Last night we had some family over for dinner and I thought about this recipe idea. I made a few adjustments and whipped up the glaze (also called a mop) just before putting the ham on the BBQ. The initial review of the sauces smell and flavor was a bit lackluster by my wife, who thought the experiment should wait for a dinner without company. I, however being as stubborn as any mule within sight, went forward with the plan. I thought the sauce was perfect and loved the aroma.

The ham was a Butt half ham weighing about 9 pounds. I laid the ham on the BBQ with the cut side pointing to the side. A person could put the cut side down but I thought that would dry the ham out more. All of the other sides have been through the smoking process already and are able to withstand the heat without as much moisture running out into the flames. Since this is a fairly large piece of meat, I used an indirect cooking method. My BBQ has two burners, so I placed the ham over one burner and used the other to provide the heat. If you don’t have that option make sure you turn the meat two or three times during cooking (Not a bad idea anyway). If you are using briquettes, try to keep the pile to one side and the meat on the other. The downside of cooking such a large piece of meat is that the bottom gets the most heat through the whole cooking process. It could be a bit overdone on one side if you don’t have some way to shield it.

Here are the ingredients:

• 1/4 cup water ( just enough to dissolve to dry ingredients)
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 cup Mustard (I used a spicy deli variety)
• 1/4 tsp Cloves (ground)
• 2 Tbs Honey (optional)
• 1 tsp Garlic powder or 1/2 clove of Garlic (optional)
• 1 tsp Horseradish (optional)

In a small sauce pan bring the water to a boil and add the brown sugar and spices. After stirring these in and bringing it back to a boil add the mustard. Give it a few minutes to simmer and the mop or sauce is done. Take it and the ham to the preheated grill. Place the ham on the grill and mop down the ham with the sauce. Use a basting brush or your hand to apply the sauce (have a towel handy). Close down the lid and let it cook. Your target cooking temperature is 325 or so, although mine was more like 375 for most of the cooking time. I use a meat thermometer to gauge its progress. The internal temp should be 160 plus and on the 9 pound-er I cooked, this took 4 1/2 hours. The ham should also be mopped with sauce at least 3 times during the cooking process to keep the outside moist.

Our ham turned out very good, even my wife liked the finished product. I kept some of the mop so that it could be used as a sauce on the ham at the table. The outside does dry out a bit but the inside was juicy and tender as could be. It was a big hit. Thanks to Seriouswriter for pointing me in the right direction. It worked great.

Good luck with your next ham dinner. Let me know how you adjusted this recipe for your tastes.

Neck roast.

This recipe applies for any of the odd (cheaper or tougher) cuts from the Chuck (that is the front quarter on Beef or Venison). For my Neck Roast I used a Venison neck.

A 4-6 lb roast

(you can go bigger but the time will be longer and temp lower.)

2 Cups Brown Sugar

3 Tbs of Cajun Spice (Oregon Flavor Rack)

(OK, you can use your favorite Cajun spicy mix. I’m such a softy)

2-3 Tbs of Garlic Lovers Garlic (Oregon Flavor Rack)

(You can use 1 clove of fresh garlic minced or your favorite 3-4 Tbs of garlic powder)

I combine these dry ingredients in a bowl and then I adjust the flavor for my taste. How? I taste it and add as I see fit. It smells great by the way. I cover or rub the roast with the dry ingredients and then put the roast in a gallon sized Ziploc the night before I plan to cook it. (Yes, planning ahead is optional)

The roast goes in a roaster or roasting pan with some broth or water. I used 3 quarts in a huge roaster, you may want less. This amount of water gave me half an inch in the roaster, for a normal pan 2-3 cups should be plenty. I use the broth for a base for stew in another meal.

I put the roast in for about 3 -4 hours at 350. (These roasts require two things. Time and Water. If it doesn’t dry out it will be very forgiving about extending the cooking time.)
At the half-way point I do three things.

1. Turn the roast over
2. Sprinkle garlic and Cajun Spice on the roast. (just a little)
3. I put potatoes in with the roast. You can use carrots, celery or any hardy veggies you like.

