Smokeing a ham this weekend, need to find a rub recipe

_Bear_ · August 30, 2018, 02:43:04 PM

My computer crashed and I lost all my recipe's. I am going to smoke a mustard slathered ham this weekend and I can't remember the recipe for my rub or what IT I need to pull it at (I think 140*). I have probably done 10 of these hams and they have all turned out great, but I haven't done one for a few years.

Habanero Smoker · August 31, 2018, 01:26:48 AM

The 140°F is the correct temperature for reheating a cured fully cooked ham. I've never applied a rub to my cured hams so I can't help you with a rub. I do apply a maple mustard glaze, but when I apply the glaze I finish it in the kitchen oven.

Glaze Ingredients: adapted from Cook's Illustrated for the Bradley Smoker.
3/4 C. Maple Powder Sugar
3/4 C. Pineapple Juice
1/4 C. Brown Sugar, or 1 cup if you are not using the Maple sugar
1/3 C Dijon Mustard
1/4 C. Whole Grain Mustard

Salmonsmoker · August 31, 2018, 08:49:23 AM

You can also do cross hatch shallow cuts on the top and sides about 1-1/2" apart and poke a whole clove in each one of the squares, then remove for serving.

_Bear_ · August 31, 2018, 11:16:08 AM

Quote from: Habanero Smoker on August 31, 2018, 01:26:48 AM
The 140°F is the correct temperature for reheating a cured fully cooked ham. I've never applied a rub to my cured hams so I can't help you with a rub. I do apply a maple mustard glaze, but when I apply the glaze I finish it in the kitchen oven.

Glaze Ingredients: adapted from Cook's Illustrated for the Bradley Smoker.
3/4 C. Maple Powder Sugar
3/4 C. Pineapple Juice
1/4 C. Brown Sugar, or 1 cup if you are not using the Maple sugar
1/3 C Dijon Mustard
1/4 C. Whole Grain Mustard

Thanks Hab. I have always put straight mustard on and then applied a brown sugar based rub and then usually about 4 hrs in the smoker. That recipe sounds really good. I wonder how it would work applying it and then into the smoker. I am going to try this and I will post up how it works out

Habanero Smoker · August 31, 2018, 12:45:16 PM

The glaze probably wouldn't work in a smoker. The glaze needs high heat to caramelize. At lower temperatures it may not adhere and just flow off the ham.

TMB · August 31, 2018, 01:08:10 PM

I made a hame using SunDrop (not sure you can find it where you live) But Mt Dew will do

1 can Sun Drop
1/2 cup Brwon sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs Ginger (ground)
1 tsp garlic powder

Mix all in pot bring to a light simmer till thickens and brush on every hour during cook. I used Apple pucks (now I use apple pellets in an A-Mazing Tube)

Ill try to find a picture

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Yhwe1v4ze7tEuChL9

Habanero Smoker · September 01, 2018, 01:48:16 AM

That ham does look good.

_Bear_ · September 01, 2018, 11:44:54 AM

Thanks guys, I think I will just make an edjamaketed guess at making a rub. These hams turned out so good in the past I hate to deviate from the way I was doing it. I will however experiment with your recipes when I don't have a ton of company coming over for labor day party that specifacally requested I make the ham.

_Bear_ · April 17, 2019, 11:32:29 PM

Has anyone done a ham like this and injected pineapple juice mixed with honey the day before the smoke? Just trying to mix it up a bit and I have 3 hams ordered for Easter lol

Habanero Smoker · April 18, 2019, 02:07:44 AM

If you hams are already fully cooked, I'm not sure if injection will work. The protein cells may no longer be permeable, so it would be difficult for the marinade to diffuse throughout the meat. Maybe if you inject every 1/2 inch, but the ham may not be able to hold the liquid. Though it is worth a try. It won't harm anything.

I know it is too late for you to get these before Easter, but I just purchased a product called Seasoning Stix. They are solid spice sticks about the diameter of a toothpick. They are injected or pushed into the meat. They are more expensive than a liquid marinade, and require a longer cook time for the sticks to break down and diffuse into the meat. They start to break down around 110°F, and work best when the internal temperature of the meat reaches at least 135°F. Those may work better in a precooked ham than a liquid marinade. At this time there are not many flavors to choose from. I haven't tried it yet. I was going to use the Classic Garlic Blend in a prime rib I'm smoke/roasting today, but decided to hold off. I will be using one or more of the flavors this Saturday when I smoke a couple of racks of back ribs.

Seasoning Stix

_Bear_ · April 18, 2019, 02:08:14 PM

Those spice sticks look very cool, will have to give them a try.

As for the ham, I am going to try marinating it, like you said, it wont hurt anything. It is going to be a busy smoking weekend, I have 3 hams to smoke as well as the 24 eggs, 2 lbs of sausage, onions and garlic for my pickled eggs and sausage. as well as a 10 lb load of cheese to smoke and vacuum pack. I fixed my cold smoke attachment this morning so I will give it a go tonight with the cheese.

Habanero Smoker · April 19, 2019, 03:13:09 AM

That is definitely a busy weekend.

My experiment with my spice stixs may be delayed due to weather. With ribs the instructions are to inject one spice stix between each bone. When I purchased my Seasoning Stix I got the injector also, so it makes it easier to inject the stixs. You can load pieces of a stix into the injector, so I'm going to use more than one flavor when I inject. I'm going to use the Sriracha Butter Garlic, and Classic Garlic between each bone. So I plan to break each stick into fours; alternate how I load the injector with two pieces of each flavor, then inject into the rib.

ArnieM · May 25, 2019, 06:11:54 PM

Hey Habs - nice to see ya. l

Habanero Smoker · May 26, 2019, 02:20:56 AM

Hi Arnie;

Great to see you back on the forum. I hope everything is going well for you. I still make double smoked bacon on occasions. It's funny, a few days ago I was thinking about hitting a few farmers markets, when they begin again, to see if I could find some Berkshire pork.

Mike