Ham

Bigsmoke

I love my egg, now that I've learned how to use it. Here's my deal. I want to smoke 20+ lbs of ham. The recipes I found say to use a fully cooked ham. At the store, some are already smoked, others cooked in juice or whatever (cheaper). So, I guess thats how I should start--with a cooked ham. But how do I choose the right one if I'm gonna smoke and baste? Any basic tips, explaination, recipes. My wife wants a "sweet" one--don't we all?[p]BS

JimW

bigsmoke,
For fully cooked hams, the best is Hillshire Farms Brown Sugar Cured with 'natural juices', available at most supermarkets. Don't get the honey glazed and don't get any of the 'water added' junk.[p]The ham will probably be a spiral cut job. Remove the tough rind if any. You will want to tie the ham up real good with kitchen string so the ham slices don't fall apart and get dry. Cook it at 250F in a V-rack set in a drip pan. It will be done when the internal temp reaches 115-120F, about 15 minutes per pound (you're really just warming it up, right?). Glaze it during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Allow it to rest 30 to 40 minutes before carving.[p]A decent glaze is 1/4 cup pineapple or orange juice, 1 tbsp cornstarch, 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1 tbsp French's mustard. You can put maraschino cherries and pineapple slices on the ham when you start glazing it if you like. Use toothpicks to hold them in place.[p]Bon Appetit
JimW