Monday, April 1, 2013

How to Smoke a Ham at Home

I have a good husband.  He's the butcher in our family (I don't love handling and cutting raw meat), as well as the wallet and key finder, accountant, coffee machine repairman, tear wiper, and general mental breakdown fixer. I'm lucky.  All I have to do is slap on some lipstick and bat my eyelashes at him and he makes me something like this for Easter.  THE MOST AMAZING PORK I HAVE EVER, EVER EVER had in my life.  I mean ever.  I'm not exaggerating.  This beats last years Best Ever Easter Ham recipe.  I feel like this is what Jesus had to eat yesterday.  They have pork in heaven...right?


The next series of photos only show part of the process.  For a full list of instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post.  Sorry readers.  While my husband was at home slaving over our Easter feast, I was at the bar drinking outside all day with one of my BFFs Colleen. It was 60 degrees and sunny in Chicago in March!!  Ok I know.  I'm a bad wife.  

Here's the pork resting in the brine in the fridge...


Before taking the meat to the smoker, Charlie scored the meat.



Here we are on our roof (which is in the process of being remodeled, BTW).  I was tipsy, but still willing to risk my life to photograph this for you guys.


Night night little pork pork.  See you in the morning!


Why HELLO THERE.


This is what I looked at BEFORE walking out the door to church.  I mean.  What torture.


Look at that crispy, yest melt in your mouth crust.  AHHH.


 As fast as Charlie sliced a piece, it would be gone, in my mouth.


 SO MOIST.  So perfect.  So lucky.


  1. Purchase 18 lb fresh, raw ham 
  2. Cut off skin and trimmed excess fat 
  3. Make Brine 
    1. 1 Cup of Brown Sugar, 1 Cup of Table Salt, 1/2 Cup of Red Wine Vinegar, 1 Tbs of Garlic Powder, 1 Tbs of White Pepper, 2 Tbs of Whole Black Peppercorns, 2 Bay leaves.  Add 4-5 quarts of water.  Heat over medium heat on the stove until salt and brown sugar dissolves completely.  Set aside and cool. 
  4. With a meat injector, inject meat with as much brine as possible.  
  5. Let is marinate in the remaining brine overnight. 
  6. In drip pan, add water and equal parts of apple cider vinegar and red wine vinegar. 
  7. Add wood chips that have been soaked in water.  Charlie used apple and hickory.  
  8. Preheat smoker.  Ours is an electric smoker that automatically sets to 220 degrees.
  9. Score the meat.  
  10. Place meat, skin side up in smoker. 
  11. Let is cook for 11 hours.  At 11 hours it was 155 degees. 
  12. Make glaze and brush on ham in smoker.
    1. 1 Cup of Brown Sugar, 2 Tbs of Honey, 1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar, 2 Tbs of Worcestershire  1/4  Cup Dijon Mustard, and 1 Cup of Water.  Heat on the stove until glaze melts.  Set aside until it cools and thickens and then brush on ham. 
  13. Cook pork for another hour until it reached 160 degrees, internal temp. 
  14. Remove pork, cover with foil and let rest for 2 hours. 
  15. Eat it and moan and groan over how good it is. 
Stay hungry...! 

1 comment:

  1. I have to do is slap on some lipstick and bat my eyelashes at him and he makes me something like this for Easter. THE MOST AMAZING PORK I HAVE EVER, EVER EVER had in my life. I mean ever. I'm not exaggerating. This beats last years Best Ever Easter Ham recipe. I feel like this is what Jesus had to eat yesterday. They have pork in heaven...right? ElectricSmokr.com

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