Image Courtesy: HarleyEarl www.bbq-brethren.com
Christmas is just around the corner which means plenty more home cooking is on the way. Having a good Christmas or Yule ham recipe already in mind heading into this holiday season can help save you some hassle. So we’re going to recommend a downright delectable smoked Christmas ham recipe from our very own Bradley archives.
Along with the recipe, we’ll offer some pointers on how to make it a new family favorite.
Smoked Maple Glazed Christmas Ham
As was mentioned in the Smoked Thanksgiving Day Turkey post, there’s no better way to prepare large portions of meat than the low and slow smoking process. And ham is certainly no exception. Maple glazed smoked ham is incredible.
But why ham?
Tradition has it that this custom of eating ham prior to the new year began in the isles of Britain by the Anglo-Saxons in medieval times. “The boar’s head with apple in mouth was carried into the banquet hall on a gold or silver dish to the sounds of trumpets and the songs of minstrels.” (source). This apparently was done to implore Freyr (Norse deity) to show favor to the new year.
Duly noted. Moving forward…
Start with a precooked, spiral-cut ham that weighs between 12-14 lb. Precooked makes the smoking process quicker and easier, and the spiral-cut makes it a lot easier to serve up to guests. Don’t worry about the meat drying out. The low, slow process will allow the fat to render and you will be brushing the ham with glaze throughout the smoking process. It will turn out moist.
The Paste
Combine 2 TBSP Dijon Mustard, 2 TBSP Maple Syrup, 2 TBSP Freshly Ground Black Pepper, 1 TBSP Vegetable Oil, 1 TBSP Cider Vinegar, 1 TBSP Onion Powder, 1 TBSP Paprika and 2 teaspoons of coarse salt in a small bowl. Apply the paste evenly all over the ham. Then cover the entire ham in plastic wrap and refrigerate over night. The next morning, remove the ham from refrigerator and let stand at room temp for about 45 minutes.
The Grill
Time to fire up the Bradley food smoker. Bring it to a temperature of 120 °C (250 °F) and prepare Maple flavor bisquettes for use in smoker. Cook the ham approximately 5 hours, or an hour longer to impart a smokier flavor. Some people like to mop the ham with orange juice, pear juice, Italian dressing, wooster sauce every hour during the cooking process. It’s not necessary, but it’s an option to consider if you like your ham especially moist.
The Glaze
For the glaze, you will combine about 2/3 Cup maple syrup, 1/3 Cup Bourbon and 3 TBSP Dijon mustard in a saucepan and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes. During the last hour of cooking, brush the ham generously a couple of times.
Your Christmas ham is now done! Let it stand about 15 minutes and start serving. This is where spiral-cut ham really comes in handy. It’s just easier to do.
There you have it. Looking forward to your comments.
Just picked up the ham. I maybe making it this weekend. Not for Christmas but to have it for delicious ham sandwiches that I don’t have to wait for after Christmas to enjoy.
Just a quick question. Do you have the smoke going for the full 5-6 hours or follow the usual rule of using smoke for the first half of the cooking process? Thanks.
I need to say that I just started with the new Bradley, no more than a few weeks ago. I’ve done up some ducks, and yesterday, I did the smoked Christmas maple glazed ham…….WOW! It was excellent!!!!! If people didn’t know different they would think I’ve been doing this for years, thanx for the help.
That’s wonderful Lon, thanks for the feedback!
I got a bradly/smoker from Santa and bitin’ at the bit to try it.
Chinese dry-cured hams have been recorded in texts since before the Song dynasty and used in myriad dishes. Several types exist in Qing dynasty cuisine and are used in dishes of stewing hams.