Fresh Ham Cure Food

FALL APART FRESH HAM ROAST - OVEN ROASTED

Steps:

• Brine roast for 3-6 hours then pat dry. (Instructions below!)
• Prep your ham! Cut the top fat layer in a diamond pattern or in parallel lines for seasoning!
• Preheat oven to 350º
• Place ham into a 13×9 inch baking dish.
• Season generously with salt and pepper on all sides of your ham roast. Make sure to rub the seasoning into the diamond-shaped or parallel lines cup on the fat layer.
• Add 2 - 3 cups of cold water to the baking pan... The water level needs to come up about 1 inch on the sides of your roast.
• Tightly cover your shallow roasting pan or baking dish with foil to seal in steam.
• Place prepared roast into the oven for 2 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 145º. For food safety make sure your ham reaches at least 145 degrees internally! For a bigger ham roast, you should use less salt and a longer soak time. The reason for this is to let the solution penetrate the ham evenly all the way to the bone without making the outside too salty. Smaller hams require more salt and a shorter soak time. After 2 hours of roasting, remove roast from the oven.
• Turn the oven temperature up to 450º
• Remove foil from pan.
• Mix maple syrup and balsamic vinegar and bast roast with that.
• Place ham roast in the oven, and set the timer for 10-15 minutes of cook time. Baste roast every 5 minutes or as often as you like at this stage of cooking!
• After 10-15 minutes, turn the ham roast over and baste the other side, roast for another 10-15 minutes to brown both sides. (The water will ALMOST be cooked out, but there should be a little left for basting before serving.)
• After browning, remove your roast from the oven, and let it cool for at least 10 mins.
• For best results, use a spoon and take the remaining liquids from the bottom of your baking dish and cover your baked ham roast with them. This gives the roast back all those yummy flavors that have cooked down through the roasting process!

HOME-CURED HOLIDAY HAM

Steps:

• Place kosher salt, brown sugar, pickling spice, and pink salt in a container large enough to hold the brine and the ham.
• Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil and pour over the brine ingredients; whisk to dissolve. Pour in 1 gallon fresh cold water to cool down the mixture.
• Score the skin side of the pork roast with a sharp knife. Cut into the fat beneath the skin but not into the meat. Score about 1 inch apart, then score in the opposite direction to get the classic diamond-shaped pattern.
• Lower scored roast into the cooled brine, skin side up. Use a plate to weigh down the roast so that it cures fully submerged in the liquid. Refrigerate for 1 day for every 2 pounds of pork (for a 7 pound roast, cure for at least 2 1/2 days). Turn the roast over halfway through the brining process.
• Remove roast from brining liquid. Discard the brining liquid and transfer the roast back to the brining container. Cover the roast with fresh cold water to rinse off some of the salt. Depending on how salty you want your ham, you can soak it for just a few minutes or overnight. Remove roast from the water and blot dry with paper towels.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Add a cup of water to a roasting pan with 2 whole star anise. Place roast on a rack in the roasting pan.
• Roast until ham reaches an internal temperature of 130 to 135 degrees F, about 2 hours. Ham will not be fully cooked at this point. If water has nearly evaporated, add a splash more. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Continue to roast until skin is browned and crispy and ham reaches an internal temperature of 145 to 150 degrees F.
• To make the optional glaze, mix the mustard, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and salt together in a bowl. Brush glaze on the ham at this point, not before. Return roast to oven for about 5 minutes to crisp it even further.

BRINED FRESH HAM

Steps:

• To brine the pork:
• Combine all of the ingredients in a large container. Submerse the ham in the brine and let it hang out for 3 days in the refrigerator. (It's a plan-ahead but soooooooooooooo worth it!)
• To cook the pork:
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Remove the ham from the brine, pat dry and make slices in the skin to create a diagonal cross-hatch pattern.
• To make the paste:
• In a food processor, combine the rosemary, garlic, crushed red pepper, salt, to taste, and about 1/2 cup of olive oil. Massage this mixture generously all over the outside of the ham.
• Put the potatoes in a roasting pan large enough to accommodate this whole shootin' match. Toss the potatoes generously with some olive oil and salt. Nestle the ham on top of the potatoes and toss the whole thing in the preheated oven. Check the pork in about 30 minutes, the skin should be getting brown and crispy. At this point, remove the ham from the oven and turn over, baste with any leftover rosemary/olive oil paste and rearrange the potatoes so they don't burn. Nestle the pork back onto the potatoes and return to the oven. Roast for another 30 minutes.
• Remove the ham from the oven after the first hour. Check the potatoes to see if they are getting a little crispy, rearrange them and add the chicken stock to the bottom of the pan to keep things really moist and juicy. Reduce the heat in the oven to 350 degrees F and roast for another hour.
• To make the glaze:
• While the ham is cooking, combine the Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard and honey in a small bowl. Remove the ham from the oven and brush it, generously, with the honey mustard mixture. Return the ham to the oven and roast it for about 30 minutes. Flip it over and brush again with the honey mustard mixture (really slather it on the pork). Roast until it reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
• Remove the ham from the oven, to a cutting board, tent it with aluminum foil and let it rest for at least 20 to 30 minutes before slicing.
• Carve that baby and arrange the slices on a serving platter. Transfer the potatoes to a serving bowl and serve with the ham
• Go to town on that bad boy!!!!