| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 9 hr 30 min |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Inactive: | 4 hr 30 min |
| Cook: | 4 hr 30 min |
| Yield: | 10 to 12 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 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 leaves
- 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 but no more than 8 hours. Drain, rinse, pat the ham dry, and refrigerate.
- One hour before roasting, remove the 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 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 cooking 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 a 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.
- Copyright © 2003 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved
Reviews
Not sure what happened, but after only 3 hours the ham was completely overcooked, dry, and flavorless.
this is my go-to recipe for fresh ham. it’s worth the time and all the steps. the ham always turns out juicy and delicious. the glaze is pretty fantastic, too.
So… I messed up from step one. I have an awful habit of never reading the ingredients or planning ahead, beyond cooking time. So even though I messed up on the brine. Even though I didn’t score the skin and fat before brining. Even though I didn’t have parsley, and was too lazy to go to the store, it worked out so amazingly, I can’t imagine what it would taste like if I had actually followed the instructions.
Adaptions:
– Substituted parsley for fennel fronds.
– Reduced 1/2 of the suggested cider for glaze in the recipe, adding more cider after the roux and drippings were blended for a less viscous, brighter tasting sauce. Less waste that way, but all of that depth of flavour.
I had a group of 40 for Christmas. Everyone loved it. Well worth the work. I would recommend it for any holiday gathering.
This was my first attempt at a fresh ham and the results were spectacular. I cut back on most of the apple cider, except for the one cup added to the roasting pan, along with one can of chicken broth.
I prepared this recipe for Easter. It was absolutely the best fresh ham. I was very nervous about this recipe because I have never prepared anything like this before and the roast was almost 14 lbs. SUCCESS! I DID IT. Followed the recipe according to the directions. I did reduce the amount of mustard as I’m not a fan of mustard. Additionally, I did take the roast at 150. Let is sit for a good amount of time and it was perfect. Lots of flavor and tender. Loved the gravy too. Served it with scalloped potatoes, homemade apple sauce, roasted vegetables and a side salad. YUM!
Delicious! And so easy!
Outstanding! Cooked to perfection, flavor was out of this world… Instead of making the gravy you suggested, I whizzed up the cooking juices and onions with an immersion blender. Best gravy EVER! Thank you for making my Christmas dinner a huge success!
I made it for Christmas dinner and everyone loved it! Even my sisters who don’t like ham loved it. It was a great success. My soon to be sister in law even asked my to show her how to make it! Thanks for this amazing recipe. The directions were great. I followed word for word.
I followed this to the letter and it was just FANTASTIC. This is my go-to recipe for fresh ham, now. Thank you, Paula! (Cecilia, I didn’t see the show, but the recipe is a good one. Good luck!)