As the son of a ranch forman, growing up everything I ate was beef. Any time real pork of any kind was served it was a real treat, and ham was my favorite. I still love ham, even the cheapest processed types. This recipe has become my favorite way to serve ham. It will make any ham, from the very cheapest, to the most expensive absolutely delicious. This really work on any type of ham, 1/2 shank, whole shank, boneless processed or even spiral sliced (although I suggest you don't try the spiral sliced the first time you use this recipe as they're very easy to dry out), fully cooked or partially cooked, any ham will do (do try to find one with less than 20% water added).
This recipe or actually recipes were given to me by Jim Minion, who got them from his friend Dr. Chicken, both of whom are great friends of BBQ'rs everywhere. My thanks to both of them for sharing such an awesome recipe.
Dr. Chickens Sweet Kiss of Death
Injectable Marinade
Ingredients:
1 Cup of Good clean water (if your city or well water has an offensive taste, please use bottled water)
1 Cup of light Karo syrup (make sure it is light Karo brand syrup)
1/8 Cup of Amaretto liqueur (use the real stuff it makes a difference)
2 Tbs of Watkins brand Butter Pecan extract (this is the only Butter-Pecan extract I could find) Note: I ran out of this twice in the past few months so I substituted "Blackburn's Butter Pecan" pancake syrup. Not a bad substitution. Double the amount shown here as Butter Pecan extract.
1 Tbs of Rum extract (again, I used Watkins because of the better taste than store bought)
1 tsp of Orange extract (this compliments the orange juice concen. used in the glaze or basting sauce)(cut this in half or use 1 Tbsp of orange juice concentrate....otherwise it may overpower the entire recipe.)
1 to 2 TBS Vanilla extract (again, I used Watkins because of taste after the first run)
Directions for blending:
Into a medium size sauce pan add the water, Karo syrup and Amaretto. Stir frequently and heat very slowly to avoid scorching the sugars in the syrup.
Then, add all the remaining ingredients and continue to stir and heat slowly. When the mix looks uniform in color and smooth, remove mix from the stove and allow it to cool to almost room temperature.
Note from scott- do cook this mixture at at least 180* for a few minutes to cook off as much of the alcohol in the extacts and amaretto as possible, this will prevent the ham from tasting boozy and greatly improve the finished product.
Directions for use:
Note from scott- this is messy business, be prepared to have this marinade all over yourself and the kitchen. I now do the injecting in the garage or on the deck. About 2/3 of the way through the process, you'll swear the ham will hold no more, keep injecting, it is so worth the effort. Make enough of the injection for 3oz per pound and use it all. Do this at least the night before the cook, up to 24 hours prior. I turn the ham over in the fridge every 4-8 hours to allow the injection to distribute evenly throughout the ham.
Wrap ham in 2 layers of plastic wrap before starting the injection process.
Using a marinade hypodermic syringe, inject at least 2 fluid ozs. Per pound of meat in a grid pattern through out the entire ham and donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t be afraid to use up to 3 ounces per pound of meat.
Continue to inject the marinade into the ham until the entire amount of marinade is injected evenly into the ham.
After injecting, add a couple more layers of plastic wrap to help hold the injection in.
Just before cooking, score the ham in a diamond criss-cross pattern to a depth of 1/2".
Since the ham is already at least partially cooked, go heavy with the smoke for best results. Hickory, pecan or cherry work best.
Cook ham until it reaches 120* internal. It's now time to start glazing. If you like the traditional holiday pineapple rings and cherries, those go on now too.
Glazing Sauce:
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup maple syrup (use dark grade B real maple syrup if available)(dark grade B has more flavor than grade A)
¼ cup honey
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 – 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp instant coffee granules (use a good brand because it makes a difference)
1 Tbsp dry ground mustard
2 Tbsp orange juice concentrate (a good brand provides better flavor)
Blend all ingredients in a sauce pan with a wire whip and heat slightly until everything combines into a viscous or thick looking sauce.
Apply the glaze with a mop, brush or simply spoon it on. Apply every 20-30 mins. This should give about 3 applications while bringing the ham to 140* internal which is when the ham is done and should be pulled from the cooker.
Wrap the ham tightly in a layer or two of HD foil and allow to rest for 1 hr before serving. The wrapping will help keep the ham moist.
This is an awesome recipe and well worth the trouble of looking up the ingredients.
I enjoy a traditional pineapple, clove and brown sugar ham and have a injection recipe of my own for that. I use the same methods as above, and still use the glaze recipe. This makes a very tasty ham as well.
Scott's pineapple ham injection.
3/4 Cup Dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp Butter Pecan extract ( I liked this flavor from the original a lot)
2 Tbsp Dark Maple syrup (in a pinch I have used a few drops of Mapeline)
1 Tbsp of Vanilla
6-12 whole cloves (adjust to your taste)
Enough Pineapple juice to make 3 cups total mixture
Combine all in saucepan, heat to near boiling stirring constantly for 5 mins. Strain to remove any clumps and the cloves. Cool inject as above.
My thanks again to Jim and Dr. Chicken for sharing.
