Smoking a ham is the ideal way to eat pork without worrying about the fats. Doing it on your own would make it taste so much better as compared to buying a smoked ham from the store.
What is in smoked ham? Ham is whole pork cut from the back part of the pig including the rear legs of the hog. Who would not love to eat a perfectly done smoked ham? A well-cooked smoked ham is a tender inside, juicy and flavorful, and sweet outside.
Learning how to cook a smoked ham is easy, but the process and duration of smoking a ham are indeed time-consuming. In fact, there are several factors to consider before you start smoking a ham.
How to Smoke a Fresh Ham
If you will smoke a ham on your own, you should choose a fresh ham over a cured ham. Smoking a fresh ham is more similar to a baked piece of pork or roasted pork. Likewise, you can also experiment the taste and flavor according to your preferences.
To cook a smoked ham, choosing the best cut of ham plays an important role. A half ham cut is perfect for smoking effectively because it has more surface area.
Basic supplies needed to smoke a ham
As soon as you decide to smoke a ham, you should start gathering the basic supplies needed including the following:
- Fresh Ham
- Charcoal smoker
- Wood chips or chunks
- Spice Rub
- Apple cider or apple juice
- Aluminum foil
- Spray bottle
- Meat thermometer (Best Meat Thermometer for Grilling)
Preparing the seasoning or the rub
The flavor or seasoning is essential when smoking a ham. A spice rub is perfect to season the ham. You can buy ready-to-use rubs at the market, but making your own recipe allows you to customize the flavor that suits your taste.
Spicy Ham Rub Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar (brown)
- 1 tbsp. Kosher Salt
- 3 tbsps. Sweet paprika
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 2 tsps. Garlic powder
- 2 tsps. Onion powder
- 2 tsps. Black pepper (medium grind)
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 2 tsps. Dried oregano
- ½ tsp. chili powder
- ½ tsp. dry mustard powder
If you will use this rub recipe, you also need to apply yellow mustard on the outside surface of the ham. This will help the spices to absorb into the meat and enhance the flavor as it cooks.
Another thing to consider when you smoke a ham is the type of wood that you will use. Maple or hickory wood are good options for smoking a ham. But, it still depends on the smoky flavor that you want to achieve. Read 5 Best Wood Chips For Smoking.
Guide on how to smoke a fresh ham
Step 1: Pre-heat the smoker
Load some wood chunks or chips on the smoker and set the fire to pre-heat the smoker. If you will use wood chips, soak them first in hot water. As the fire gets going, fill the water tank and put some wood. Close the lid of the smoker so that the smoke and steam will build up inside the smoker.
To smoke a fresh ham, make sure that the temperature is between 220°F to 230°F consistently. Learn How To Season A New Smoker.
Step 2: Prepare the ham
After pre-heating the smoker, the next step is to prepare the ham. If the ham is pre-cut, you can apply a coat of yellow mustard and the spicy rub. Make sure that entire surface is covered with the rub.
Step 3: Smoke the ham
After seasoning the ham, place the meat on the grates and close the smoker. Throughout the smoking, make sure that there’s enough amount of water, charcoal and wood. Likewise, you should adjust the air intake necessary to sustain the fire and maintain a consistent temperature.
It would take about 5 to 7 hours smoking the ham. While smoking, the smokey flavors will absorb into the ham and the spices will caramelize making the outer crust crispy. You can also spray the ham with apple cider or apple juice every hour throughout the cooking process. This will make the ham moist and adds extra flavor.
Once the ham reaches 160°F internal temperature, take it out from the smoker. Wrap it with aluminum foil and return it to the grill. Wrapping the ham will prevent potential burning. Let the smoke cook the ham until the temperature reaches about 190°F.
Step 4: Let the ham rest at room temperature
After smoking the ham, let it rest at room temperature for an hour before serving it. This will make the meat fibers become tender while retaining the juice.
Ham Cooking Chart
| Category | Cut | Weight in Pounds | Minutes Per Pound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoked ham, cook-before-eating | Whole, bone in | 10 to 14 | 18 to 20 |
| Half, bone in | 5 to 7 | 22 to 25 | |
| Shank or butt portion, bone in | 3 to 4 | 35 to 40 | |
| Arm picnic shoulder, boneless | 5 to 8 | 30 to 35 | |
| Shoulder roll (butt), boneless | 2 to 4 | 35 to 40 | |
| Smoked ham, cooked | Whole, bone in | 10 to 14 | 15 to 18 |
| Half, bone in | 5 to 7 | 18 to 24 | |
| Arm picnic shoulder, boneless | 5 to 8 | 25 to 30 | |
| Canned ham, boneless | 3 to 10 | 15 to 20 | |
| Vacuum packed, boneless | 6 to 12 | 10 to 15 | |
| Spiral cut, whole or half | 7 to 9 | 10 to 18 | |
| Fresh ham, uncooked | Whole leg, bone in | 12 to 16 | 22 to 26 |
| Whole leg, boneless | 10 to 14 | 24 to 28 | |
| Half, bone in | 5 to 8 | 35 to 40 |
Chart Source: foodsafety.gov
Final thought
Smoking a fresh ham takes hours as you need to cook it at a low temperature so that the meat won’t dry out. The good thing about the smoking process is that you need not tend it all the time.
This means that you can do other things as you wait for the meat to be done. But, you still need to check the meat at least twice throughout the entire process. Maintaining the required internal temperature is very important.
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