Smoked Ham

Fresh Smoked Ham

BDA Farm now has pork! Lucas Ramirez has prepared a recipe for smoked ham.

Here’s a list of everything you’ll need for how to smoke a fresh ham:

• A Smoker.  However you usually smoke meat, use that!  This can be done with a traditional charcoal smoker or pellet grill and even offset smokers – whatever your preference is.

• Fresh Ham.  You will typically be able to choose between a shank cut and a butt.  Choose a size that you’re comfortable with and that will also fit on your smoker.

• Charcoal and Wood Chips.  Or if you have a pellet grill, pellets.  For wood chips and flavored pellet grill pellets, the flavors that go well with fresh ham are hickory, cherry, and apple, but feel free to use whichever flavor blends you want.

• Dry Rub.  Use your favorite dry rub, or if you need a little guidance on a DIY rub, use a mixture of black pepper, kosher salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder.

Instructions:

1. Preheat Your Smoker

   How to smoke a fresh ham is quite the process, so I always like to maximize efficiency with my time.  With that in mind, I think it’s best to get the fire going so that you can prepare the fresh ham while your smoker gets up to desired temperature.

   Preset smoker to 275F degrees 

2. Prep The Ham

   While your smoker heats up, it’s time to prepare the ham.  The first thing you should do is take a knife and cut long slits, creating a diamond pattern across the entire ham skin.  You want the cuts to only go about a quarter of an inch deep, and take care to not cut into the meat.

   We do this for a couple of reasons.  First, the slits will make it easier for the outside of the ham to crisp up when it smokes.  The second reason is that it creates more surface area for the rub and seasoning to absorb in.

   Take yellow mustard and coat the entire ham in a light layer. This allows for better binding to the meat and will not affect the flavor.

   Next, apply a generous coat of your dry rub and/or spices.  You should coat the entire ham evenly, and don’t forget to season the insides of the diamond pattern we cut earlier.

3. Place Ham on Smoker 

   The rule of thumb for ham is 20 minutes per pound, but we’re really just cooking to an internal temperature of 190 degrees.

4. Baste every 2 hours.

   Every 2 hours, mix pineapple juice with a pinch of brown sugar and baste the mixture over the outside of the ham with your silicone basting brush.  This will caramelize the crust and add to the delectability of the ham.

   Place the ham back on the grill and continue to smoke until it reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees at the center.

5. Once the center of your ham reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees, remove the ham from the smoker and wrap it loosely in aluminum foil.  

6. Rest, Then prepare to Feast 

   The last part that comes in the process of how to smoke a fresh ham is to let it rest.  After the internal temp reaches 190 degrees F, take it off the grill to rest, but leave the foil on, you can even place it into a cooler wrapped in towels to maintain the temperature.  We want to let the ham rest for about 30 minutes before cutting into it.

   Similar to a steak, allowing the ham to rest lets the juices redistribute away from the center of the meat.  This will in turn make the entire fresh ham much more tender and juicy when it’s time to eat.

   Once the ham has rested, carve into it, serve, and enjoy!  I recommend carving quarter inch slices, but feel free to slice to the width of your preference.

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