The Texas BBQ Forum

Thinking about smoking a ham for Easter. Has anyone ever done one before. I need whatever info I can get so I don't make a fool of myself on that all important day. What cut should I use, type of wood, prepping etc......

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Jeff
GrizzlysBBQ.com

Offset
Keg
5 burner gas (infrared)

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And in the end it’s not the barbecues in your life that count. It’s the life in your barbecues. – Abraham Lincoln

Did one a couple of years ago, using an uncured bone in fresh ham from Gary Hirsch's place. Trying to remember exactly how I did it but it came out real nice. I know I burned all hickory, and as I recall I used a combination of a commercial hickory-garlic rub I like and some brown sugar, and I finished with the Boar's Head sweet mustard glaze. I want to say it was 7-8 pounds and I smoked it like 3 or 4 hours. I recall I was looking for a lighter smoke to please the wife, and she and my son both liked it. Me alone, I probably woulda taken it out longer at a bit lower temp for more color and deeper penetration. Sprayed it very lightly hourly starting the first hour with some apple cider mixed with rub, and cooked it like 250 degrees, and then glazed it one hour prior to taking it out, and glazed it again lightly right after pinning some pineapple slices on it and before putting it on the table. Good eats, man.

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Life is too short to drink bad beer.
"This steak still has marks from where the jockey was hitting it..." - The Late, Great Al Cervick

All the ones I have cooked have been previously cooked and spiral sliced. I have never smoked one straight from the butcher and I wouldn't know how to direct you there. The spiral slicing is a great benefit of getting one previously cooked. Re-heated in your smoker over a pan of water can add some great new smoke flavor in less than an hour or 2 without drying it out. Looking forward to hearing what other members think on this topic.

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Jamey McCurry

"Never trust a skinny cook"

The only fresh ham I have ever done, was cooked just like a pork butt. Came out really nice, tasty and tender. CF

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Jeff, I would go with a fully cooked ham. Hams are available either as a shank, a butt or whole. Spiral sliced or not. (for butts)
If you get fresh, you will have smoked pork and not ham. You don't have time to fully cure one now.
The hams that I do are Kretschmar Fully Cooked Butts, Bone-in and Spiral Sliced for pick ups and deliveries and boneless for catering and slicing to order.
How many people are you expecting? Butts will serve more and make for a nicer presentation.
I have an order for 6 to deliver Easter Sunday. They want boneless butts. They will slice on the serving line.



If you have a choice, place cut side down in a 2" deep pan. Apply spices and/or glaze. Foil and cook at about 250-300.
Unfoil to set the glaze, during the last 45 minutes of the cook, basting every 15 minutes.

My glaze recipe:

Mandarin and brown sugar glazed ham

1 small can of Mandarin oranges, crushed, juice reserved
1 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of ginger
1 tablespoon of honey
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoon of black pepper
4-5 pounds of precooked ham (double if necessary)

Combine all glaze ingredients in a medium size bowl and stir until well
combined. Cut ham in half, width wise, and place in a roasting pan.
Slowly pour over ham spreading evenly with gloves. Sprinkle with
salt and pepper. Pour in reserved juice from oranges. Bake
in a 250-degree smoker until internal temperature reaches 140
degrees.

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"Gunny"

FEC-100, WSM 22.5, WSM 18.5, 3-UDS's and a NB Bandera
Owner/Pitmaster "Debbie's Que Shack"
KCBS CBJ
Jarhead's World on the 26 inch Kettle

Check this out:
viewtopic.php?f=47&t=7528

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