Fresh Ham Roast

In an enclosed cooker such as a crock-pot, they need some fat on the meat to aid in moisture retention. Brine can help to some degree, but moisture retention is more about cooking chamber humidity, cooking chamber temp and finished internal temp. First, I'd go to around 155-160* maximum internal for slicing with pork shoulder or rump cuts, 200* max for pulling...probe for tenderness before removing from the cooker. The bigger the piece, the longer it should rest before processing to serve.

Second thing I would suggest is to smoke 'em up low & slow in a wet-to-dry smoke chamber, as I've done here...all the gory details, theory and method:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...n-gourmet-w-dry-smoke-chamber-q-view-finished

A follow-up second round with some refinement to the method for a better balance of smoke reaction, bark and moisture retention:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...mmed-butt-wet-dry-smoke-chamber-q-view-method

Here's a killer 1-week brine, if you want to go that route...great penetration of brine for the full flavor experience all the way to the core of the shoulder, if given enough time. We LOVE this stuff for fresh pork butts...with dry rub to match, and not very salty when these are paired together. You may want to modify it if you can't locate all the ingredients...main rub and brine ingredients are dried tart cherry, dried apple (of your choice) and dried red bell pepper:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...-rub-2-butts-recipes-q-view-1-sliced-2-pulled

Eric

swesch said:

We purchase a side of pork.  I never have any trouble using it up until I get to the ham roasts, which I have not had them cure.  No matter how I try to cook them (crock pot, oven roast) they turn out dry.  Suggestions?  I do have a MES that I could use.  Do I need to do some brining or something?

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I'm in the exact same boat as you. I had the leg of my last pork side done as 4 lb skin-off, bone-in, uncured roasts. I currently have 2 of the roasts sitting in a brine bucket and am planning to turn them into ham. I used Pop's brine recipe with 1/2 cup salt, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup white sugar, and 1 Tbsp cure #1 in 1 gallon of water, and also injected the brine. I'm going to leave them in the brine for 2-3 weeks, then smoke them to 145 deg IT, rest overnight, then reheat in the oven with a brown sugar/mustard/bourbon glaze.  This is my first time curing ham, so I'm hoping it works out because I have 3 more of these suckers to use up.