Farmland Hickory Smoked Ham Recipes

PINEAPPLE BROWN SUGAR-GLAZED BONELESS HAM

Steps:

• Let the ham sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the ham on a cutting board. Using a sharp paring knife, score the top and sides in a diagonal crosshatch pattern about 1/4 inch deep. Push the cloves into the ham if using, placing them at the intersections of the cuts. Put the ham, scored side-up, on a rack set in a roasting pan.
• Drain the pineapple rings, reserving the juice. Arrange the sliced pineapple all over the ham, securing with toothpicks. Add a maraschino cherry to the center of each pineapple slice and secure with a toothpick.
• Pour 1/4 inch water into the bottom of the pan and tent the ham loosely with foil. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the ham registers 130 degrees F, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, combine the honey, brown sugar and reserved pineapple juice in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, syrupy and reduced to about 3 cups, 25 to 30 minutes. Set aside.
• Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.
• Uncover the ham and carefully brush a third of the glaze all over. If the water in the roasting pan has evaporated, add more. Bake the ham for 15 minutes more. Brush with another third of the glaze and bake for 15 minutes more. Brush the remaining glaze over the ham and cook until the glaze is shiny and the skin is dark golden brown and crispy, about 15 minutes more. Let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

HONEY-CURED, HICKORY-SMOKED SHOULDER HAM

Steps:

• Make the brine: In a large pot, place 2 1/2 quarts water, the salt, honey, brown sugar and Prague powder. Bring to a boil over high, stirring until the salt, honey and sugar are dissolved.
• Make the spice bundle: Tie the cloves, allspice berries, bay leaves, lemon zest and peppercorns in a piece of cheesecloth.
• Stir the spice bundle and another 2 1/2 quarts ice water into the brine, remove from heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes).
• While the brine cools, prepare the ham: Using paper towels, blot the pork shoulder dry on all sides. Using a sharp knife, score the ham in a crosshatch pattern, cutting through the skin but not through the meat and spacing the cuts 1 1/2 inches apart. (This is optional, as you'll remove the skin, but it facilitates injecting and gives the ham a striking appearance.)
• Measure out 2 cups brine and place in a deep measuring cup. Place the ham in a roasting pan. Draw the brine into a marinade injector and inject it deep into the ham all over, inserting the needle at 1 1/2-inch intervals and drawing it out slowly as you depress the plunger, until the brine starts to squirt out of the surface of the ham.
• Place the ham in a large pot or food-safe bucket with a lid, or 3-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the brine and flavorings (plus any brine in the roasting pan). If using a plastic bag, tightly seal, squeezing out any air, and place the bag in the roasting pan to corral any leaks. Brine the ham in the refrigerator for 3 days, turning the ham twice a day so it cures evenly.
• Pour the brine into a large pot and set aside. Remove the ham from its pot or bag and transfer it to a roasting pan. Using the marinade injector, re-inject the ham with brine (using 2 cups again, or more, if you can get more in), inserting the needle at 1 1/2-inch intervals. Return the ham and all the brine to the bag. (You can use a fresh bag, if you wish.) Continue brining the ham in the refrigerator for another 3 days, turning twice a day so it brines evenly. When ready for smoking, the meat will take on a pinkish hue.
• Drain the ham in a large colander, discarding the brine. Rinse the ham well with cold water, drain again and blot dry with paper towels. Place it on a wire rack over a roasting pan and let it dry for 2 to 3 hours in the refrigerator.
• If using a charcoal grill, set it up for indirect grilling and heat it to 250 degrees. If using wood chips, soak them in water to cover for 30 minutes, then drain. If using wood chunks, there is no need to soak them. (With a kettle grill, use less charcoal than normal to obtain this low temperature.) If using a smoker, heat it to 250 degrees following the manufacturer's instructions.
• Place the ham on the grate, fat-side up, using indirect heat, and add 1 1/2 cups wood chips or 2 wood chunks to the coals. Smoke the ham until handsomely browned and cooked through. (The internal temperature will be about 160 degrees.) This typically takes about 7 hours, but you may need more or less time, depending on your ham, smoker and the weather. Add wood chips (about 1 1/2 cups) or chunks (1 large or 2 medium) per hour to the embers to maintain a constant flow of smoke. Rotate your ham a few times during cooking so that it browns evenly, and drape it loosely with foil if it seems to be darkening too much.
• Transfer the ham to a cutting board and let it cool for 20 minutes. Pull off the skin. (If you're feeling ambitious, you can fry the skin in 350-degree oil to make smoke-flavored cracklings.)
• Thinly slice the ham across the grain and serve. You can serve the ham hot, at room temperature, or chilled. Refrigerated, it will keep for at least a week.

HICKORY SMOKED HAM

Steps:

• Heat oven to 250 degrees F. Remove ham from package. Place Spiral Sliced Ham face down in roasting pan. Cover pan with aluminum foil; bake ham 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare sugar rub. Combine brown sugar with dry mustard, lime rind, ginger, allspice, cloves and finely chopped pecans in bowl. Mix thouroughly with fork. Stir in lime juice to moisten sugar mixture evenly. Set rub aside.
• Remove ham from oven and uncover pan. Pat and rub sugar mixture over warm ham, covering top end first, then smearing mixture down the sides as evenly as possible.
• Return ham to oven. Bake uncovered 30 to 45 minutes, basting meat with pan juices every 15 minutes. Ham is done when center reaches 150 degrees F. On meat thermometer.
• Remove ham from roasting pan; place on wire rack and let rest 10-15 minutes.
• Carve ham off bone and serve.

JIM'S HONEY-GLAZED HAM

Steps:

• Score the ham, making diamond shapes 1/2 in. deep. Place on a rack in a well-greased foil-lined roasting pan. Add water to pan. In a small bowl, combine the honey, brown sugar, cloves and mustard; pour over ham., Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until a thermometer reads 140°, basting with pan juices often. Add additional water to the pan if necessary.