Hello Dead Meat Society,
Before the year wraps and the calendar resets, there’s time for a few great cooks done right. Slow down, light the fire, and show us what’s on the grill in the Dead Meat Society Facebook group or tag us on Instagram.
Now, here’s what we’ve been cooking up all week…
First up, holiday ham sounds simple until you realize there are city hams, country hams, fresh hams, and a lot of ways to mess them up. Serious Eats explains it all without judgment. Also, some knife sets are better left on the shelf. Plus, some must-try recipes for smoked jalapeño creamed corn, smoked pulled ham, and mozzarella-stuffed Polish sausage poppers that will turn ‘just one’ into six.
Every week, we crown the DMS champion of BBQ. And there are only two ways to enter: 1) Submit a pic to the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group 2) Tag us on Instagram. If you aren’t sharing (and competing), what the hell are you waiting for?
👑 This Week’s Champ
This week’s Smoke Show Champ is Matthew Ashley for cooking with all the right gear. Shared via the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group.
🥈 Honorable Mention #1
Honorable mention to Jason Wilson for the juiciest-looking prime rib. Shared via the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group.
🥉 Honorable Mention #2
Honorable mention to Barry Saadatmand for elevating the spread with perfectly cooked duck breasts. Shared via the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group.
Have a Smoke Show submission? Stop wasting your time posting on all those other sites and share it with the Facebook group that gives a damn: Dead Meat Society. Or just tag us on Instagram.
That one story that will make you infinitely more interesting than your know-it-all brother-in-law. Seriously, wtf is that guy’s deal?
HAM SEASON IS HERE
It’s cold enough outside to officially call it. It’s ham season. Not the sad, spiral kind. The real centerpiece stuff.
Lucky for our meat-obsessed society members, Serious Eats just dropped two timely guides that basically say the same thing in different ways: If you’re going to do ham this season, do it right, and don’t wait until everyone else has the same idea.
First Things First: What Kind of Ham Are We Talking About?
Not all hams are created equal, and Serious Eats does a solid job of clearing up the confusion before you head to the butcher.
There are three lanes:
City hams: These are already cured and cooked. These are what most people smoke for the holidays. Your job is reheating, glazing, and adding smoke without drying them out.
Country hams: Think prosciutto’s Southern cousin. These are dry-cured with salt, hung for months in carefully controlled conditions, and lose a significant amount of moisture along the way. The result is a deeply concentrated flavor with a sweet, mildly funky edge. Some are smoked, some aren’t, but they’re usually sold raw and require soaking and careful cooking. Incredible, but not beginner-friendly.
Fresh hams: This is the uncured rear leg of the pig. No brine, no smoke, no shortcuts. Fresh hams cook more like a pork shoulder and can be smoked low and slow or cured at home if you want to go full DIY. They take more time and planning, but reward patience with big flavor and flexibility.
For most holiday cooks, a quality city ham is the move. Country hams are a project. Fresh hams are a commitment.
Pick accordingly.
Why Smoked Ham Wins the Holidays
Ham is one of the few holiday centerpieces that actually benefits from smoke without stressing you out.
According to Serious Eats, smoked ham checks every box:
It reheats beautifully at low temps
It feeds a crowd without babysitting
It leaves you free to focus on sides, drinks, and not burning the house down
Light fruit woods like apple or cherry add depth without overpowering the cure. Finish with a glaze in the last stretch, and suddenly your house smells like December should.
Order Early or Regret It Later
The second Serious Eats piece that we pulled is a warning shot.
Good hams sell out. Especially the ones worth smoking.
Mail-order options will let you skip the grocery store chaos and actually choose quality. Heritage breeds, better curing, and consistent sizing all make life easier when you’re feeding family or hosting.
If brisket is your weekend project, ham is your holiday insurance policy. Order it early, stash it cold, and thank us later.
Check in with the Serious Eats experts to find the brand that is best for you.
The Move
A successful, meaty Christmas season is about preparation. Order early. Smoke slowly. Let the pit do the heavy lifting while you handle the rest.
Like the memes you send back and forth in your group chat, except these won’t get you canceled. Oh, and lots more grill marks.
🥩 SMOKE ON THE ROAD: We can all agree that buying an RV and turning it into a BBQ food truck like these cool cats did is the only retirement plan worth having, right? Right?
🥩 PRICE PAIN: Steakhouse menus are sweating harder than the grill cook right now. Beef prices are climbing, and someone’s tab is about to feel it. Read what’s driving the beef price spike.
🥩 CLOSE ENOUGH: When you trust your Thermapen with brisket, ribs, and poultry, trusting it with your pregnant wife’s fever seems accurate 👇
🥩 FALL OFF THE BONE: Don’t invite a pitmaster to a normal conversation 👇
🥩 CHEESE PULL: Small buns, big steak energy 👇
Did we miss something? Share it in the Dead Meat Society Facebook group or tag us on Instagram for a chance to be featured.
Tips, tech & gear that’ll help you beat your friend’s meat. Wait, that came out wrong…
🥓 NO COLD SHOULDER: Cold lamb hits the grill like a shock to the system. Let it sit first for better sear and juicier bites. Read why patience pays off when it comes to lamb chops.
🥓 DETAIL WORK: Big knives get the glory. But paring knives do crucial work in a great kitchen. Find the best pick.
🥓 CUT YOUR LOSSES: What do we think about getting our knives from the Dollar Tree?
🥓 REVERSE CARD: If you’re tired of gray bands, overcooked centers, and pretending that “medium-ish” was the goal, reverse searing may fix your problems. Read this and stop arguing with your thermometer.
🥓 FAST TRACK: This is the crash course for anyone who owns a grill, owns confidence, and owns exactly zero patience for learning the hard way 👇
Did we miss something? Share it in the Dead Meat Society Facebook group or tag us on Instagram for a chance to be featured.
Like a Paula Deen cookbook, but with less butter and more BBQ sauce.
Creamed corn, but with smoke and a little attitude.
Pulled pork’s holiday cousin that shows up overdressed and still steals the show.
Midwest logic at its finest: stuff it, grill it, repeat.
Have a recipe you want to share? Share it in the Dead Meat Society Facebook group or tag us on Instagram for a chance to be featured.
A happy ending just for you.
That’s it for this week. If you make any of the recipes above, you’re legally obligated to share pics on the DMS Facebook Group or tag us on Instagram so we can feature them next week (sorry, we don’t make the rules).
And since the only thing that is better than grill marks and ice-cold beer is grill marks and ice-cold beer with a side of dad jokes, we’ll leave this right here…
The Butcher Shop
Dead Meat Society Merch in the wild.
They’re finally here. The tools of the trade. Your weapons of choice.
After months of planning, the first edition Dead Meat Society OG Toolkits are for sale on the site. We couldn’t be happier with how they turned out.
They’ll ship immediately and will arrive before Christmas. Plus, anyone who buys the full kit will get the exclusive Dead Roll Tool Carrier!
As part of our commitment to community, 10% of net profits are donated to charities that matter.