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Fresh Maple Ham

Source of Recipe

From "See You on Sunday" by Sam Sifton


Recipe Introduction

"A smoked ham is a wonderful thing to serve for a Sunday supper, an Easter in July or September, festive and pink. But I think there's something magical about a fresh ham—uncured, unsmoked, straight from the butcher—cooked slowly in the oven below a shower of salt and pepper, and glazed with maple syrup and a touch of balsamic vinegar. It's like a giant pork roast, suitable for serving a large crowd with leftovers for sandwiches in coming days. If you happen to have access to what I think of as fancy pork, heritage breeds raised on good slops from the farm and maybe some nuts from around the edges of the field, there is no need to brine the meat before cooking. Please do so, though, if you're making do with what most of us make do with most of the time: commodity pork from the supermarket, low priced and less run through with delicious fat than in times of yore. Keep the skin on the meat regardless and score it deeply with a razor or your sharpest knife. The nooks and crannies allow it to crisp all over, delightfully."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 skin-on butt or picnic portion fresh ham, 10 to 12 pounds
â—¦ 4 teaspoons kosher salt, or more to taste
â—¦ 4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
â—¦ 1 cup maple syrup
â—¦ ½ cup balsamic vinegar
â—¦ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
â—¦ ½ cup pecans, toasted
â—¦ ½ cup candied ginger



Recipe

Heat the oven to 450° F. Using a razor blade or sharp knife, score the entire surface of the ham in a diamond pattern, cutting down just through the skin to the flesh underneath. (If you are cutting to the right depth, the skin will spread apart a bit as you cut.) Rub the outside of the ham all over with the salt and pepper, pressing into the crosshatch spaces between the skin. Put the roast on a rack in a large roasting pan and place in the oven.

After 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 300° F. In a small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, and cinnamon. Baste the ham hourly with the mixture, as well as with fat from the bottom of the pan, roasting until the very center of the ham reaches an internal temperature of 145° F, 2 ½ to 3 hours total cooking time. (Begin checking at 2 hours, inserting a meat thermometer into the absolute center of the roast.)

Put the toasted pecans and candied ginger into a food processor and pulse lightly until crumbled and well combined.

When the ham is done, remove it from the roasting pan, shower with the pecan-ginger mixture, and cover it loosely with aluminum foil. Allow the meat to rest for 20 to 30 minutes. (Its internal temperature will rise to 150° F or more as it rests.)

Tip the roasting pan to the side so you can spoon off all the fat from the pan juices, then place the pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Scrape the bottom of the pan to free any browned bits, skim any film off the surface, and season the liquid as needed with salt and pepper. Pour into a gravy boat.

Carve the ham into thick slices, drizzle with the pan sauce, and serve, passing the remaining sauce.