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Smoking/Cooking Ham

Mole351
Mole351 Posts: 110
edited July 2012 in EggHead Forum

does anyone actually cook a ham, or are they mostly already cooked and they just smoke it?

 

my wife loves ham and looking to do one on the egg but i know NOTHING about them.  anyone have any tips/advice/recipes?  certain type of ham to buy/smoke?

Comments

  • LizzieSamps
    LizzieSamps Posts: 894
    They come from the store pre-cooked.  If you want one that is uncooked, typically you need to order one.
  • Elde
    Elde Posts: 148
    They come from the store pre-cooked.  If you want one that is uncooked, typically you need to order one.
    Not around here... uncooked hams are slightly uncommon, but I regularly see them. (Though to be fair, they've been steadily decreasing over the years.)  But cooked or uncooked, by the time they reach your local market they've already been cured and smoked or had smoke 'flavor' injected.

  • Mole351
    Mole351 Posts: 110

    so people typically don't do hams in their eggs then?

  • Brownie
    Brownie Posts: 1,023
    Around Easter I find whole hams at the grocery store still in the leg (skin and all) not smoked, cooked, or cured. I have been very curious about these type, and wondered about prep for a traditional ham, or would you just cook like a picnic for pulled pork? Any benefit to this unprocessed cut?
  • egret
    egret Posts: 4,164

    does anyone actually cook a ham, or are they mostly already cooked and they just smoke it?

     

    my wife loves ham and looking to do one on the egg but i know NOTHING about them.  anyone have any tips/advice/recipes?  certain type of ham to buy/smoke?

    I've heard a lot of good reports about this one : ;)

    Maple-Bourbon Ham

    by John Hall (egret)



    Ingredients:


    Maple-Bourbon Paste (recipe follows)

    10-12 # cooked, ready to eat Ham (bone-in Butt or Shank section) 

    1/2-1 cup Maple Syrup

    Cherry and Apple Chunks


    Preparation:


    The day before smoking, place ham in a pan flat side down. Inject in multiple locations with maple syrup (use more than 1 cup if it will take it).

    Smear the Maple-Bourbon Paste all over the exposed surfaces (except flat side). Cover loosely with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator until ready to smoke (You can remove ham from refrigerator up to one hour before cooking).

    Stabilize egg at 250℉ with plate setter (legs up) and regular grid on plate setter. Put 3 or 4 good size chunks of wood on coals, then place ham on grid. Cook until internal temperature reaches 140°. (this should take about 5 hours). 


    Maple-Bourbon Paste:


    2 Tbls. pure Maple Syrup

    2 Tbls. freshly ground Black Pepper

    2 Tbls. Dijon or Honey-Dijon Mustard

    1 Tbls. Bourbon

    1 Tbls. Vegetable Oil

    1 Tbls. Paprika

    1 Tbls. Onion Powder 

    2 tsp. coarse Salt, either Kosher or Sea Salt

  • Brownie
    Brownie Posts: 1,023

    so people typically don't do hams in their eggs then?

    If there is one thing I have learned from this forum, it would be that the good folks that participate on this forum cook  any everything imaginable. Keep in mind that your Egg is far superior to your kitchen oven, and almost (the only reason I say almost is because my egg doesn't broil by definition) any recipe you like can be enjoyed using your Egg.      Sooo maybe find a ham (any one that looks appetizing) on sale at the market and give it a go. You can find a recipe online, or most precooked hams have reheating instructions on the package. Use a recipe or your imagination and run with it. Use your experiences (good and bad)and teach the next guy who is new to ham. Oh and have fun with it. Sorry for the ramble, I just wanted to encourage eggsploration!
  • ccpoulin1
    ccpoulin1 Posts: 390
    you can buy a whole or shank portion ham and cure your own.  You can either dry cure, or inject and brine.  Most that you see in the stores are already cured.  I have cured my own, though usually i just cure pork loin.. i like to refer to it as ham jr.

    "You are who you are when nobody is looking"

  • JerkChicken
    JerkChicken Posts: 551
    Food network was showing the famous Mother's new Orleans ham being made. Although not on the grill, they used root beer in the glaze and they have the "best ham in the country." Pretty damn good.
    LBGE, Weber OTG w/ Rotisserie, Weber Genesis S-330, Chargriller Duo, AR-15, AK-47
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,081
    +1 to the above maple-bourbon ham from egret.  A great flavor, enhanced by the BGE.  Thanks for posting!
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • Tjcoley
    Tjcoley Posts: 3,551
    This has been on my 'I've got to try that' list since I got my Egg.  I've looked at a number of ways, and this one is what I decided I will go with:      http://johndlee.hubpages.com/hub/How-To-Cure-Ham-at-Home

    Haven't done it yet yet, but will post when I do. 
    __________________________________________
    It's not a science, it's an art. And it's flawed.
    - Camp Hill, PA
  • AleBrewer
    AleBrewer Posts: 555
    There is a Maple Bourbon ham recipe in the Smoke N Spice book that is fantastic. You really need to use real maple syrup though....none of that Aunt Jemima garbage
  • Dogboa
    Dogboa Posts: 7
    I've purchased a fresh ham and smoked it on a stick burner before. It was brined first. This ham was more like a country ham (very smokey and salty). I did not use any curing salt or potassium nitrate (saltpeter), so no pink color.