Is there intervention?

mbm · December 24, 2009, 12:36:03 PM

Greetings,

My husband presented me with my new smoker yesterday. I seasoned it yesterday afternoon and was at the grocery store early this morning to pick up my Cook's ham (butt portion) and some chickens. I can feel the addiction already, with both the smoker and the forum. There are so many ideas whirling around in my head right now, after reading all of the recipes and ideas that you guys have posted. I'm starting out very slowly. The ham has been on for about 4 hours now (unseasonfed and using apple bisquettes). Tomorrow, I will smoke the chickens. I bought two kinds of rub at the store and will use one on each chicken. I have not decided which flavor of smoke I will use tomorrow. Any suggestions? I have mesquite, hickory, apple and alder. What is alder?

I'm looking forward to learning all about smoking from you all. Love your pictures, Pachanga!

I'm not from Texas, but I got here as fast as I could!

FLBentRider · December 24, 2009, 12:43:54 PM

W E L C O M E to the Forum mbm!

To my knowledge, there is no intervention or 12-step program for smoked food.

There is a cure, but we put it on bacon and in sausage. ;D

Alder is a wood from the Pacific Northwest - traditionally used on Salmon and other fish.

The good thing about this "hobby" is there are not very many rules. Use whatever wood you like.

There is a guide to the different woods here - http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?p=36#post36

mbm · December 24, 2009, 12:48:53 PM

I'm just flying by the seat of my pants here.

Any suggestions on how long to smoke a 7.39 lb. ham? It has been cured and 'ready to cook' (according to the package label) but at what temp should I be cooking it? I have it on 210 deg. Is that correct?

pensrock · December 24, 2009, 12:54:35 PM

Welcome to the forum and Merry Christmas.
Alder is very mild in smoke flavor and goes well with fishes or anything you want a light smoke taste.
I would probably go with apple for chicken the first time and if you want a stronger smoke then the next time go with hickory.
You will find that the Bradley does not need nearly as much smoke time wise as conventional smokers.
Most items only need 2-4 hours of smoke and the rest is cooking.
One tip is to keep the top vent open, it should never be closed the whole way. I normally keep mine 3/4 to full open at all times.
As for your ham, I think a couple hours of smoke at 220-250 should be fine. As for how long to keep it cooking. I could not say, its precooked so it just needs to get heated through. Maybe someone with more ham knowledge will pop in with some more information.

MPTubbs · December 24, 2009, 12:58:53 PM

Welcome MBM!

I am a newbie myself to this Bradley toy.

I'm learning alot from this bunch and you will also!

Sorry I can't help with the ham (haven't done one yet)....but it is on my list to do.

Some good people will be along and will give you a bunch of advice. ;) Just hang tight.

Mike.

FLBentRider · December 24, 2009, 01:06:39 PM

Quote from: mbm on December 24, 2009, 12:48:53 PM
I'm just flying by the seat of my pants here.

Any suggestions on how long to smoke a 7.39 lb. ham? It has been cured and 'ready to cook' (according to the package label) but at what temp should I be cooking it? I have it on 210 deg. Is that correct?

I think you just want to get to an internal temperature on the ham of around 152F.

I would look at the cooking instructions. It may already be cooked and all you need to do is apply smoke and get it to a serving temperature.

Tenpoint5 · December 24, 2009, 01:09:59 PM

I would suggest that if the ham IS NOT a spiral ham to smoke heat it to about 145* internal Temp. Then if your not ready to eat just yet you can FTC the ham until your ready. FTC= foil wrap, wrap in a towel, place in a small cooler. Or if your in a pinch and your not using it you can also place in a microwave until your ready to slice and serve.

mbm · December 24, 2009, 01:20:11 PM

The directions on the package read as follows (for oven baking):
Preheat oven to 325°F. Remove all packaging materials and place ham face down directly into baking dish or roasting pan. Cover tightly with lid or foil and cook for approximately 25 minutes per pound until product center reaches 160°F.

car54 · December 24, 2009, 01:37:45 PM

Welcome mbm,

Your husband is rather smart in giving you the smoker. You do the work and he eats the results. Good luck with it and have a great time playing with it.

brad

Habanero Smoker · December 24, 2009, 01:59:11 PM

Hi mbm;

Welcome to the forum.

It appears you did not get a precooked ham, or the instructions would have stated to cook to an internal temperature of 140°F. Is this a fresh ham or cured?

You don't have to go to 160°F, 152°F is a safe temperature to take it to. If it is cured when you reheat it tomorrow and add the glaze, you only need to reheat it to 140°F; if it is not cured you will want to bring it up to 160°F, some will say 165°F.

mbm · December 24, 2009, 05:48:39 PM

It is a cured ham. I took it off the smoker at 5:30 (I had put it in at 10:30AM, but did not preheat the smoker first). The ham was very tender and juicy; the outside was too strong (flavored) and tough to eat. The outside part would be great added to beans, gumbo or jambalaya, as a seasoning. Is there a way to 'save' the outside of the ham (or any meat) so that it is edible? or, is the outside always going to be something that you either throw away or use as a seasoning in other dishes?

FLBentRider · December 24, 2009, 06:05:48 PM

How many bisquettes did you use ?

It sounds like you might have had the smoke going the whole time.

If not, a wrap in plastic wrap and a rest in the refrigerator will mellow the smoke a little - it will distribute more evenly thoughout the roast.

Most of us apply 2 to four hours of smoke.

classicrockgriller · December 24, 2009, 06:31:12 PM

mbm Think I said welcome in another post, if not Welcome to the Forum.

So you got some toasties on your Ham, not the end of the world.

You can cut off the part that is going to another cause (beans,gumbo,jambalaya)
and vac seal and freeze. Then enjoy the rest.

If you can, tell us what temp you had your smoker set at and then we can help you
so that your next smoke is A+.

I'm a native Texan and love the great state of Texas.

Habanero Smoker · December 25, 2009, 02:10:45 AM

Cured hams can come in at least three different forms; fully cooked (reheat to 140°), partially cooked to 137°; or uncooked. The later two need to be cooked to 152°F, or as most manufacturer will note to cook until 160°F.

The outer layer will pretty much will remain like that, but can be fixed so you don't have to cut that off. The outside will improve if you glaze it. Doing so the outer layer will become crisp, or if you don't want to glaze just tightly foil it and reheat it slowly until it reaches 140°F and it will soften up; adding a 1/2 of apple juice or pineapple juice in the roasting pan also will help. And as FBL mentioned, the smoke will mellow. I like to "age" mine for at least two day prior to glazing.

See this recipe. In the smoking directions in step #4 I mention the tough outer skin.
Smoked Cured Ham

mbm · December 25, 2009, 05:03:17 AM

FLBR,
That's exactly what I did wrong. After I asked this questions last night, my husband and I were talking and we decided that I had it smoking the entire time and that is not the thing to do. I've never smoked anything in my entire life, so not only is the Bradley something I have to learn, but I have the basic smoking techniques to learn also.

Today, I'm experimenting on a chicken. I think I will use smoke on it for about an hour, unless you tell me otherwise, and see if that turns out better.

Thanks for all the advice, everyone. MERRY CHRISTMAS!