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Prep time
35 minutes
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Cook time
3 hours 10 minutes
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Serves
12
Author Notes
It wasn't until I reached legal age that I figured out why New Year's Day dinner in my family always consisted of a huge hunk of protein that went into the oven at about 3 p.m., following an early afternoon "breakfast" of Bloody Marys and scrambled eggs. (I didn't get to sample the Bloody Marys until I was 18. Actually, 17. But who's counting?) At any rate, making a roast remains to this day the easiest way to confront the inevitable family gathering on New Year's Day. The fresh ham requires minimal servicing through the three hours of roasting, allowing ample time to recline on the couch, bathing one's reddened eyes with Visine, attempting to watch football, and regretting having ignored all one's resolutions. By the time it's done, you hopefully will have recuperated enough to make some awesome gravy. —wssmom
Test Kitchen Notes
Wssmom, who developed this recipe, is right when she says this ham is the perfect thing to make while hanging around on a cold holiday weekend. For New Year's Day and beyond, this easy-to-make ham may find its way onto many of your holiday tables. It's handsome and impressive, and we love the incorporation of roasted garlic into the rub. It turns out that pork fat and flour make a great roux, and the resulting gravy had a beautiful caramel color.
The developer actually didn't call for a specific amount oil, salt, and pepper for the rub, so try to trust your instincts here—we used about 2 tablespoons of oil, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. We also opted to score the skin in a diamond shape, which makes for a lovely presentation. It takes a little extra effort, but your guests will love it. We recommend that you remove the ham from the oven when an instant-read thermometer registers about 155°F to 160°F—it will cook further as it rests. Let us know how your ham turns out below! —The Editors
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Ingredients
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1
(14- to 16-pound) fresh ham
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1
head of roasted garlic, pulled apart, cloves mashed
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2 tablespoons
chopped rosemary
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2 tablespoons
chopped thyme
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1 to 2 tablespoons
olive oil
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Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
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4 tablespoons
all-purpose flour
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4 cups
chicken or vegetable stock, preferably homemade
Directions
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One hour before you begin, take the ham out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. Heat the oven to 350°F. If you feel up to it, score the skin into a 1-inch diamond pattern.
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Using a mortar and pestle, grind the roasted garlic, rosemary, thyme, oil, salt, and pepper and rub into the meat.
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Place the ham in a roasting pan, skin side down, and roast for 1 hour. Turn skin side up and continue to roast, basting with the fat every 30 minutes, for about 3 hours total, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 160°F.
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Remove the pan from the oven, cover with foil, and let rest for 30 minutes. The internal temperature should eventually reach 170°F, which I am informed is the magic temperature for pork. (It supposedly is more tender at that temperature than 160°F, they say. Who am I to argue?)
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Pour off the fat from the pan into a fat separator, then pour 4 tablespoons back into the pan. (Alternatively, pour off all but 4 tablespoons of the fat). Place the roasting pan on the stove, heat over medium heat, and stir in 3 tablespoons of the flour, or 4 if you like your gravy thick. Cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. Gradually add the stock, a little at a time, and scrape up all those wonderful browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until thickened. Strain the gravy into a saucepan and keep warm. If there's some nice juice in the fat separator, stir into the gravy.
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Carve the ham into thin slices. Serve with the gravy alongside.
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