| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 8 hr 40 min |
| Prep: | 40 min |
| Inactive: | 4 hr |
| Cook: | 4 hr |
| Yield: | 8 to 10 servings |
Ingredients
- 8 quarts water
- 2 cups kosher salt
- 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 (8 to 10-pound) shank-end fresh ham, bone in and skin on
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup whole-grain mustard
- 1 heaping cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 12 fresh sage leaves, chopped
- 9 large cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 large Spanish onions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch wedges
- 1 gallon apple cider
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
- One day before roasting: In a plastic container large enough to hold the ham, stir the water with the salt and brown sugar until dissolved. Add the spices. Score ham in a diamond pattern through the skin and fat, taking care not to cut into the meat. Add ham to brine, weight it with a plate to keep it submerged, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours but no more than 8 hours. Drain, rinse, pat the ham dry, and refrigerate.
- One hour before roasting, remove ham from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- For the rub: Pulse the olive oil, mustard, parsley, sage, garlic, red pepper, salt, and black pepper in a food processor to make a paste. Rub it all over ham. In a large roasting pan, toss the onion wedges with 1 cup of the apple cider and set the ham on top. Roast the ham for 30 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F, and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165 degrees F, about 4 hours. After the first hour, loosely wrap aluminum foil around the bone to keep it from burning.
- Meanwhile, for the glaze: Boil, then simmer, the remaining apple cider in a saucepan, skimming as needed, until syrupy and reduced to about 2 cups, about 1 1/2 hours.
- During the last 1 1/2 hours of roasting the ham, brush it with the glaze every 30 minutes. Transfer the cooked ham to an ovenproof platter and let it rest in the turned-off oven for 30 minutes. Loosely cover the onions in an ovenproof bowl and put them in the oven as well. Strain the pan juices into a saucepan, skim off any excess fat, and bring to a boil. Make a paste with the flour and butter and whisk a bit at a time into the juices. Boil until thick. Carve the ham and serve with the onions and sauce.
Reviews
I am in the process of making this for Easter dinner. I’ve never made a ham before and inadvertently bought a fresh ham and then had to scramble to learn how to cook. One thing that doesn’t make sense to me is keeping the skin on to the end. I’m going to do the recipe as is but after it cooks to the correct internal temp I’m going to remove the roast, let it cool a bit and remove the skin and apply a mustard and brown sugar glaze to the fat and finish in a 450 oven for 30 minutes as per another recipe. I’ll let you know….so far so good.
It really helps to have all the reviews where people didn’t actually follow the recipe. Now I know all the other versions will be good!
I was nervous about attempting to work with a fresh ham, but this recipe makes it easy. I brined it for the time suggested, and after roasting, it was very moist and tasted wonderful. I was surprised at how moist it was. I would do this again, and it’s cheaper than buying an already prepared ham.
Roasted Fresh Ham is a great idea for great recipes but better if it is a great fresh ham! 😉 I prefer Cinta Senese one, if you do not know this beatiful Italian ham have a look on http://www.renieri.net/home_e.html but better if you succeed to taste it in this or in the next life…
I use the recipe every year for Christmas and It turns out great! My whole Family LOVES it.
This ham is well worth the effort. It’s a big hit and can be done grill, just make sure to use a grill thermometer and a meat thermometer to check for doneness.
This was a great ham. It had excellent flavor. Very juicy. Everyone at my Easter dinner loved it.
This ham recipe is an Easter family favorite!
OK, I’m a guy with basic cooking skills. The ham was tender and delicious. Using brines is wonderful. It takes a bit of planning but is well worth it. I wouldn’t call this recipe ‘easy’ but ‘medium’. Cooking down the cider took longer than the stated 1.5 hrs. Using the cider for the gavy was wonderful. A great holiday treat.