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By Danny Gaulden, Grand Master of Barbecue
If you're doing a bone in, cured ham, here is a good
way to finish it. Most hams of this style are sold skinned in most areas, but
will have a few sections where the skin (hide) is still on. Especially around
the tapered end going toward the end of the bone. Cut the skin off with a good
sharp knife, being careful not to cut or remove the fat under it. You're not
really concerned about deep cooking since this type of ham is actually already
cooked. What you are interested in is giving it a better and richer flavor.
Therefore, you don't need a very hot fire, but a low to medium one with good
smoke. The reason I like to keep a medium heavy smoke going is because the meat
won't be on the smoker that long, compared to a raw ham. The reason I like a
low-to-medium heat is to extend the smoking time a bit.
Bring smoker up to about 225-230F and try to keep it in that range. Make
sure you have an oven thermometer placed about an inch or two away from the
ham. This will guarantee accuracy. Smoke the ham until it reaches about 150F,
no higher than 160F internally. Use my mustard glaze for the outside of the ham.
Baste the ham with the glaze at 30 minutes, then again at 15 minutes, before
ham is ready to be removed from smoker. If you like, you can baste one
more time with the glaze as soon as it comes off the smoker.
As an added treat, you can add pineapple rings and maraschino cherries on top
of the ham about 30 to 45 minutes before it's done. You can hold these
down with toothpicks.
Editors note: Spiral-cut hams tend to dry out in the smoker, so uncut
cured hams are better for this procedure.
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