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Raw ham temperature

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H12mike
H12mike Posts: 134
in EggHead Forum

I cooked (smoked) a raw ham yesterday at 250° indirect and it took 8 hrs to reach 160°. I wrapped in foil and reheated at 325° this morning but it was not as moist as I would have liked. Where did I go wrong?

X-Large BGE, DigiQ, ThermaQ (Blue), CyberQ, Joetissirie, UltraQ, (ex.FlameBoss 200)

Highland Village, TX

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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    uncured ham (leg of pork) is a very tough cut of meat. When you cure a ham, not only does it preserve it but the salt bonds to all the water in the muscle which helps it maintain some moisture. If you were to take it to 200 or so then you would see the same benefit you would see in a pork shoulder when you do pulled pork. All the connective tissue turns to gelatin at those temps and that moistens the meat. At that point the meat loses its structural integrity as well (not great for slicing but good for pulling).

    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
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    As Cen-Tex describes, the gelatin that is produced by reaching a higher internal temp replaces the mouth feel of moistness. If you want an uncured ham that is moist and slicable, cook at a higher temp, at least standard oven roasting temp of 350. The outside will brown, and the inside will get to safe temperature. (Note, almost all commercial pork in the US is clean enough that it could be eaten cooked to rare, and still very pink.) Re-heat should not go above 140 internal.The meat will still be water moist, but needs to be sliced thin to reduce the basic toughness.

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  • H12mike
    H12mike Posts: 134
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    Thank you both for your comments. My wife summed up the cook "fail" pretty good: Tasted like pork chops and not ham. Next time I will use a cured ham like in the past. I will cut this one up and use in an EGG stir fry this evening.

    X-Large BGE, DigiQ, ThermaQ (Blue), CyberQ, Joetissirie, UltraQ, (ex.FlameBoss 200)

    Highland Village, TX

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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2426135#Comment_2426135

    you can cure it yourself too. just need a 2 week window to get it all done. We do it every year for Christmas and it makes a huge difference over a factory cured ham.


    you could braise the meat you have into a stew or something like a carne con chile verde (braised pork in tomatillo jalpeno sauce). Once you get it over 200 it will soften up and moisten up too.

    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • H12mike
    H12mike Posts: 134
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    I will start the research on how to cure a ham. Thanks.

    X-Large BGE, DigiQ, ThermaQ (Blue), CyberQ, Joetissirie, UltraQ, (ex.FlameBoss 200)

    Highland Village, TX

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  • H12mike
    H12mike Posts: 134
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    Thanks for the chili idea. Mixed the pork with Italian sausage and it is in the slow cooker now!

    X-Large BGE, DigiQ, ThermaQ (Blue), CyberQ, Joetissirie, UltraQ, (ex.FlameBoss 200)

    Highland Village, TX

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  • BigGreenKev
    BigGreenKev Posts: 253
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    Have done an uncured ham the last few years and it isn't tough to execute. I think I found it from cen-tex. It's from the book charcuterie. Brine time is a day for every 2 lbs. The smoke to a temp of 155.

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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2426473#Comment_2426473

    That is actually a cured ham (brine is a wet cure process).

    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • H12mike
    H12mike Posts: 134
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    By the way, the chili was a success!

    X-Large BGE, DigiQ, ThermaQ (Blue), CyberQ, Joetissirie, UltraQ, (ex.FlameBoss 200)

    Highland Village, TX

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