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Country Kitchen

Greta's Goodies: The Perfectly Smoked Easter Ham

April 9, 2022

Depending on your family traditions, an Easter ham is probably already part of your holiday plans. Sure, you can buy one pre-cured. You can even get it spiral cut. But for an amazing melt-in-your-mouth experience, nothing beats a raw ham that you cure, drench in glaze, and smoke on low heat for hours. Get your ingredients together and give this perfect Easter ham recipe a try.


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Ingredients (curing the raw ham)

- 2.5 cups kosher salt
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 2.5 tablespoons pink curing salt¼ cup molasses
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 4 quarts water
Choosing the right ham: for this recipe, you’ll want a 7-pound bone-in leg (AKA half bone-in leg). Avoid spiral cut for the best flavor.
 

Ingredients (glaze)

- 2 cups brown sugar
- ¼ cup yellow mustard
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (for a different flavor experience, substitute with 
   bourbon)
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves


Directions

 
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Combine all of your brine ingredients in a food-safe bucket.


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Boil 2 quarts of water and pour that into the bucket. Mix until dissolved.

 

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Add your ham to the brine. Then add additional 2 quarts of water to completely cover the ham. To keep your ham from floating, place a bowl on top of the ham and put the lid on the bucket.

Refrigerate the ham in the brine for 1 day for every 2 pounds of pork. Our 7 pound ham was in the fridge for 3.5 days.

Remove the ham from the brine and rinse under cold water for at least 5 minutes. It’s important to get all of the brine and salt off the outside of the ham.


Place your ham on a drying rack on the counter and pat dry with a towel. Allow it to sit for 30 minutes to dry completely. The drier the ham, the better the glaze will stick.


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Combine the glaze ingredients.


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Pre-heat your favorite smoker to 250º F. While it heats up, apply a healthy dose of glaze to the entire ham.

 

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Cook for 4-5 hours or until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 140º F.


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Add more glaze and cook another 30 minutes. Repeat the process until the internal temperature reaches 160º F. Remove the ham from the oven/grill and wrap it in tinfoil. The temperature of the ham will continue to rise.


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Remove from the foil, slice, and serve.


Coastal tip: Don’t throw out the ham bone, scraps, and gristle. Heat it in a stock pot with beans to make a soup or use in making Bone Broth.

For a pre-smoked/cured ham, glaze and cook in the oven or smoker at 325º F until it reaches an internal temperature of 130º F. Add glaze and cook until it reaches 140º F.

Remove from oven/grill, wrap in tinfoil until you’re ready to serve dinner.

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