Jackie’s Christmas Ham

Fresh Ham – not cured, brined or ‘ready to cook’ (We used a 13 pound cut from Tony’s Meat Market).  It is actually a leg of pork.  It does take several days, but well worth the effort.  

Ingredients: 

The Brine:

  • 4 liters of water
  • 1 1/2 c of kosher salt
  • 2 c  brown sugar  packed
  • 1 tsp pink salt (insta cure #1) (1 teaspoon per 5 pounds of meat) (NEVER DOUBLE)

Directions for Brining:

  1. Stir all ingredients together until dissolved. This brine can be multiplied as needed, and if you are doing a whole ham, you will probably need to double it. DO NOT DOUBLE THE PINK SALT THOUGH.
  2. The ham should be completely submerged in brine.
  3. Flip daily (or every other day at a minimum). Brine 1 day for every 2 pounds of ham.

The Smoke:

  1. The smoker should be set to 225° and a fruit wood should be used for smoking. Figure a half hour of smoking time per pound of ham.
  2. The ham should be trimmed of all skin and the fat cap prior to going into the smoker.
  3. Take the ham out of the brine and fully dry it before putting it in the smoker.
  4. Smoke the meat to 130 degrees.
  5. Apply the glaze and wrap in aluminum foil.  If using a full ham (24+ pounds) you will need to double the glaze.
  6. At 145-150 degrees pull the ham and rest for an hour in the foil wrap.
  7. Serve hot for best results.

The Glaze:

  • ½ c brown sugar
  • 2 Tab bourbon

Serves:  A lot!  Rule of thumb, 1/2 pound bonein meat per person would be generous.  Also, how much other meat is being served?

Source:  Jackie Faulk Wolfgang

 

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