Cooked Fresh Ham

Yield: 1 ham
Time: 1 week

Ham Brine:
makes 4 liters

2 kg water
2 kg ice
250 g salt
250 g brown sugar
30 g Pink salt
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. sage
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. black peppercorns
2 bay leaves

Ham:
1-2 kg pork roast (shoulder, loin, sirloin, leg)
1 sealable container, large enough to hold roast and brine
4 liters Ham Brine

Directions

Place the water, salts, sugar and herbs/spices in an large pot and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat, add ice and allow to melt. When ice is melted, brine should be around room temperature. Allow brine to continue cooling if over 30°C / 85°F.

Place pork roast in sealable container, pour in brine and seal container Refrigerate for 5 – 7 days. To accelerate brining, use a meat/brine injector and thoroughly inject brine into center of roast. This will cut brining to 3 – 4 days.

At end of brining, remove roast from brine and rinse with fresh water. Pat dry with paper towels.

Cook ham at low heat (150°C / 300°F) in oven or smoker until meat reaches 65°C / 150°F in the center.

Chef’s Notes:

Technically speaking, only the hind legs of a pig are called “ham”. If you cure the loin, this is essentially Canadian Bacon, and in Germany it would be called Kassler. Shoulders are called cottage hams and the front legs are called picnic hams.

For larger or smaller pork roasts, scale the brine accordingly.

For more info on curing meats, see Cured Meats: Ham, Corned Beef & Pastrami.