# Ref; Smoked Watermelon.. Ham?



## TomKnollRFV

So a friend of mine tipped me off to this, knowing my mind would start churning. Apparently, it's brined, then smoked, then oven roasted. Now Duck's Eatery is unlikely to give up their recipe..so lets try to figure this out..because my friend was right..I want to try that.

https://news.iheart.com/featured/th...moked-watermelon-that-looks-like-a-baked-ham/ <--another video.


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## Jeff Wright

Oh my!  Can't wait to see where this leads.


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## TomKnollRFV

I just want to figure out exactly what to do to try it at home! I like grilled Watermelon so this has to be better!


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## 73saint

I saw that video and have been waiting to see it show up here. Go for it!


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## weev

Wow. Very interesting
Hard to believe it's brined seems like it wouldn't absorb more liquid


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## JckDanls 07

OK..  we need a SMF member review of an actual taste test ... Anybody in the neighborhood ??


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## KrisUpInSmoke

A _Daily Mail _article says,
*"The innovative dish involves the restaurant smoking the fruit twice before soaking it in a brine similar to one that would be used for meat....
...Juicy: The watermelon is smoked twice for eight hours before being placed in a brine for four days, which gives it a meaty flavor on the outside....
...*
To create the juicy 'ham', the eatery smokes the watermelon for eight hours, and then places it in a brine made of salt, ash, and spices for four days.

But that's not all.

The watermelon is then smoked for another eight hours before it is placed in a pan with rosemary and the 'meaty' juices to solidify the taste...."

*http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/f...-Eatery-introduces-smoked-ham-watermelon.html*

(Underline mine)

Edit: I'm reading it again and I'm confused by the wording in article. At first, it looks like they brine it then smoke it twice... but, when you read further down it seems to say they smoke it, then brine it four days, then smoke it again, then put it in the oven.


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## 73saint

Brine made with ash. Huh.  Interesting.


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## KrisUpInSmoke

73saint said:


> Brine made with ash. Huh.  Interesting.



It is. Wonder what the purpose is. Flavor or preservative or texture or a combination? They cut it in thick chunks in the video, thicker than we'd usually slice a ham, which makes me think it can't handle being cut thinner. Looks like it's still soft and might be prone to collapsing or falling apart if cut too thin. Also looks like the texture has changed and looks a little like it's jellied.


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## TomKnollRFV

Give me the ratios and you can bet I'll try it!

**Or we convince Kris to try. She might be in watermelon country.. LOL**


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## KrisUpInSmoke

TomKnollRFV said:


> Give me the ratios and you can bet I'll try it!
> 
> **Or we convince Kris to try. She might be in watermelon country.. LOL**


 Na...na...na...no...lol... this is your hamelon... I'm perfectly happy to support your efforts. Plus, you just got that shiny new meat curing fridge... perfect size for brining the hamelon.


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## MeatSkull

:eek::rolleyes:o_O:confused:


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## Mike O’Brien

TomKnollRFV said:


> I just want to figure out exactly what to do to try it at home! I like grilled Watermelon so this has to be better!


This may give a little more on-site to how he does it


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## TomKnollRFV

KrisUpInSmoke said:


> Na...na...na...no...lol... this is your hamelon... I'm perfectly happy to support your efforts. Plus, you just got that shiny new meat curing fridge... perfect size for brining the hamelon.


It's full already for the most part with buckboard bacon and random stuff. I also have no idea what the ratios would be for this, so I hope some one figures it out. I mean you are right in that I'll do it :P


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## 73saint

I'd try it, not sure I'd try to make it though.


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## TomKnollRFV

I figured it's a mind screw for sure. It looks like Ham..but it'll taste like dessert.


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## TomKnollRFV

Mike O’Brien said:


> This may give a little more on-site to how he does it



Thanks! Huh I honestly thought they put a dry rub on it to get the bark on it..


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## haddlebags

After reading this, I smoked a watermelon last weekend. 4 days in a coriander brine, 8 hours smoking, then roasting in its juice, as close as I could to the videos above. Final judgement: it’s weird, looks like vegan prime rib, smoky but has a weird combo of flavors. The texture changes from light crunch to gelatinous, reminescent of rare steak. The spicing was weird: I think it was too heavy with coriander, but I am not super familiar with coriander so I don’t know if it was the culprit for the weird flavor. No one ate more than a few bites, and I threw most of it away. Final score: 2/10, interesting experiment, looked like a roast but was a fruit, would not do again.


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## 73saint

I give you a 10/10 for effort!  I've got a good friend trying it exactly as the recipe is given (w the ash brine).  Will be interested to hear his opinion and compare to yours.


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## TomKnollRFV

I'm honestly surprised some one here tried it! 10/10 for trying! 

I have now forgotten all the weird aspects of this dish, but I know the Ash had some thing to do with how it firmed up or some thing..

I still like grilled Watermelon though!


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## GATOR240

Thanks for trying that. Like. Someone had to do it!


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## zwiller

First off, while this is interesting stuff, it does not entice me one bit.  :)  In any event, I suspected the "ash" was more than likely soda ash or sodium carbonate and when I searched sodium+carbonate+fruit I found some interesting things.  Seems it's like cure for fruit.  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ps.880


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## 73saint

I thought I saw somewhere that they actually put wood ash in the brine and that is what changed the texture.  I’ve got a buddy in the restaurant biz in Fla, they are doing it now and I know they used pecan ash in the brine.


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## zwiller

Chemically I think wood ash and soda ash are somewhat similar in that they both are alkaline and would raise pH of the brine, so both might work.  Maybe it's just a large amount of sugar in the brine and it jells into a candy type thing?  That could explain the sheen too.


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## TXCowboyBBQ

I’m new to this forum, but I came across this little gem. I love making up concoctions. I am going to try this over the next few days. I’m going to do it two different ways. I will keep you all updated if you’d like.


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## TomKnollRFV

TXCowboyBBQ said:


> I’m new to this forum, but I came across this little gem. I love making up concoctions. I am going to try this over the next few days. I’m going to do it two different ways. I will keep you all updated if you’d like.



Let me know! It can't be weirder than grilling it right?


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