How to Make a Homemade Virginia Baked Ham

How to Make a Homemade Virginia Baked Ham

We started with an 11.5lb uncured ham (locally sourced).

Cure: Divide into 2 equal portions
Kosher Salt – 26g
Sugar – 8g
Curing Salt – 4g

Rub in the first half of the cure, and refrigerate the ham for 7 days (flipping over the ham daily)
On the 8th day, rub the ham with the 2nd half of the cure. Return the ham to the fridge, continuing to flip the ham daily until the ham is fully cured.

Total curing time is 1 1/2 days per pound!

Once cured, the ham needs to be washed and soaked. This will remove any mold and excess salt build up. It will, also, equalize the salt levels throughout the ham.

After soaking in cool water for a minimum of one hour, place the ham on a wire rack and return to the fridge for a minimum of 24 hours. This will dry the outside of the ham, making it more receptive to smoke.

Smoke on your lowest heat until the ham reaches 90F, internal.

At this point, you can bake the ham, or return it to the fridge to age for up to 14 days.

To serve the ham, rub with glaze (recipe below) and bake in a 375F oven until the ham reaches 145F, internal.

Glaze:
Brown Sugar – 1 Cup
Juice and Grated Rind of 1 Orange – approx. 1/4 OJ and 1 TSP Orange Zest