dry rub for smoking a ham

[tradhunter1]

Hoping someone has some recipes for a dry rub to make a ham. I would like to finish the cure by smoking.

Any ideas are greatly apreciated.

[Al Dente]

It all depends what you like.  Brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper, mustard powder, dried powdered thyme, powdered ginger, allspice, nutmeg, mace, etc...  Try to remember that simpler is best, you really don't want to mask the flavor of the ham.  So maybe try Brown sugar, a little bit of white pepper, and a wee bit of allspice.  Smoke with hickory or fruit wood such as peach or apple.

[tradhunter1]

Thanks Al Dente.

I'm a firm believer in simple. We were hopeing to get a maple or honey cure/rub then smoke for that smoke cured flavor. My wife is researching recipes on the net. I just thought someone would have a recipe they use. I know the bacon recipe I got from some of the folks here at tradgang was great.

Thanks again

[Al Dente]

I was under the impression that you already had a cured ham and only wanted to add some additonal flavor from smoking to it.  I would not try to cure a ham at home, it is time consuming and the risk of bacteria growth is not worth it in my opinion.  That being said, here is a recipe I found about curing a ham at home.

First clear out a space in your refrigerator large ebough to 1st, hold the ham coated with salt horizontally, then 2nd, when the ham is submerged in a plastic 5 gallon bucket for 2 - 2&1/2 weeks.

Now, take 1 fresh prok leg 11-13 pounds and rub it liberally with salt, all over and in every crevice.  Spread a 1/2" layer of salt in a non-corrosive dish and lay the ham on it.  sprinkle with more salt, cover with plastic wrap and refirgerate for 24 hours.

The next day, make the brine, strain, and cool.

Brine
1 gallon of water
4 cups salt
2 cups brown sugar (you could probably substitute maple sugar for the flavor you want)
1 Tsp salt peter
small bunch of thyme
3 bay leaves
3 cloves

Place all ingredients in a stock pot, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.  Strain and cool before using.

After 24 hours, remove the ham from the fridge and brush off the salt.  Place it into the 5 gallon plastic bucket and pour the cooled brine over the ham.  Weight theham down so it is completely submerged in the brine.  Cover and refrigeraste for 2-2&1/2 weeks.  Check the brine every day, if there is an off odor or if it looks ropey, discard the brine, make a new one and cover the ham with it.  the temp of the fridge must remain below 40 degrees at all times!!!!!

After 2-2&1/2 weeks, remove the ham from the brine, rinse it off, then dry completely.  Now hang the ham for 2-3 days, in a cool dark, airy place where the temp is between 42-46 degrees.  

The ham is now cured, but not cooked.  You can roast/bake it or smoke it.

This is a very time consuming process, where you can falter and get sick, this why I suggest you get a professionally cured ham and smoke it yourself.  I hope this helps, and if anyone has other thoughts or another process I'm all ears, I'd love to learn a simpler way to do it, but this all I have.

[Al Dente]

One thing I forgot to mention is proper sanitation.  Everything must be sterilized prior to use.