Want to experience pork like never before? Our smoked fresh ham recipe showcases an often-overlooked cut that delivers incredible flavor and texture when properly prepared. This isn’t your typical spiral-cut holiday ham – this is a true culinary project using fresh, uncured pork that rewards your patience with something truly exceptional.
First, let’s clarify: a fresh ham is simply the hind leg of a pig that hasn’t been cured or smoked. It needs to be special ordered from your butcher, but this extra step is absolutely worth it. Our method involves a flavor-building brine followed by slow smoking to create a show-stopping centerpiece with a beautiful smoke ring and moist, tender meat.
We’ll guide you through each stage of this multi-day process, from ordering the right cut to brining, smoking, and carving. Our tested technique ensures deep flavor penetration and perfect doneness, transforming this substantial cut into something your guests will talk about for years.
Ingredients needed:
- Fresh Ham: You’ll need a bone-in, skin-on fresh ham, approximately 20 pounds. This cut is uncured and uncooked, different from the typical holiday ham, and must be special ordered from your butcher well in advance.
- Brine Ingredients: Combine water, kosher salt, light brown sugar, garlic, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, and bay leaves.
- Glaze: A mix of honey, Dijon mustard, and fresh rosemary enhances the ham’s flavor.
- Smoking: Applewood chips are recommended for their mild, sweet smoke.
How to Brine and Smoke A Fresh Ham
- Brining the Ham:
- Prepare the brine by simmering water, salt, sugar, and spices until dissolved. Cool completely.
- Submerge the bone-in ham in the brine in a large container, using a weight to keep it fully immersed. Refrigerate and brine for 7 days, turning occasionally.
- Preparing for Smoking:
- Remove the ham from the brine and discard the liquid. Dry the ham by air in the refrigerator, uncovered, on a wire rack overnight.
- Prepare your smoker to maintain a steady temperature of 200°F.
- Smoking the Ham:
- Smoke the ham for 4 hours, adding fresh wood chips halfway through.
- Apply a honey, Dijon, and rosemary glaze, then continue to smoke until the internal temp reaches 165°F, about 3 to 4 additional hours.
- Post-Smoking:
- Allow the ham to cool before applying a final glaze.
- Slice with a long sharp carving knife and serve, or follow our recommended reheating method.
- Reheating to Serve:
- To reheat, place the smoked ham in a steamer pan to gently bring it back to temperature. This method helps retain moisture and enhances the flavors, making it ideal for serving during your Easter celebration.
Why Smoke Ahead of Time?
Smoking your fresh ham in advance allows the flavors to develop more deeply and ensures a stress-free holiday meal. By reheating it in a steamer pan, you preserve the moisture and texture of the meat, ensuring a delicious and festive centerpiece for your dinner table.
Girl Carnivore Expert Tips
- Brining: Brining is crucial for adding moisture and flavor to the fresh ham. Make sure the ham is fully submerged in the cold water and refrigerated throughout the brining process to ensure safety and even seasoning.
- Smoking Temperature: Maintaining a low and slow approach at around 200°F helps the ham cook evenly without drying out. Monitor your smoker’s temperature and make adjustments as needed. We use Cowboy Charcoal lump charcoal and recommend a mix of apple wood and hickory wood smoking chunks or wood chips for the best flavor.
- Glazing: Apply the first layer of glaze before the final hours of smoking to allow the flavors to caramelize on the ham’s surface without burning.
What to Serve With Smoked Fresh Ham:
- Vegetable Sides: Pair with roasted asparagus, green beans, or a spring vegetable medley to complement the rich flavors of the smoked ham.
- Starches: A light, fluffy mashed cauliflower or a low-carb scalloped turnip dish can balance the meal without adding heavy carbohydrates.
- Salads: A crisp salad with a vinaigrette dressing can cut through the richness of the smoked meat, adding a refreshing element to your meal.
- Breads: Serve with low-carb keto rolls or fresh lettuce wraps for those keeping it light and healthy.
