Above and beyond establishing your culinary dominance with
friends, the other reasons are pretty good too. You can flavor your ham any way
you want; you can somewhat control the salt content; and depending on how many
people you need to feed, can cure any size cut of pork you want, from a whole
leg to a small loin roast.
There are thousands of different brine and spice
combinations, but the procedure is pretty much the same no matter which way you
go. However, there is one thing all these recipes have in common, pink salt. To
make a true ham, you’re going to need a curing salt that contains sodium
nitrite, which is what gives the meat its pink color, and signature “ham” taste,
verses something that just tastes like roast pork.
This magical ingredient goes by several
names, including Pink Curing Salt #, Insta Cure #1, or the one I used, Prague
Powder #1. Yes, you can theoretically use things like celery juice, but long
story short, nitrites are nitrites, and it doesn’t matter where they come from.
For more info on that, and potential health issues, this article by Michael Ruhlman is a good read.
Once the ham is cured, you’ll want to
give it a soak to rinse off the brine, and how long you do this can effect how
salty your meat is. I prefer just a quick dunk, but you can leave it for as
long as 24 hours, which will produce what I’ll call a low-sodium ham. It’s
still pink, and flavorful, but barely salty. Experimentation is the only way to
figure out how long to you should go, but I wanted to give you the range.
If you do want a home-cured ham gracing your Christmas
table, I’ve given you just enough time to get it done. A local butcher should
be happy to give you a few tablespoons of pink salt, otherwise it’s quite easy
to find online. Whether it’s for a holiday dinner or not, I really hope you
give this a try. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
7 to 10 pound fresh, bone-in pork shoulder “picnic” arm
roast (or any large hunk of pork)
For the brine (adapted from Ruhlman’s basic ham brine recipe):
6 quarts water
18 ounces kosher salt (this is about 2 1/4 cups Morton's
Kosher Salt, or 3 2/3 cups Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, as they have difference
size grains)
2 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon pink salt #1
1 rounded tbsp pickling spice, or any spices you want
For the optional glaze:
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup maple syrup
pinch of cayenne
pinch of salt
For the optional glaze:
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup maple syrup
pinch of cayenne
pinch of salt
- Once cured, you should smoke and/or roast your ham until it
reaches an internal temp of at least 145-150 F.
- For a more detailed video on how I prep a ham for the oven, check out this Crispy Honey-Glazed Ham video.
- For a more detailed video on how I prep a ham for the oven, check out this Crispy Honey-Glazed Ham video.

29 comments:
Great post! What are some options you'd recommend for smoking?
Thank you so much for the recipe! I am having trouble finding a bone-in roast, is that required? Thanks a ton!!
I am having trouble finding a bone-in roast - is that required? If not, any changes to the recipe? Thanks a ton!!
Nicely requesting the maple-mustard glaze recipe, please.
Thanks!
I have done this pork loins and hocks to get some really delicious results but haven't tried a whole ham yet. It is easy to do if you follow the directions here and well worth the effort. My Christmas will be away this year but I am definitely doing this one when I get home. The only caveats to apply are mix and measure carefully - you don't want to overdo the nitrite; and keep everything refrigerated or well chilled during brining to prevent spoilage.
oops, just added glaze to ing. list!
I prefer bone-in, and they should be easy to get at a butcher, but any piece of pork works.
We aren't pork fans. How would this technique work with salmon?
Hi Chef John!
Great technique and I want to give it a try so I will pose a stupid question....
If I only have half the amount of pork do I just make half of the recipe for the brine. I.E half the water, spices and nitrites or do I make the whole lot and really soak the meat.
Keep up the great work!!
Hey Chef John... We live in the Bay Area. Where did you find the shoulder?
When smoking isn't an option, would smoked salt be a viable alternative? If so, about how much should replace the kosher salt?
And if liquid smoke is used instead, how much of that do you think would be appropriate?
Hi Chef John,
I will start to prepare this lovely recipe this weekend for Christmas. What is a cup measure in grams?
Thanks, Lincoln
We're definitely planning on ham for our holiday celebration. What sides do you recommend?
If you can't actually smoke it but want the smokey flavor could you add liquid smoke to the brine? I do that when I do my Boston butts in the oven and it works well with them.
Chef John, Not commenting on this recipe but didn't know how else to contact you. Received notice today of new video Sausage Meatballs. Watched on YouTube but can't find it on the blog. Thanks
My butcher reluctantly gave me a few tablespoons of "pink salt"...but only after warning me that it could kill me if ingested by itself in larger amounts. Did I pick up the right stuff?
Wow, Chef John, you really **do** like this. We will have to try this right away!! :)
That crispy skin at the end of the video was...provocative.
Amazing, chef John! Followed your recipe to the letter except I used my brother's smoker for the first stage of the cooking, then finished in the oven on high temp. Also I didn't glaze at the end, but It didn't need it...the most delicious ham I've ever made...or tasted, for that matter! Thanks!
Chef John,
Just did this for our Christmas ham. However, we encountered a problem:
The brine didn't get to the center, so we had a ham/pork combo going on (8 lbs, soaked in brine for 7 days) The outer "ham ring" was really good and the pork center wasn't bad either. Would you recommend using an injection of the brine into the center mass next time?
Overall, my son and I were very pleased at the potential for doing this again in the future. Thanks for posting this "How to"
Chef
Is there a calculation for using a larger leg of ham. or would you just add the amount of salt and spices according to a lb leg of ham
Chef John -
I made this a month or so ago and shared it with friends. They loved it. Told me it is a "keeper." For her retirement party, I thought I'd prepare it again for a friend. I will be out of town leading up to the party, and am wondering if I can brine and freeze it, then come back home, thaw it, and prepare it for the party.
Rob
I don't see why that wouldn't work! Good luck!
Our local pork is frozen prior to our use. Do you suggest thawing it prior to brining for similar results to your delicious fresh pork or brining it frozen then slicing the fat once thawed? ?
Did this last year..was sooo yummy.. Only thing was the brining did not get to the center of the meat. I believe there are others that experienced the same.
Ok what is the answer.. brining longer or getting a meat injecter.In addition if it is the injector that is the key..where do you inject?
Hi great video & recipe as always. Any alternative to pink salt? As its believed not to be healthy.
Hi chef! I made this recipe and it turned out really well...just want to thank u for the awesome recipe..keep up the good work!
How is this even etible with that amount of salt?
Thx, "18 oz salt" LOL so simple I can follow it, where as 2 1/4 cups or 3 2/3 cu, gets me squirrelly. Just imagine no tsp, Tspn, 2/3 cups, just grams. That would be beautiful.
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