This phase adds moisture and flavor to the ham. You’ll want to do this step at least a day before you plan to cook it.

Mix the brine. In a large pot, combine water, salt, brown sugar, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, mustard seeds, and apple cider vinegar. Stir until the salt and sugar dissolve completely.

Submerge the ham. Place your bone-in ham in the brine, making sure it’s fully submerged. You can add more water if necessary. Cover the pot (or container) and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Remove and pat dry. After 24 hours, remove the ham from the brine and pat it dry with paper towels. Discard the brine.

Now it’s time to coat that ham with some serious flavor.

Prepare the rub. In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and mustard powder. Mix thoroughly.

Rub it down. Rub the entire ham with your spice blend. Make sure to coat it generously—don't be shy!

Here comes the fun part: firing up the smoker! The key to amazing pulled ham is cooking it low and slow.

Prep the smoker. Set your smoker (or charcoal grill) to a low temperature of around 225°F. For this recipe, applewood or cherrywood is perfect—both will give you a sweet, slightly fruity smoke flavor. If you want something more robust, throw in a bit of hickory, but don’t go overboard.

Place the ham in the smoker. Once your smoker’s up to temp, place your ham inside, bone-side down. Close the lid and let the magic begin.

Baste every hour. After about the first hour of smoking, begin basting the ham with a mix of apple juice and apple cider vinegar. Use a basting brush or spray bottle to coat the ham every hour or so. This keeps it moist and adds an extra layer of flavor.

Smoke until tender. Let the ham smoke for 6-8 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches about 190°F. You’ll know it’s ready when the meat is so tender it practically pulls apart just by looking at it.

Rest the ham. Once it’s done, take the ham out of the smoker and wrap it in aluminum foil. Let it rest for 30 minutes before pulling. This lets the juices redistribute and makes it even more delicious.

Shred the meat. After the ham has rested, use two forks (or your hands) to pull the meat apart. It should shred easily and fall off the bone.

Serve it up. Serve the pulled ham with your favorite sides. Classic options include coleslaw, mac and cheese, and cornbread.