# Ham cold smoke question



## Rings Я Us (Apr 12, 2018)

Got a fresh ham and did the brine thing. I want to smoke this bad boy for 24 hours hanging netted . Will be cold smoke in 35-45° weather might be raining half the time but no matter..
Question to people that may have cold smoked a few hams..
 You think 24 hours straight smoke is going to be different than 12 on one day then 12 the next?
Flavor going to be best with a day rest?
Thanks for looking and input.


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## Bearcarver (Apr 12, 2018)

You say "Fresh".
Was it cured?---Fresh usually means raw-Not cured.

You say you did "The Brine Thing".
What is a "Brine Thing"? Brined with what?

If it's not cured, you can't Cold Smoke it above 40°.

Bear


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## daveomak (Apr 12, 2018)

rings, morning....  due to smoke penetrating the meat better, when cold smoked, the smoke on smoke off is a better deal...
I like 6 on 18 off...  for many days...   very light thin smoke is best....  I like using dust opposed to pellets...  much cooler and thinner smoke...  
Also, I like a little more nitrite in the meat..  since 200 Ppm is acceptable, I up the nitrite to 180-190 Ppm...  That allows for bone weight subtraction.....  and the extended smoking time...
It looks like you boned the ham leg...  If so, I would have injected the salt, sugar and cure due to the bacteria that has been introduced into the hunk of meat...  
For future reference, weigh the fresh hunk of boneless meat..  weigh out the correct amount of salt, sugar and cure for that weight...  weigh out 10% weight of the meat in salt free veggie stock...  dissolve 0.5% STPP (weight of the meat) and dissolve in the stock...  then dissolve the other stuff in the stock...   inject ALL of it in the hunk of meat every 1 1/2 inches..  wait 6 days and it's ready for the smoker....


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## Rings Я Us (Apr 12, 2018)

daveomak said:


> rings, morning....  due to smoke penetrating the meat better, when cold smoked, the smoke on smoke off is a better deal...
> I like 6 on 18 off...  for many days...   very light thin smoke is best....  I like using dust opposed to pellets...  much cooler and thinner smoke...
> Also, I like a little more nitrite in the meat..  since 200 Ppm is acceptable, I up the nitrite to 180-190 Ppm...  That allows for bone weight subtraction.....  and the extended smoking time...
> It looks like you boned the ham leg...  If so, I would have injected the salt, sugar and cure due to the bacteria that has been introduced into the hunk of meat...
> For future reference, weigh the fresh hunk of boneless meat..  weigh out the correct amount of salt, sugar and cure for that weight...  weigh out 10% weight of the meat in salt free veggie stock...  dissolve 0.5% STPP (weight of the meat) and dissolve in the stock...  then dissolve the other stuff in the stock...   inject ALL of it in the hunk of meat every 1 1/2 inches..  wait 6 days and it's ready for the smoker....


Yes.. I upped the cure weight and all that .. 
Injected well.  
I don't have time to be smoking this all week. I have to work 7 am-6 pm.  Mon-fri. But I can give it 8/8/8 overnight while I'm sleeping and rests of 16/16/16....Since the weather is cold I wont need to worry about that.  I'm just not sure about the sawdust part.  Never burnt the dust made from pellets yet. I'm familiar with making it though.


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## Rings Я Us (Apr 12, 2018)

bearcarver said:


> You say "Fresh".
> Was it cured?---Fresh usually means raw-Not cured.
> 
> You say you did "The Brine Thing".
> ...



Yes. Cured .. Injected and cured for many days. I just wanted to know if multiple cold smoked would be better than one smoke for say 24-36 hours


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## motocrash (Apr 12, 2018)

She sure looks beautiful! I'd go with Daves rest in between,I have found that various things develop a better flavor when rested between smokes.Can't wait to see the finished product.


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## SmokinAl (Apr 12, 2018)

I agree with Dave too, smoke on, rest, & smoke on again.
Repeat as many times as you like.
For me personally I do 10-12 hours of cold smoke & that's good enough for my taste.
Al


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## Rings Я Us (Apr 12, 2018)

motocrash said:


> She sure looks beautiful! I'd go with Daves rest in between,I have found that various things develop a better flavor when rested between smokes.Can't wait to see the finished product.[/QUO
> I could have done a thread but decided not to. Lol


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## Rings Я Us (Apr 12, 2018)

SmokinAl said:


> I agree with Dave too, smoke on, rest, & smoke on again.
> Repeat as many times as you like.
> For me personally I do 10-12 hours of cold smoke & that's good enough for my taste.
> Al


Guess I can try out the " pellet dust for light smoke" thing. See how long a row will last etc. Compare smoke intensity of dust vs pellet.


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## Rings Я Us (Apr 12, 2018)

Cold smoke weather.


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## SmokinAl (Apr 12, 2018)

I just use regular sawdust, from my chopsaw when I take splits & cut them up into 1" thick chunks.
So I get it for free. You can also buy sawdust from Amazen Products.
It's going to be 90 here on Sunday, so cold smoking will have to wait until next Fall!
Al


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## Rings Я Us (Apr 12, 2018)

LOL:D

I have an old mini food processor to try and 2 spice grinders. Should be fun.  I can use a mallet to start them . :D


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## zwiller (Apr 12, 2018)

It's 35-45F SE MI!?  It's 70F here in N OH.  :D

Assuming cured meat, what, if any, are the safety rules for cold smoking?  40-140F no longer applies etc?


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## daveomak (Apr 12, 2018)

I have made dust using the method below....  Save wear and tear on food processors,...  The pellets are mostly wet dust in a matter of a few minutes...  Dry in your smoker while preheat/sterilization is in progress....

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/making-dust-from-pellets.271863/


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## motocrash (Apr 12, 2018)

daveomak said:


> while preheat/sterilization is in progress....


Is this when the spiders come runnin' out? :p


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## daveomak (Apr 12, 2018)

Yep... and all the tars and creosote get one more cook...  all the bad stuff killed..  may not look clean but, IMO, sterilization is better anyway...


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## Rings Я Us (Apr 12, 2018)

Set up your smoker for cold-smoking following the manufacturer’s instructions; the temperature should be below 100°F. Add the wood as specified by the manufacturer. Hang the ham in the smoker or place it on one of the racks. Cold smoke the ham at no more than 100°F for 12 hours. (Cold-smoking infuses the meat with smoke flavor without cooking the meat.)


Still need to get it cooked or hot smoked afterwards to 160. I'm going to bake mine with a glaze I think.


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## Bearcarver (Apr 12, 2018)

Rings Я Us said:


> Yes. Cured .. Injected and cured for many days. I just wanted to know if multiple cold smoked would be better than one smoke for say 24-36 hours




I called in Dave for you.
He took care of you.
He's my goto on "Ham From Scratch".

Bear


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