First whole ham now in the smoker

[Skyhawk]

I followed Habanero Smoker's "Smoked Cured Ham" recipe for brine and pumping.  It was 25# when I started, and I was concerned that it may not fit in my 4 shelf digital.  It turns out it fits fine:


It's way to cold outside to get the temperature up high enough to cook, so I'll just be smoking it.  Then I'll keep it in the fridge sealed up for a couple days to absorb the smoke and then freeze it for later cooking.  Sounds alright?

[mikecorn.1]

Dam. That's a BIG Ham.


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[Skyhawk]

There is still good clearance between the back and walls, but I bet that a leg over 30# would definitely be pushing it.  It's still smoking.  Here is an updated pic I just took, 7 hours after the first photo in my original post:


I'm going to let it go for 10 hours total.  I'm using hickory.

[Habanero Smoker]

That should be a nice ham when finished.

It is perfectly alright to just smoke the ham, then freeze it.

[beefmann]

that is a real porker of a ham

[Skyhawk]

Thanks for the reassurance there Habanero, it definitely looks good.  So it's safe in the fridge for another day or two, or should I just freeze it?  I'm guessing with that size of meat, there can't be much smoke penetration anyway?  I also wonder what happens while its frozen, if there is any mellowing and transfer, or if it just lies there in suspended animation...

I should also mention that I tried a much smaller piece with the recipe you posted as a trial, and my family thought it was the best ham we'd ever tasted.  Then again, we've never had "real" ham... just the kind you buy at the grocery that's in plastic with all the fluid inside.

Next up is a dozen "ham hocks" I have brining... but Cantonese style.  It's pork hocks in a basic brine cure, but spiced with lots of Chinese 5 spice powder, garlic, tons of ginger, a tiny bit of hot stuff, red bean extract, and some soya sauce.  I'm hooked already!

[mikecorn.1]

Yeah. Those should come out real nice also. Post some pics if you can.


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[watchdog56]

Something that big might take a while for the center to freeze. Are you going to slice it then freeze it?

[Habanero Smoker]

When I froze mine I let it rest in the refrigerator for a couple of days to allow the smoke flavor to mellow out, but you don't have to. Once it is frozen, most chemical reactions stop or are significantly slow down until it is thawed. My freezer is kind of small, so I separated the butt from the sirloin end, and froze them separately, so I could fit them in.

The Cantonese style ham hocks sound interesting. Let us know how they turn out.

[SouthernSmoked]

HOLY CRAP THAT LOOKS GOOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!