Christmas ham!!

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jojo22

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Nov 26, 2010
102
11
Canton Ohio
So I just picked up a whole fresh ham from the store!! Plan is to cure it with tender quick and brown sugar, cure for 10 days (it's 20 pounds) and then smoke it to finish with a hot smoke and maple chips. Any downside here?? Anything I am missing?? I am assuming that I should remove the skin from the leg??
 
Someone posted a great step by step process about a year ago but I can't remember who. I was thinking it was Pops but I didn't find it on a quick search. I will do some searching and see if I can find that post.
 
So I just picked up a whole fresh ham from the store!! Plan is to cure it with tender quick and brown sugar, cure for 10 days (it's 20 pounds) and then smoke it to finish with a hot smoke and maple chips. Any downside here?? Anything I am missing?? I am assuming that I should remove the skin from the leg??


Jojo,

Not to burst your bubble, but I've been curing things with TQ for a long time, and I would not attempt to cure a 20 pound ham with TQ. 

Curing a Ham is a lot more difficult than most people think.

You have to do things like injecting, and injecting into the arterial system, and stuff that I have no idea even how to tell you how.

That post you saw was probably from Pops, and it wasn't with TQ.

A Ham like that is a long process, and you need more knowledge than I have to do it.

Personally when I want to smoke a Ham, I will buy one already cured & cooked, and smoke the heck out of it again.

That way you get what will probably be the best smoked Ham you ever had, and no safety problems or catastrophes.

If your heart is really set to cure & smoke a 20 pound fresh ham, PM Pops, and ask him about it.

Bear

On edit: I started this post before RBranstner posted Pops' link.

Looking at that link, you'll see what I mean.
 
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These posts are the reason I love this forum!! I'll be sure to read the step by step, and PM pops for any questions, and worst come to worst I'll smoke that bad boy the same way I would a whole hog (which I have done a time or two) and we'll have Christmas hog leg!!

 BTW anyone have any experience smoking wild boar?? I'm trying to get my bulldogs out on a hunt this spring and well I can't think of a better way to cook the bounty of the hunt!
 
That will be tried for Easter (not enough time for Christmas) however I will be making my own version of a Christmas ham, after all the "ham" is technically just the cut of meat correct??
 
That will be tried for Easter (not enough time for Christmas) however I will be making my own version of a Christmas ham, after all the "ham" is technically just the cut of meat correct??
Actually I guess to be called a Ham, it  is cured & smoked, but in my book that other thing you mentioned about doing it like like a whole Hog (like you've done before) sounds awful good!!! Just don't forget the Qview!

Later Jojo,

Bear
 
Looking forward to seeing the qview Jojo - like Bear said - be safe so we can keep you around
 
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