This past weekend, I took possession of a freshly butchered 1/2 pig. The only thing that I had "processed" was the bacon .. which should be done in a few days. When the butcher did the ham for me, he had to split it in two (didn't have a vacuum bag big enough for the whole thing) so I have two hams around 8 - 10 lbs. each. I opted to have the hams left fresh, because I have been wanting to smoke one myself since I got my smoker.
This is where I now turn to y'all for some help...
Depending on where you look, and I have been all over, a big point of contention seems to be brining .. wet or dry. I obviously want/need to if I want to get that delicious ham flavor, and not just have it taste like smoked pork. My main question(s) to everyone out there is..
Is there a prefered method? Do I have to inject, if so, with? How long should it soak if I am wet brining vs. dry brining? When I do smoke it, what kind of temps am I looking at. WouldI keep it low like a shoulder @225° .. or take it up higher more like you would bake in the oven @325ish°?
I am shooting to do one of them for a party my wife is throwing early next month, so any prep work or stuff I can get done ahead of time I certainly am going to do (including thawing it .. which I imagine is going to take a solid couple of days).
As always, thanks for any input, and I will be sure to keep things documented as I work through the process.
This is where I now turn to y'all for some help...
Depending on where you look, and I have been all over, a big point of contention seems to be brining .. wet or dry. I obviously want/need to if I want to get that delicious ham flavor, and not just have it taste like smoked pork. My main question(s) to everyone out there is..
Is there a prefered method? Do I have to inject, if so, with? How long should it soak if I am wet brining vs. dry brining? When I do smoke it, what kind of temps am I looking at. WouldI keep it low like a shoulder @225° .. or take it up higher more like you would bake in the oven @325ish°?
I am shooting to do one of them for a party my wife is throwing early next month, so any prep work or stuff I can get done ahead of time I certainly am going to do (including thawing it .. which I imagine is going to take a solid couple of days).
As always, thanks for any input, and I will be sure to keep things documented as I work through the process.
