How Do You Cure & Smoke Pork Hams?
Ham is an ideal meat to prepare for holiday gatherings or just for a fun family dinner. Although you can purchase your own cured and smoked ham from a grocery store, it is much more flavorful and fresh if you smoke and cure the meat on your own. Using a dry rub is easiest and will provide the ham with a good base before smoking. Use a ham that is fresh with not too much fat on the flesh. Also, keep the ham under 20 pounds. Put on gloves, if desired. Mix the salt, saltpeter and sugar together, and divide it in half. Place one-half of the mixture in a storage container (you will be using it down the line) and the other half in a bowl. This is the curing mixture. Place the ham, unwrapped, in a large roasting-style dish. Rub the curing mixture all over the ham, making sure to coat the whole surface. Once you’ve coated the ham with the mixture, cover loosely with tinfoil and put the ham back into storage at 40 degrees F or below. Cure the ham for as long as desired. You can store a ham this
