Miniature Home Cured Ham Recipes

CHEF JOHN'S MINI CHRISTMAS HAMS

Steps:

• Combine 1 1/2 cups boiling water, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt, black pepper, allspice, cloves, and bay leaf together in a large container; stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. (See Cook's Note to substitute table salt.)
• Place celery, onion, and garlic in a blender. Add 2 cups cold water and puree until smooth. Pour celery mixture into kosher salt mixture and stir to combine. Add 1 quart of water, or more as needed, to make a total of 2 quarts of brine. Place pork chops in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 2 days.
• Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, Dijon mustard, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl and set glaze aside.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Remove pork chops from brine and pat dry; discard used brine. Cut shallow slits along the sides of each pork chop, about 1/4 inch deep. Cut a crisscross pattern in the top of each pork chop, creating small 1-inch triangles.
• Heat oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over high heat. Cook chops in the hot oil until browned, about 2 minutes on each side. Brush the crisscrossed top of each pork chop with about 1 tablespoon of glaze. Insert 3 whole cloves in the top of each pork chop.
• Transfer skillet to the preheated oven and roast pork chops until golden brown and slightly pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Remove pork chops to a plate and discard cloves.
• Using a small butane hand torch, brown the tops of the pork chops by making short passes over the tops with the flame not quite touching.

MINIATURE HAM LOAVES

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine eggs, milk, and cracker crumbs; mix well.
• Add ham and sausage. Shape 1/2 cupfuls into individual loaves. Place in a greased 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish.
• Combine the soup, brown sugar, vinegar and mustard; mix well. Pour over loaves.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 1 hour, basting after 30 minutes.

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.

MINIATURE HOME-CURED 'HAM'

Steps:

• Put salt and sugar in a large nonreactive bowl (stainless steel or glass). Add boiling water and stir well to dissolve salt and sugar. Add peppercorns, mustard seeds, allspice berries, cloves, thyme and bay leaves. Allow to cool completely.
• Add curing salt and 1 cup white wine to cooled brine. Submerge pork tenderloins in brine. Place plate directly on top of pork to keep it submerged if necessary. Cover container and refrigerate for 5 days.
• Remove pork from brine and pat dry. Discard brine. Spread onions and thyme sprigs on bottom of a large shallow baking dish. Add brined tenderloins in one layer, then add 1/2 cup wine. Heat oven to 350 degrees; as it heats, bring meat to room temperature. Cover dish and bake for 45 minutes or until pork registers 135 degrees with an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven (meat will continue to cook and reach 140 degrees as it rests). Let cool before cutting into thin slices. Serve with buttermilk biscuits. May be refrigerated, well wrapped, for up to 1 week.