How to Smoke a Ham
Mix up your curing brine., Put your meat into a brining bag., When the curing brine is cool, transfer it to the brining bag., Brine your ham in a cool place for 1 day for every 2 pounds of meat., After the recommended curing time, rinse the ham off...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Mix up your curing brine.
Although you can dry-cure your ham, most hams are wet-cured.
Instead of being rubbed with salt and sodium nitrite, they are submerged in a curing brine for about a week.
Here, the liquid penetrates the meat and keeps it moist.
Meanwhile, the salt and sodium nitrite in the liquid brine cure the meat, halting harmful bacteria and turning the meat slightly pink.
In one gallon of water, bring the following ingredients to a boil and then allow brine to cool completely: 2 cups brown sugar 1 and 1/2 cups kosher salt 1/2 cup of pickling spice 8 teaspoons of pink salt (not to be confused with sodium nitrite).
Pink salt is a mixture of salt and sodium nitrite.
It is colored pink so it's not confused with regular table salt.
If you were to use 8 teaspoons of sodium nitrite in this recipe, the result could be harmful. -
Step 2: Put your meat into a brining bag.
You don't have to use a brining bag for brining, but it makes your job a lot easier.
A brining bag will easily fit your ham, zip up for a cleaner brine, and minimize the cleanup time after you're done.
If you don't have a brining bag, you can always use a clean (clean is especially important!) watercooler or container that's taller than the tallest point of the ham.
If you are using a container or cooler to brine your ham in, be sure to sterilize it beforehand with boiling water.
The smallest contamination could cause off-flavors in your final dish.
If you're using a container or cooler instead of a brining bag, find something clean to weight the ham down with.
You want all parts of the meat exposed to the brine. , Be sure to get all the spices into the brining bag.
Fill the brining bag with 1/2
- 1 gallon of cold water to dilute the concentrated brine and cover the ham.
Mix thoroughly with a long wooden spoon. , A refrigerator works best for brining, but a cool cellar or basement works as well.
If you're brining a 15 lb. ham, for example, expect to spend about 7 1/2 days curing.
Periodically, remove the ham from the refrigerator and inject it with the brining liquid.
Use a marinade injector for this.
You only have to do this once or twice, at several locations in the ham.
Injecting the brine into the meat of the ham will make sure that the curing salts penetrate the deepest parts of the ham.
When you're injecting the ham with the brine, take a little bit of time to inspect it.
It shouldn't be giving off any strange odors, nor should there be any scum on the brining liquid., This will get rid of any salt that may have crystallized on the surface. , Once the ham has drained, take a paper towel and wipe off any excess liquid.
Store the ham in the refrigerator for up to a month before using.
If you do refrigerate the ham, be careful about what else is in your refrigerator.
The fat on the ham, if there is some, will absorb other odors in your refrigerator.
You might not want your Christmas ham smelling like leftover risotto. , In this case, a glaze is a sugar-based coating adds extra flavor to the outside of the meat and absorbs smoke.
Getting your glaze right is critical.
For a cured ham, a sugary glaze will work best, as it cuts through the saltiness of the cure.
Here's one recipe for a glaze you might want to experiment with:
In a saucepan over medium heat, mix together: 1 cup honey 1/4 cup whole-grain mustard 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)Stir until butter is melted and ingredients are completely dissolved, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Your glaze is ready to apply! , While the smoker is heating up, score the ham with a sharp chef's knife to give it a diamond pattern.
While this isn't necessary on all hams, it gives the ham a nice look when finished. , Start off slow.
Place the ham unadorned into the smoker, fat side up.
Close the lid and smoke for 2 hours at a relatively low heat. , Continue cooking the ham, monitoring its internal temperature closely with a thermometer. , That makes four glazes during the final hour.
You may wish to glaze the ham for longer than an hour, but the glaze will likely burn a bit.
If you don't mind a darker look on some spots of your ham, go ahead! , Total cooking time on the smoker will take 5 to 6 hours, depending on the size of the ham. , A smoked ham like this will keep for 6 months or longer if vacuum sealed properly.
Enjoy! -
Step 3: When the curing brine is cool
-
Step 4: transfer it to the brining bag.
-
Step 5: Brine your ham in a cool place for 1 day for every 2 pounds of meat.
-
Step 6: After the recommended curing time
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Step 7: rinse the ham off under cold water.
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Step 8: Set the ham down on a grated screen to drain for 24 hours.
