Just bought half a pig, have some big hams but they arent cured or anything, I was thinking about putting one in my smoker and preparing it that way.. any advice/experience with smoking a big pork ham that hasnt been cured..
If you don't cure it the ham will taste like one big smoked porkchop, which ain't all that bad now that I think about it, but it won't taste like ham. You might want to consider curing it first, then smoking it.
No, curing is a simple process. It can be as simple as packing the ham in salt until it quits sweating, followed by a thorough smoking(country ham), to a complex brining with salt, sugar, and spices. A Google search for curing recipes and supplies will answer your question.
I couldn't smoke ham ... to hard to keep lit ...:D Kevin is right with curing it IF you want it to taste like what most people think of when they think of ham .... but fresh ham is delicious!!! If you want to smoke it with a Coleman or your grill and you can't do indirect,..... ... with about a 12-15 lb. Fresh Ham Make sure you have some moisture (like water in a pan or maybe some sort of juice or brine) in your smoker when you cook your ham. Hams will dry out while smoking if you don't have water the whole time. Also, try adding a little red wine or vinegar to the water some wine or vinegar to the water. This will give the ham a great taste and make it tender. If you have a way to measure the temperature, try and keep it low at around 150 to 170 degrees. In this range, it should take about 6 to 8 hours to cook. Stick a meat thermometer in the ham. You can tell if the ham is ready when it reaches the temperature of 160 degrees in the thickest part of the ham.
