Joseph F. Radosevich

I'm not the only person googling for a fresh ham recipe, but most of the recipes I found don't turn out like a smoked ham. I learned the hard way that you have to smoke the ham if you want it to taste like something for Sunday dinner. I ordered our ham from the butcher and thought fresh was fine. It was not fine. Fresh hams and fresh ham steaks are nothing like what we know. If you cook a fresh ham steak in the oven, it turns out white and tough. Don't do it. This is what I do: Ingredients 1 Cup of non-iodized salt (I think I've used iodized salt in a pinch). 1 cup of sugar (brown sugar is good for this too) 1 Gallon of water You want to make enough brine to submerge the ham. You might need two gallons of brine. Instructions Combine ingredients in a saucepan, and cook on low until sugar and salt are dissolved. Let it cool. Pour brine over ham until brine covers it. Cover with lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 days. Smoke the ham on a grill with the temperature a...

We got a whole hog from a nearby farmer this summer. We have loved it, but I made a mistake when I told the butcher how I wanted it cut. I got the ham steak fresh, not cured and smoked (I also got the hams fresh and that's a different post). Because I had such a hard time figuring out what to do to get the ham steaks usable, I thought I would share what I've done and what I've liked. I'm not the only person googling for a fresh ham steak recipe, but most of the recipes I found don't turn out like a smoked ham steak.  My wife's main direction was to make it taste like a normal ham steak so she can use it in a recipe like ham and potatoes. This is what I do: Ingredients 1/4 Cup of non-iodized salt (I think I've used iodized salt in a pinch). 1/4 cup of sugar (brown sugar is good for this too) 1 quart of water Instructions Combine ingredients in a saucepan, and cook on low until sugar and salt are dissolved. Let it cool. Pour brine over ham steak until brine co...