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Step 9: Make your glaze.
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Step 10: Turn your smoker on and get it steady at 250° F (121° C).
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Step 11: Smoke the ham at 250° F (121° C) for the first two hours.
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Step 12: After two hours
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Step 13: turn the heat up to 325° F (163° C).
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Step 14: During the final hour of the smoke
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Step 15: apply the glaze to the ham liberally every 15 minutes.
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Step 16: Remove the ham from the smoker when the internal temperature at the deepest part of the ham reaches 165° F (74° C).
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Step 17: Serve immediately
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Step 18: or store.
Detailed Guide
Although you can dry-cure your ham, most hams are wet-cured.
Instead of being rubbed with salt and sodium nitrite, they are submerged in a curing brine for about a week.
Here, the liquid penetrates the meat and keeps it moist.
Meanwhile, the salt and sodium nitrite in the liquid brine cure the meat, halting harmful bacteria and turning the meat slightly pink.
In one gallon of water, bring the following ingredients to a boil and then allow brine to cool completely: 2 cups brown sugar 1 and 1/2 cups kosher salt 1/2 cup of pickling spice 8 teaspoons of pink salt (not to be confused with sodium nitrite).
Pink salt is a mixture of salt and sodium nitrite.
It is colored pink so it's not confused with regular table salt.
If you were to use 8 teaspoons of sodium nitrite in this recipe, the result could be harmful.
You don't have to use a brining bag for brining, but it makes your job a lot easier.
A brining bag will easily fit your ham, zip up for a cleaner brine, and minimize the cleanup time after you're done.
If you don't have a brining bag, you can always use a clean (clean is especially important!) watercooler or container that's taller than the tallest point of the ham.
If you are using a container or cooler to brine your ham in, be sure to sterilize it beforehand with boiling water.
The smallest contamination could cause off-flavors in your final dish.
If you're using a container or cooler instead of a brining bag, find something clean to weight the ham down with.
You want all parts of the meat exposed to the brine. , Be sure to get all the spices into the brining bag.
Fill the brining bag with 1/2
- 1 gallon of cold water to dilute the concentrated brine and cover the ham.
Mix thoroughly with a long wooden spoon. , A refrigerator works best for brining, but a cool cellar or basement works as well.
If you're brining a 15 lb. ham, for example, expect to spend about 7 1/2 days curing.
Periodically, remove the ham from the refrigerator and inject it with the brining liquid.
Use a marinade injector for this.
You only have to do this once or twice, at several locations in the ham.
Injecting the brine into the meat of the ham will make sure that the curing salts penetrate the deepest parts of the ham.
When you're injecting the ham with the brine, take a little bit of time to inspect it.
It shouldn't be giving off any strange odors, nor should there be any scum on the brining liquid., This will get rid of any salt that may have crystallized on the surface. , Once the ham has drained, take a paper towel and wipe off any excess liquid.
Store the ham in the refrigerator for up to a month before using.
If you do refrigerate the ham, be careful about what else is in your refrigerator.
The fat on the ham, if there is some, will absorb other odors in your refrigerator.
You might not want your Christmas ham smelling like leftover risotto. , In this case, a glaze is a sugar-based coating adds extra flavor to the outside of the meat and absorbs smoke.
Getting your glaze right is critical.
For a cured ham, a sugary glaze will work best, as it cuts through the saltiness of the cure.
Here's one recipe for a glaze you might want to experiment with:
In a saucepan over medium heat, mix together: 1 cup honey 1/4 cup whole-grain mustard 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)Stir until butter is melted and ingredients are completely dissolved, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Your glaze is ready to apply! , While the smoker is heating up, score the ham with a sharp chef's knife to give it a diamond pattern.
While this isn't necessary on all hams, it gives the ham a nice look when finished. , Start off slow.
Place the ham unadorned into the smoker, fat side up.
Close the lid and smoke for 2 hours at a relatively low heat. , Continue cooking the ham, monitoring its internal temperature closely with a thermometer. , That makes four glazes during the final hour.
You may wish to glaze the ham for longer than an hour, but the glaze will likely burn a bit.
If you don't mind a darker look on some spots of your ham, go ahead! , Total cooking time on the smoker will take 5 to 6 hours, depending on the size of the ham. , A smoked ham like this will keep for 6 months or longer if vacuum sealed properly.
Enjoy!
About the Author
Alexis Evans
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow lifestyle tutorials.
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