At this point you can also add some salt to taste. I add the salt to the broth and baste the meat, keeping in mind I have plans for the broth. This keeps the meal reasonable on salt content, in case someone is watching their salt intake. Spices from Oregon Flavor Rack are salt free, in case you are wondering. The broth will make great base for gravy, stew, or as au jus.

These roasts aren’t pretty but the flavor is outstanding. The extended cooking time and moisture are needed to help break down the toughness of these cuts, which they do very well.

Make your pain a pleasure, cook it the right way and you’ll be a hero.

DRIPPINGS

First is the drippings or broth. You have a turkey let’s say with all kinds of good drippings. Get those into a sauce pan and fire up the burner. We want those good and hot, what is called a hard boil. If you don’t get much or even any drippings (we need to talk about how you cook your turkey if this is the case) you can use chicken broth or make some broth with bouillon or other base. You may need to add some fat, like butter or margarine, to get good gravy. Fat is half the ingredient that makes gravy thick.

THICKENER

Next, Take some corn starch and spoon two or three large spoonfuls into a small bowl. Dissolve the corn starch in COLD water. Use a spoon to stir and break up the corn starch. When it is creamy and lump-less its ready. If you are a measure by measure cook, I apologize. I am an eyeball cook. No I don’t eat eyeballs. The amount of corn starch you need will vary with the amount of fat in the drippings and the amount of gravy you are trying to mix. I use about two or three tablespoons (heaping). There that should get you close.

WHAT IS IN A WISK

You need a good whisk. I like, and require, a good three dimensional whisk. Yeah, they probably have real name but you can tell what I mean. Yes, you can use one of those flat whisks if you want.

BOILING, MIXING, BOILING

When your broth is boiling its ready for the thickener (cornstarch). The key here is following directions. Yes, I have problems with that sometimes too. From the time you start adding the thickener until the gravy is ready, you don’t put down the whisk, in fact except for switching hands and massaging cramps quickly, that whisk should be moving gravy around in the sauce pan continuously. (One key mistake made in making gravy is in thinking it cooks itself. If you are trying to do several things at once, you’re not cooking gravy your making lumps. Sometimes gravy should be delegated to one person who can concentrate on just the gravy for 10 minutes or so.) It doesn’t have to be twirling and light speed or anything just keep the gravy moving. Also I like to reverse directions now and then, to help stir it good and thoroughly. Now while whisking slowly pour the thickener into the gravy. This will knock down the boil and you will be wisking for a minute or two after you get that boil back. Once it starts to show signs of boiling you can cut the heat back a bit. Adjust the heat so it will still come to a boil but not boil over. Those bubbles will hang around longer as the gravy gets thicker and eventually cause the mixture to escape, to your frustration, onto the stove-top and the floor. It is important to let the gravy boil for over a minute or so. This is where the starches are combining with the fat to make the gravy nice and thick. It is while whisking and waiting for the boil to return that I add the spices I want. Tasting is important here. Maybe a touch of salt and pepper. You can be creative here if you want. Tarragon and cumin, what ever you like. I would look to those spices you used on the turkey and let them be the guide. After boiling a minute or so, the gravy should show some signs of thickening. It will continue to thicken as it cools.

TOO THICK, TOO THIN

If you are unhappy with the thickness, you can bring it back to a boil and either add more thickener or more base (either water or broth). this can be a long process as you have to break the starches apart and recombine them through the same boil, mix, and boil process. Most people will take what they get after the initial shot because frankly their hands and arms won’t do any more and by now and everything else is either ready or needing attention in some way.

If you end up with a jelly mixture or a brownish water, you may need to make some adjustments. Remember that fat is half the ingredient for thickening gravy and motion is how lumps are prevented.

If you have been ‘gravy challenged’ and are concerned for the well being of your potatoes and stuffing, I recommend playing with the gravy recipe before the big day. Make a little gravy tonight and tomorrow night. It will ease your fear and make Thanksgiving less traumatic.

Have a great Thanksgiving,

Brutus