Happy Easter! Ham, Potato Salad, & Fruit Salad

Happy Easter to my two readers, OK maybe three.


It is time to cook my "famous" Ham. I had my daughter pick up a whole ham, a big 20 pounds, fully cooked heat and eat ham.


At 08:30 I started my fire using charcoal and my chimney .

As I waited for the fire to start, I prepped the ham by making slices across the entire ham.

After the charcoal got started I dumped it out of the chimney and put some non-soaked hickory hunks to get the smoke going and the fire up to temp quickly. 

I placed the ham in the smoker, closed the hatches and set the vents and waited until it got to temp.

I actually had to reduce this by half in order to maintain temperature.

I like to do a ham around 250-275

 And I got a good amount of smoke.

After 30 minutes it is time to apply the first coating of brown sugar and honey.

I apply the sugar with love and rub it into all the cracks that have opened from slicing the ham earlier.

Ready for the honey

I like the combo of honey and brown sugar.

More dry hunks and wait a half an hour.

From now on the hunks will be soaked.

#0 minutes later, flip and rotate the ham, show it some love.

I put some charcoal and soaked hunks and now it is the waiting game.

Ham is progressing nicely.

The potato salad was made last night soe the salad could mature in the fridge. I used Patty my pressure cooker to steam the small russet potatoes in two batches at 25 minutes each for the 10 pounds. I scrubbed the outside of the potatoes with cold water and a scrub pad.


Yes I named my pressure cooker. I am not ashamed of it as I finally figured out Patty's quirks and how to get around them. She needed to be named.


After the potatoes were cooled off, Lynda removed the skins and cut them up. 2 small jars of mayonnaise, some sour cream, dill, chopped up bread and butter pickles with some of the juice and all of the spices from the jar, a squirt of mustard, a little chopped sweet onions, and some kosher salt and black pepper. Lynda said she thinks this is the best batch she ever made.


The fruit salad was also made last night. 5 things. Crushed pineapple, fruit cocktail, sour cream, mini marshmallows, and shredded coconut. Drain fruit, equal parts, mix well and stir 2-3 times before serving the next day.


The rain has not effected the smoker at all, still holding at 250.


Al brought his most delicious pasta salad and added to the feast...