Barbecued Ham

There is nothing quite like the smell of ham being cooked on the barbecue. I like to use a picnic shoulder ham for 2 reasons, the first is its inexpensive, the second is because of the amount of fat that melts into the meat...remember fat = taste.

I use indirect heat in a charcoal kettle at about 300F and 20 minutes a pound. While the coals or charwood is getting ready i score the top of the rind in a checkerboard pattern and place the ham in a bbq roasting pan and add enough apple juice and beer to cover the bottom of the pan.

As I put the ham on the grill i add soaked wood chunks to the coals for smoke flavouring. I like to use a spritzer bottle filled with apple juice, liquid smoke, and chipolte hot sauce to keep the ham moist every 1/2 hour

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Barbecue vs Grilling

I am a fan of both methods of cooking and find the words are interchangeable with each other, but lets look at the difference:

The word barbecue is used to define a method of cooking, the food that is cooked, and the gathering that eats the food.... its a great verb and noun. People barbecue on the barbecue, while others eat barbecue at a barbecue. One word to describe so many things.

True barbecuing is the act of cooking meat at low temperatures for several hours over indirect heat. This process results in the meat becoming more tender and tasty as the natural juices have time to disperse throughout the meat. Examples of barbequed meat are ribs, roasts, hams, and whole chickens.

Grilling is the act of cooking meat at high temperatures for a short period of time usually directly over the heat. Hamburgers, hotdogs, sausages, and steaks are grilled.

So simply put grilling is "hot and fast" and barbecuing is "low and slow".