Christmas at the Bear Den

Christmas at the Bear Den

I’ll make this short & sweet, because I didn’t smoke this one.
Since my surgery 2 years ago, I never can tell how I’ll feel from one day to the next, so I don’t like to schedule something that has to be done by me at any particular time. I’ll Double Smoke some of my hams at a time when if I don’t feel like doing it one day, I can do it the next day.
So instead of Smoking a couple of small Double Smoked Hams in my Smoker, we went back to the place where we used to get “Double Smoked” Hams, before I had a smoker.
They’re a lot more expensive & not as good as the ones I do, but they’re good enough.
This particular Ham was 16.3 pounds, and cost $55.01.
If I could have Double Smoked my own, 16 pounds would have cost me about $20, and would have tasted better.

Instead of using the regular Ham Baking Temps in our electric oven, I set it for 250°.
Then after 2 1/2 hours I put my ET-732 probe in it & found out that our electric oven is 25 degrees off.
I had to turn it up to 275° to get it to be 250° in the oven.

Anyway—After 6 hours the IT was 135°, so I applied my glazing (see below), and jacked up the temp to 300° & covered with foil.
I pulled the Ham about 45 minutes later at 148° IT, and it was the juiciest Store Bought Ham we ever made. Must have been the low & slow method.

So I cut the top of the saddle off for Christmas Dinner, and sliced that up.
Then after Dinner I cut all the solid meat areas into hunks, and put that in the fridge (covered).
Then I trimmed the rest of the bone for meat pieces for a future Ham & Beans batch.
Then the next day, I got the slicer out & sliced all the hunks I saved into about 1/4" slices for Sammies & Ham & Egg Breakfasts.
Vacuum packed & froze 4 bags of 2 pounds each, and kept some in fridge for immediate consumption.

Mrs Bear took care of the rest of the items pictured below.

Bear’s Ham Glaze:
Brown Sugar-------------------------1/2 Cup
Maple Syrup--------------------------1/3 Cup
Ground Mustard-----------------------1/2 tsp
Ground Cinnamon---------------------1/4 tsp
Ground Ginger------------------------1/8 tsp
Ground Cloves------------------------1/8 tsp
Ground Nutmeg-----------------------1/8 tsp

Heat in Microwave, and stir well.

Our Son & his wife enjoyed our Christmas Dinner with us.
It was lots of fun!!

Enjoy the Pics,
Bear


All meat top removed for Christmas Dinner:
http://s836.photobucket.com/user/Bearcarver_2009/media/DSCN1121.jpg.html




Always the first part to be removed for eating:
http://s836.photobucket.com/user/Bearcarver_2009/media/DSCN1123.jpg.html



Bear’s Table:
http://s836.photobucket.com/user/Bearcarver_2009/media/DSCN1125.jpg.html




Bear’s First Helping:
http://s836.photobucket.com/user/Bearcarver_2009/media/DSCN1126.jpg.html




Ah—Yes——Bear’s Favorite Raspberry Chiffon Pie!!!
http://s836.photobucket.com/user/Bearcarver_2009/media/DSCN1128.jpg.html




Next Day——All Ham trimmed off bone in big hunks. Then sliced thin for Sammies:
http://s836.photobucket.com/user/Bearcarver_2009/media/DSCN1129.jpg.html




4 bags vacuum packed (2 pounds each) for freezing. 1 Baggie for next couple days, and one bag for “Ham & Beans”:
http://s836.photobucket.com/user/Bearcarver_2009/media/DSCN1133.jpg.html




Smokey guarding the presents:
http://s836.photobucket.com/user/Bearcarver_2009/media/DSCN1118.jpg.html




Smokey got some new “Finger” toys for his Christmas:
http://s836.photobucket.com/user/Bearcarver_2009/media/DSCN1116.jpg.html