This was a huge hit with my family; Thanks Saveur!
Fresh Ham with Honey and Cloves
This feastworthy dish, based on a recipe in Pork & Sons by Stéphane Reynaud (Phaidon, 2007), calls for fresh ham, a succulent cut from the pig's hind leg that yields crisp skin and juicy meat. If cooking for a larger crowd, roast a whole fresh ham instead of just the shank end, and double the ingredient quantities for the glaze.
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Credit: André Baranowski
1 12-lb. fresh ham, cut from the shank end
4 cups kosher salt, plus more to taste
4 cups brown sugar
4 bay leaves
1/2 cup black peppercorns, crushed
Cloves, for studding ham
1/2 tsp. ground white peppercorns
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1 tbsp. curry powder
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup port
3 tbsp. brandy
1. Using a serrated knife, score the ham by making 1/4"-deep, parallel slices about 1" apart all over the meat's surface; turn ham 90° and make perpendicular slices to create a crisscross pattern. Bring salt, sugar, bay leaves, black peppercorns, and 8 cups water to a boil in a 4-qt. saucepan. Transfer brine to a 5-gallon stockpot, add 1 1/2 gallons cold water, and submerge ham in brine. Refrigerate ham for 12 hours.
2. Heat oven to 350° and set an oven rack in the bottom third of oven. Drain ham, discarding brine, and pat dry with paper towels. Using a paring knife, make 1/4"-deep incisions all over surface of ham and stuff a clove into each incision. Season ham lightly with salt, transfer to a rack set inside a large roasting pan, and let ham come to room temperature, about 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, in a 2-qt. saucepan, combine remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, and cook until syrupy, about 5 minutes; set glaze aside. Pour 2 cups water into the roasting pan and roast ham for 1 hour. Remove ham from oven and brush with the glaze. Continue to cook, brushing with the glaze every 30 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the ham without touching the bone reads 150°, about 3 hours total. Let ham rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.
SERVES 8 – 10
Ratings & Reviews (4)
I made this. It was amazing; delicious and full of flavour from the brine. Thanks for the recipe
Bit of confusion for the name of the recipe: "fresh ham." In our parlance here, "fresh ham" means an uncured leg of pork, in other words, a pork roast, with the "ham" part meaning it comes from the hind leg rather than the foreleg or shoulder. I understand that here "fresh ham" means bone-in, shank-end, cured pork, as opposed to a "canned ham."
Excellent. a mix of ham on the outside and roast pork inside. yum.
Fresh Ham with Honey and Cloves
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