Three to four times a year a farmer does a drop in our city for grassfed beef and pastured pork. I choose pastured pork because the pigs can go in and out of shelter, are typically fed organic feed and have access to fresh air and sunshine thus making their fat high in vitamin D. Our half a pig purchase comes with some hams. He smokes them and adds a very tiny bit of nitrites, sugar, pepper and smokes them. The flavor is delicious and the texture is different than hams I’ve had before that weren’t prepped this way. The texture while easy to chew isn’t slick to the tongue like store bought ham. It is a little more rough. It’s very much like an uncured ham but with the familiar flavor. We really enjoy them and I try to save them for special occasions.
Ingredients:
A ham (ours was about 10 lbs)
3 T Honey (we buy ours by the gallon locally from a farmer’s market)
A dash of Allspice
Brush the skin/fat layer of the ham with the honey/allspice mixture thickly. Cover it well in parchment paper. Just parchment paper, nothing else. Place it into a 250F preheated oven and bake it for about 5 hours. Check it for doneness and desired tenderness. When ours is finished baking, we slice it very thin. Save the juices in a gravy boat for pouring or in a small bowl with a spoon. It is great for a fancy meal and the leftovers make great sandwiches. Store the leftovers in its juice if there’s any left.
If your ham has a bone, save that amazing thing and cook it with a pot of beans or split peas.
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