Unlike your traditional holiday ham, fresh ham is uncured and unsmoked. We pack it in an herb cure for several days for incredible flavor and juiciness. When roasted, the skin transforms into addictive, crispy-sweet cracklings that may cause fighting among guests.
Ingredients
Makes 14 servings
Step 1
Using a utility knife or a sharp knife, carefully score skin of ham at 3/4"-1" intervals in a crosshatch pattern, taking care to cut just through skin and fat, not into the meat.
Step 2
Whisk sage, 1/4 cup salt, orange zest, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Rub salt mixture all over ham. Transfer ham and any excess salt mixture to a jumbo (2-gallon) resealable plastic bag. Place ham in bag on a large rimmed baking sheet and chill, turning ham every day to ensure even curing, for 4 days.
Step 3
Remove ham from bag and pat dry with paper towels. Let ham stand at room temperature for 2 hours.
Step 4
Arrange a rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 500°F. Place ham, shank bone up, on a rack in a roasting pan.
Step 5
Roast ham until skin turns deep golden brown and starts to puff, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 325°F. Carefully add 1 cup water to pan (it may spatter) and roast, rotating pan once, for 1 hour.
Step 6
Add 2 cups water to pan. Scatter star anise around ham; continue to roast, rotating pan every 45 minutes and adding more water if needed to maintain 1/4" liquid in bottom of pan, until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of ham registers 140°F, 1 1/2-2 hours more. If skin does not crisp within last 30 minutes of cooking, increase heat to 450°F and roast about 5 minutes longer (watch closely).
Step 7
Transfer ham to a carving board; let rest for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 1/2 hours (the ham's internal temperature will increase as it rests to about 150°F). Pour juices from roasting pan through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup; set juices aside and discard solids in strainer.
Step 8
Set roasting pan over two burners; add rye. Cook over high heat, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan, until rye is reduced by half, about 1 minute. Pour rye through same sieve into the measuring cup with ham juices. Chill in freezer for 15 minutes (this will make skimming the fat from the surface much easier).
Step 9
Skim fat from surface of juices; discard. Transfer juices (you should have about 1 cup) to a medium saucepan. Add orange juice and broth or 1 cup water. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Cook until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes.
Step 10
Remove pan from heat; stir in butter. Season sauce with salt, if needed. Carve ham. Pass sauce alongside.
How would you rate Roasted Fresh Ham with Citrus and Rye?
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Reviews (9)
Back to TopLoved this! Made it slightly differently due to time constraints. Marinated it for 2 hours then roasted it in a Romertopf clay pot, 430 degrees, for 75 minutes. No sauce, just pan juices on top. Spectacularly delicious and super tender! Will make again.
cathleencagle
midwest
3/9/2014
This turned out great- just like a picture. Also had trouble scoring the skin until I read the utility knife tip. Thank God! Just looked beautiful. Butcher would only sell me the whole 20 shank but thats ok -had plenty of leftovers and still cooked in less time than I thought.
adellumo
Chesterton, IN
10/23/2013
I made this last Christmas and it was amazing! Had a little trouble scoring the skin until I broke out the utility knife...should have read that tip first. Used to make bbq pulled pork with the leftovers.
adellumo
9/4/2013
I just made this last week and it is definitely a keeper. I followed the recipe as written; and it turned out perfectly!! The crackling skin was so good and we fought over it. I found a small piece that was overlooked the next day and was amazed that it was still crunchy. I used a small leftover portion and the bone to make Galician Meat and Vegetable Soup the next day.
Anonymous
Torrance, CA
3/5/2013
I found this in my Bon Apetite magazine and made it for an annual holiday pot luck my husband does at work. These guys put on quite a spread and try out lots of amazing recipes. Our ham was gone so fast many folks were disappointed and wanted to know how it was prepared. Yes it is a keeper simple to make with a wonderful interesting flavor.
Anonymous
Seattle, WA
1/23/2013
我做了这个节日,这是一个“必须make this again" winner for the family! I used a slightly smaller green ham from Publix (about 8.5 lbs) as my local butcher would only sell the entire 20lb+ shank and modified the cooking process by cooking it on my Kamado Joe grill after browning in the oven (it's tough to get the temperature down quickly in a ceramic grill). The hickory smoke really complimented the rub and ham literally "gushed" juices when sliced. The ham had a turkey-like color and consistency, definitely not the pink color you get from a traditional smoked ham. I'll make the gravy a little differently next time as it turned out too "smoky" from using the pan drippings as the base, though there wasn't any gravy left!
jhawn20
Atlanta
1/23/2013
@ Homesckalien use it to make a flavorful broth for future soups or simply include it in water to cook a bean soup.
marshacb
Germany
1/21/2013
Made this for NYD and it was great! Followed as written, including the 4 day brine. Very easy. Blast it @ 500 then drop to 325 for a couple hours. I rested it for about an hour. Now if I only knew what to do with the meaty bone....
Homesckalien
1/2/2013
I took the plunge and made this for Christmas dinner based on the stunning photo in the magazine. I followed all of the instructions exactly. It was easy to get a bone in, skin on shank ham from whole foods and at two ninety-nine a pound, very economical. The hardest part was scoring the skin/fat. You must have a crazy sharp knife or you will have a miserable time like I did. My knives are not so great and it took forever. The rub really sunk into the ham after four days in the fridge, I used oven roaster bags to keep it all contained. While cooking, it smelled amazing and you can really taste the herbs/seasoning in the final product. The sauce was easy to make and my guests all gobbled it up and raved. Personally, I was only so-so on the ham. I think I prefer a country ham (super expensive) or Irish boiling bacon (harder to find) over this. But for the price and simplicity of the recipe, it is very nice.
sbullard
12/26/2012
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