kjs Posted December 11, 2015 Report Posted December 11, 2015 I decided to cure some bacon and ham for Christmas. My neighbor wanted a ham and bacon as well, so I made two 18 lb hams and 22 lbs of bacon. The hams were cured with Morton's Sugar cure (I like to add maple sugar as well). It was cured for 7 days, then smoked at 225° until the internal temp was 145°. The hams were in a brine solution of 3% Morton Tender Quick and 2% brown sugar by total weight of water and pork, I also added various spices. They were in the solution for 14 days and smoked at 240° until reaching an internal temp of 145°. 8 slabs of bacon Bacon sliced Prepared ham, it is wrapped in cheese cloth to promote even evaporation and browning Hams on the KK 9 hours later, cheese cloth removed Finished ham ready to cook for Christmas dinner ... I'll post pics of the finished plated ham after Christmas.
ckreef Posted December 11, 2015 Report Posted December 11, 2015 Nice bacon and ham. Can't wait to see the finished ham pictures. Charles - Prometheus 16.5", Cassiopeia 19" TT
CeramicChef Posted December 11, 2015 Report Posted December 11, 2015 kjs - now THAT is what I'm talking about. Can't wait to see where you take this! Nicely done.
Poochie Posted December 11, 2015 Report Posted December 11, 2015 That bacon is a work of art! The hams look yummy too.
Franciscus Posted December 11, 2015 Report Posted December 11, 2015 A wonderful recipe. We are planning to do this for Christmas 14lb ham. Our first attempt. What temperature and time would you recommend please?
CeramicChef Posted December 11, 2015 Report Posted December 11, 2015 Josephine - is this ham already cure/cooked and you're just reheating or are you cooking from the get go?
MacKenzie Posted December 11, 2015 Report Posted December 11, 2015 kjs, those are two fantastic looking cooks and I'm sure they both will be fantastic tasting too. The bacon looks nice and lean.
Franciscus Posted December 12, 2015 Report Posted December 12, 2015 Sorry Ken I wasn't specific No it is a leg of pork We are brining it at the moment.
kjs Posted December 13, 2015 Author Report Posted December 13, 2015 I would recommend a slow cook at 240 until it reaches an internal temp of 155 . Then pull the roast, cover and let it rest, it will probably increase to 160 or 165.
CeramicChef Posted December 13, 2015 Report Posted December 13, 2015 +1^ What Ken said! I think I'd also consider pulling at 150°-155°, wrapping in foil and then a beach towell, and placing the ham in a cooler for a couple of hours. That rest in the cooler gives the juices time to redistribute. Merry Christmas!
Franciscus Posted December 14, 2015 Report Posted December 14, 2015 Thank you as a newbie, I'm really happy with the help from you and Ken. One last question. How long will it take, approximately to reach the temperatures suggested. And a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. To you all too.
CeramicChef Posted December 14, 2015 Report Posted December 14, 2015 Josephine - time is one of those things that is really hard to pin down. Time to cook os dependent on a lot of things…how stable your fires/temps are, the actual shape of the cook, etc. A 14# pork leg should take about 1.25 hours per pound, as a rough estimate. What I'd suggest you do is get a nice dual prone thermometer and use that to monitor your cook. A lot of people use a Maverick 733. One probe goes into the center of the thickest part of your cook. The other probe can be used to tell you the temp in your KK at the main grate level. Probe one will tell you when your cook reaches the finished temp, i.e. 160°. Mavericks are relatively inexpensive and can be ordered through Amazon. You can also use jus a plain old single probe thermometer to monitor the temp of the cook.
Franciscus Posted December 23, 2015 Report Posted December 23, 2015 You mention that the ham was ready to be cooked for Christmas Day. Our ham has finished smoking and is resting.It tastes wonderful. I would like to glaze it and finish it off for Christmas. Can you advise please? Thanks Jo
