle the thick juice all over the ham. Let it set up during the resting time in foil. It will become like a sticky candy coating on the ham if done correctly.
Seems to work for me. Good luck.
jazzy
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