Cook ham, the brining/smoke combination method, part 3
After brining for 12 hours, I prepped the ham for baking at 325. Usually, you brine the ham for up to 4 days, but we have not so much time. Next ham, though, I will plan better.
Ham has to be raised to a temperature of 160-170 to be sure it is cooked. It is MUCH harder to get an accurate temperature reading from the thing because of the leg bone. We chose to bake it to temperature before smoking to avoid the risk of under cooking.
I cooked the ham for 9 hours and it read done -- future posts will tell what the temperature reading really meant...
Ham has to be raised to a temperature of 160-170 to be sure it is cooked. It is MUCH harder to get an accurate temperature reading from the thing because of the leg bone. We chose to bake it to temperature before smoking to avoid the risk of under cooking.
I cooked the ham for 9 hours and it read done -- future posts will tell what the temperature reading really meant...
NS, you are my ham hero! I mean, you really started from scratch with the pig. Do tell, was it yummo? I bet it was! I bet it tasted real too, not like the N.J. flavor lab chemicals you get in industrial hams.
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sounds like you guys have it all figured out! thanks for taking up the laboring oar on the ham...can't wait to try it!
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Lannae - it was fabulous! Next time we need to brine it longer and smoke it longer.
Melissa - Jenn has a huge tupperware filled with ham chinks for you. Next one we do, we want to saw in half before cooking. It was very hard to get it up to temperature.
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I brine my ham with 2 cups canning salt to 1 cup brown sugar to 1 gal water inject around the bone and in thick parts of ham,brine for four days let air dry 2 to 3 hour smoke with apple wood 8 to 9 hours at 225 willie
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