- Sauces: Offer a variety of sauces such as a mustard sauce or a reduced balsamic glaze to enhance the flavors of the smoked ham.
Storage Instructions:
- Refrigeration: Once cooked and cooled, wrap the ham tightly in foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate. It will keep for up to 5 days. For ease, we recommend slicing the ham from the shank and dividing it up for storage. Cube some and store it for soups and stews. Slice some for sandwiches, wrap them in foil, and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. You will have leftovers, so it’s easiest to immediately divide this instead of wasting fridge space for a whole ham.
- Freezing: For longer storage, wrap the ham in a layer of plastic wrap and then foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheating:
- Steamer Pan Method: Place the ham in a steamer pan covered loosely with aluminum foil. Reheat in a preheated oven at 275°F until warmed through. This method prevents the ham from drying out and maintains its juicy texture.
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Looking to smoke something extraordinary? This special-order cut (a raw, uncured leg of pork) transforms through brining and slow smoking into a showstopping centerpiece with incredible flavor. While it requires advance planning, this multi-day process rewards you with pork unlike anything you’ve tasted before.
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Brine the fresh ham
In a large pot, bring the water, salt, brown sugar, garlic, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, and bay leaves to a simmer.
Whisk until the salt and sugar are completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
When the brining liquid has cooled, find a large container, big enough to hold your ham.
Submerge the ham in the brining liquid and weigh down the ham to keep submerged, if needed.
Brine in the refrigerator for 7 days, turning once in a while.
Air dry
Remove the ham from the liquid and discard the brine.
Pat the ham completely dry with paper towels.
Place the ham on a wire rack set inside a large roasting pan and place in the refrigerator, uncovered, overnight to air dry.
Prep the Smoker
Prep your wood for your smoker.
Prep your smoker for a temp of 200 – 225 degrees F.
We recommend setting up a drip pan filled with a mixture of apple juice or cider and water and making sure it stays filled while cooking to keep the environment moist.
Make the Glaze and Continue to Smoke
Meanwhile, whisk the honey, Dijon, and rosemary together in a bowl.
Brush over the ham. Close the smoker and smoke for another 3 to 4 hours. Check the temp on the ham. You are looking for 165 degrees F – this is more important than cooking times.
Rest, Slice and Serve
Remove the ham from the smoker and allow to cool. Brush with the remaining glaze.
After the ham has cooled for 1 hour, slice off what you need to serve. See our notes about cooking ahead and reheating for better flavor.
- A large cooler that you can keep cold works great. I used a spare fridge, removed the shelves and placed a cleaned cooler in it to brine the ham.
- A huge roasting pan. The ham requires an overnight air dry. Make sure you have a pan big enough to hold it.
- A smoker. Make sure your smoker can handle the size of a 20 pound am. If not, scale the recipe as needed.
- Order ahead of time: Most importantly, make sure your ham is NOT pre-cooked or cured. Uncured ham isn’t typical in markets. Give yourself ample time to talk to your butcher, order ahead of time to get in, and work through the bringing process.
- Dry the ham: After the ham is brined, you’ll want to let it dry completely overnight. The dryer the ham, the crispier the exterior.
- Check the temp: The internal temperature of the ham should be 165ºF. Once it’s reached that with an instant-read thermometer inserted to the thickest point , it’s good to go.
- Play with seasonings. The coriander, mustard seeds, and bay leaves in the brine are classic, but go ahead and add peppercorns, juniper berries, or even a piece of a cinnamon stick.
- Use maple syrup. If you want a real maple-flavored ham, swap the brown sugar in the brine out for real maple syrup.
- This recipe works on a pellet grill, classic offset smoker, or an electric smoker. The biggest key is making sure your grill space is big enough for the pork.
- Cooking ahead of time: We recommend cooking this ahead of time, a day before, and using a steamer to warm it up. To reheat: place the smoked ham in a steamer pan to gently bring it back to temperature. This method helps retain moisture as you work through the enormous cut.
Serving: 1g | Calories: 626kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 190mg | Sodium: 6177mg | Potassium: 667mg | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 3.1mg
