Brined Fresh Ham
Filed under
Pork
Prep: 30 min | Cook: 150 min | Servings: 8
Recipe courtesy Anne Burrell. Serves 8 to 10. The ham brines for 3 days.
Inactive prep: 72 hours.
Ingredients
- 2 cup Kosher salt, for the brine
- 2 cup Sugar, for the brine
- 6 Bay leaf, for the brine
- 1/2 cup Fennel seed, for the brine
- 1/2 cup Mustard seed, for the brine
- 2 tbsp Red pepper flakes, crushed, for the brine
- 1 bunch Rosemary, for the brine
- 20 clove Garlic, or garlic bulbs cut in half equatorially, for the brine
- 1 Onion, large, coarsely chopped, for the brine
- 4 rib Celery, coarsely chopped, for the brine
- 2 gal Water, for the brine
- 1 Fresh ham, bone-in, 6 to 8 pounds
- 8 sprig Rosemary, leaves finely chopped, for the paste
- 4 clove Garlic, smashed, for the paste
- 1 pinch Red pepper flakes, large pinch, crushed, for the paste
- Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup Olive oil, extra-virgin, about, for the paste
- 2 lb Red potatoes, red bliss, cut in half
- Olive oil, for the potatoes
- 2 cup Chicken stock
- 1 cup Dijon mustard, for the glaze
- 1 cup Whole grain mustard, for the glaze
- 1 cup Honey, for the glaze
Directions
- To brine: combine all the brine ingredients in a large container. Submerge the ham and refrigerate for 3 days. (It's a plan-ahead but so worth it!)
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Remove the ham from the brine, pat dry and cut a diagonal cross-hatch pattern in the skin.
- For the paste: in a food processor, combine the rosemary, garlic, crushed red pepper, salt to taste, and about 1/2 cup olive oil. Massage it generously all over the ham.
- Toss the potatoes in a large roasting pan with olive oil and salt. Nestle the ham on top and roast. After about 30 minutes the skin should be brown and crispy; turn the ham over, baste with any leftover paste, rearrange the potatoes so they don't burn, and roast another 30 minutes.
- After the first hour, rearrange the potatoes and add the chicken stock to the pan. Reduce the oven to 350 degrees F and roast another hour.
- For the glaze: combine the mustards and honey. Brush the ham generously and roast about 30 minutes. Flip, brush again (really slather it on), and roast until it reaches 150 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Tent with foil and rest at least 20 to 30 minutes. Carve and serve with the potatoes.