I ordered my Easter ham today. I'm getting a whole ham, somewhere around 22 pounds or so. I'm going to use Hab's recipe for Smoked Green Ham. I used this recipe before and was very impressed. This will be my first time with a whole ham as opposed to a shank. Any suggestions? I sure hope my brining bucket is big enough.
Just make sure you got a big injector needle to reach the bone and brine enough.
I use a five gallon bucket, and find I often have to hack off the hock (if it is still attached), on that size ham. It will also be a tight fit on the sides, but it should be alright. Just make sure that you daily shift the ham around as much as you can, and stir the brine while you are shifting the ham.
Are you going to hang it or place it on a tray? That size should fit on the tray, but I find you may have to tie it in some places to make it fit better, and also double up the trays.
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on March 18, 2012, 01:36:54 PM
I use a five gallon bucket, and find I often have to hack off the hock (if it is still attached), on that size ham. It will also be a tight fit on the sides, but it should be alright. Just make sure that you daily shift the ham around as much as you can, and stir the brine while you are shifting the ham.
Are you going to hang it or place it on a tray? That size should fit on the tray, but I find you may have to tie it in some places to make it fit better, and also double up the trays.
Hab, I'm going to see if my butcher will give me a loose fitting net to put it in after I've trimmed it and brined it. I thought about having it deboned and netted, but I decided I wanted the bone. I really think that imparts a lot of flavor. Do you have any other suggestions for hanging it? I thought about using some cheese cloth but I didn't know if that would be strong enough.
I agree with you about leaving the bone in. I've never had to hang mine, even when they are the size you are going to smoke/cook. I would not try cheese cloth. If you can get the netting from your butcher that would be the way to go.
From what I've read from other posts, you need a dowel, metal rod or something that is strong enough to support the full weight of the ham. Open your vent wide open, and place the the dowel on the roof of the smoker across the vent opening. Once the ham is either netted or tied, place it on a rack to support the ham while you are tying it. While the ham is on the rack slide it inside the smoker at a height where you can run the netting through the vent and tie it around the dowel. If the netting is not long enough, use cotton cord; or if you have a "S" hook you can slide one end through the vent and attach it to the dowel, and the other end to the netting. Once secure remove the tray. The netting will stretch, so you may have to make some readjustments. When hanging, hang it with the shank end up.