Home Cured Holiday Ham Recipes

HOMEMADE CURED HAM WITH BROWN SUGAR HONEY GLAZE

Steps:

• Combine the following curing ingredients in a large deep container: sea salt, brown sugar, Prague powder, and dried bay leaves. Pour hot water. Stir.
• Add cold water and ice. Soak the fresh pork ham into the brine for 3 days. Make sure to keep it in a cool place such as inside the refrigerator.
• After 3 days, wash the cured ham with running water. Discard the brine and then fill the container with clean tap water. Soak the ham for 3 hours to reduce the saltiness.
• Preheat oven to 320F.
• Arrange the ham in a roasting rack. Cover with aluminum foil. Roast for 2 hours.
• Remove the foil and increase the oven heat to 400F. Continue to roast for 1 hour.
• Prepare the Brown Sugar Honey Glaze by coming all the glaze ingredients in a sauce pan. Heat the pan and stir the mixture until well blended. Continue to cook in low to medium heat until the mixture reduces to half.
• Remove ham from the oven. Brush Brown Sugar Honey Glaze all over it. Continue to roast for 10 minutes or until the ham turns brown.
• Remove from the oven. Let it cool down.
• Carve the ham. Serve.
• Share and enjoy!

HOLIDAY HAM

Steps:

• Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Place ham on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Secure pineapple and cherries to ham with toothpicks. Combine brown sugar and seasoned salt; rub over ham. Gently pour pineapple juice over ham., Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until a thermometer reads 140° and ham is heated through. Baste frequently with brown sugar mixture.

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.