Get the salt out?

[hput2]

I have one of those hams that is precooked. I have smoked a few of these before and they’re pretty good! But I would like to try to get more of the brine water out first. Any suggestions?

 

[Jim6820]

I have one of those hams that is precooked. I have smoked a few of these before and they’re pretty good! But I would like to try to get more of the brine water out first. Any suggestions?

Soak in a bucket or tub of fresh water overnight in the refrigerator. Change out the water first thing in the morning and soak for another couple hours before putting in the smoker. That works for de-salting corned beef, so I think it should work for ham as well.

 

[hput2]

Soak in a bucket or tub of fresh water overnight in the refrigerator. Change out the water first thing in the morning and soak for another couple hours before putting in the smoker. That works for de-salting corned beef, so I think it should work for ham as well.

Thanks, will try this holiday season!

 

[hput2]

Soak in a bucket or tub of fresh water overnight in the refrigerator. Change out the water first thing in the morning and soak for another couple hours before putting in the smoker. That works for de-salting corned beef, so I think it should work for ham as well.

I tried it. I soaked it overnight for about 8hrs. the ham looked a little pale. Put it on at 245° looked at it about 2 hrs. later it was so dried out looking that I ran to the store and got another one! Oh well you don’t know until you try!

 

[Jim6820]

I tried it. I soaked it overnight for about 8hrs. the ham looked a little pale. Put it on at 245° looked at it about 2 hrs. later it was so dried out looking that I ran to the store and got another one! Oh well you don’t know until you try!

Hmmmm. Were you monitoring the internal temp, or just going by time? With a pre-cooked ham, you are just heating it to serving temperature; 145F or so. For adding a little smoke in the heating process, I would do it at Low/200F and monitor the IT. Spritzing every 15-20 minutes with apple cider or juice could help prevent drying out.

Sorry that this try went south.

 

[SmokeZilla]

Ham is a very interesting protein. The “cap” is separated from the rest by a thin section of fat. I have been so disappointed by the quality (i.e., toughness) enough to only buy “Cured Virginia Hams” lately. Hormel, Smth’s and others are just too lean for my taste. When it comes to salt, at one time it was a preservation agent. Now it seems like the hams are encased in it. Pork already has a flavor profile that seems dense when cured. To complicate matters, the USDA does not offer grades for pork like they do for beef. You may have to chalk this one up to a bad pig on your good day. Next time you are selecting, don’t get one that is oversized as give it the Charmin tissue squeeze test looking for some give. That is a way to tell if there is any fat content which is what I look for. Regarding salt content, you’re on your own, lol.

YMMV.

 

[hput2]

Ham is a very interesting protein. The “cap” is separated from the rest by a thin section of fat. I have been so disappointed by the quality (i.e., toughness) enough to only buy “Cured Virginia Hams” lately. Hormel, Smth’s and others are just too lean for my taste. When it comes to salt, at one time it was a preservation agent. Now it seems like the hams are encased in it. Pork already has a flavor profile that seems dense when cured. To complicate matters, the USDA does not offer grades for pork like they do for beef. You may have to chalk this one up to a bad pig on your good day. Next time you are selecting, don’t get one that is oversized as give it the Charmin tissue squeeze test looking for some give. That is a way to tell if there is any fat content which is what I look for. Regarding salt content, you’re on your own, lol.

YMMV.

That’s interesting, I’ll have to look for a Virginia cured ham next time I smoke one.

 

[hput2]

Hmmmm. Were you monitoring the internal temp, or just going by time? With a pre-cooked ham, you are just heating it to serving temperature; 145F or so. For adding a little smoke in the heating process, I would do it at Low/200F and monitor the IT. Spritzing every 15-20 minutes with apple cider or juice could help prevent drying out.

Sorry that this try went south.

I was going to by time and temperature. Smoke it up to about 150° but no more than 3 to 4 hours since it is pre-cooked. The cooks brand ham this year seems like theiro process is different. The package has a lot more water in it than in the meet? I guess it’s time to try a different brand.