OMG Smoked Root Beer Ham is so good, it only takes some time and extra effort for best tasting ham. The key is brine a bone-in ham with A&W root beer overnight. In this brine add mustard, worchesrshire sauce and brown sugar to a 2 liter bottle of A&W root beer. Note do not use diet root beer it doesn’t work, because of the sweetener used in making diet soda. A good long soak overnight builds flavors. Do not add extra salt the ham has plenty salt already added.
Smoking the ham
Smoking Root Beer Ham on Green Egg with Apple Wood Chips
Slow smoking the marinated root beer ham using a drip pan. Fill the drip pan with a quart of marinate with some apple juice. Choosing the right pairing of wood chips will help give a great mild smoky profile finish. My favorite mild smoking chips is apple wood. These chips never come off to strong of smoked flavor profile. The Green Egg does a wonderful job of keeping smoke circulation around the ham. The trick is keeping heat as low as possible without charcoal going out. Keeping the temperature around 250°F works out best. All dampers are just about closed off. Second trick is soaking wood chips with water in a ziplock bag for a good hour. Using a half of ham it takes about 3 cups chips. Adding a hand full of chips every 20 to 30 minutes. I smoked half of a ham for about 4 to 5 hours to internal temperature reaching 150°F. It’s all about the glazeWhile the ham is smoking it’s time to make the glaze. I used the root beer marinate to make this glaze. By using a heavy duty sauce pan and reducing marinate into a thick syrup. Don’t try to rush reduction, just keep cooking at a good slow boil. When the bubbles become very large the syrup is just about ready. Don’t get fooled as the syrup cools, the glaze will get thick. Reducing the syrup too long will become too caramelized and that can have too strong of a burnt taste. Pour syrup glaze into a bowl
Brush glaze onto ham about half way into smoking process, the internal temperature of ham around 100°F. Every 20 to 30 minutes brush on some glaze and and more wood chips to coals. When the ham is finished it will have shiny glaze and golden color. Be sure to save the remainder of glaze to drizzle over ham as it is served. OMG it so good. My all time favorite is Swedish Buns with Smoked Root Beer Ham and Cranberry Jam.
Swedish Buns filled with Smoked Root Beer Ham and Cranberry Jam
Combine together the root beer, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, prepared mustard in large stock pot or storage container. Whisk well until all ingredients are mixed and dissolve the brown sugar into the marinate.
Refrigerate the marinating ham overnight. If marinating a whole large ham marinate for at least 24 hours.
Smoking Root Beer Ham
Prepare smoker. I like to use Green Egg Smoker/Grill. First get charcoal started this takes about 10 minutes. Caution don’t get charcoal too hot about 1/3 coals red hot. Get place setter with drip pan filled with 2 to 3 cups of marinate and 2 cups of apple cider or beer/wine. I like to set temperature proble on grill to read smoke chamber temperature. Add a good hand full of soaked apple wood chips.
Place 1/2 ham cut side down onto clean grill grids. Then put into plate setter. Put the temperature probe into meaty section of ham. This probe will read the internal temperature of the ham. Close lid set dampers to almost totally closed.
Adjust dampers so chamber temperature is 225°F to 250°F. this is tricky keep an eye on temperatures. Don’t let heat get over 300°. If gets too hot add more liquid to drip pan and close the dampers more. If you have too add some ice to drip pan get that temperature down.
The key to successfully smoked ham check every 20 to 30 minutes add soaked wood chips handful at time.
About 1/2 way into smoking time, internal ham temperature is near 100°F start brushing root beer glaze onto ham. Continue brushing root beer glaze every 20 to 30 minutes. Remember to add a handful soak chips to charcoal.
When the ham reaches internal temperature of 150°F it’s done.
Remove smoked ham from smoker and cover with foil. Let it rest for 15 minutes or more.
OMG this is outrageous good ham. Slice and drizzle some of the root beer glaze over ham. Serve with mashed sweet potatoes and green vegetables. Or make my flavor Smoked Root Beer Ham sliders on Swedish Buns with Cranberry Jam Yum.
