Fresh Ham Roast

About this cut

Fresh ham is simply the hind leg with nothing done to it: no cure, no smoke. So it cooks and tastes like a proper pork roast rather than deli ham. From our heritage pigs, so it carries good fat and good flavor.

Good for

Season it heavily, then a low oven for several hours. Score the fat cap in a crosshatch and crisp it hard at the end; it's worth the extra ten minutes. Slice it, or take it further and pull it.

From our kitchen

Scored and salted heavily the night before, then a low oven all afternoon. The crackling is the point.

Score the fat in a crosshatch without cutting into the meat, salt it hard, and leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight so the skin dries out. Then 275 for four or five hours and a blast at 450 right at the end to blister the skin. It never reaches the table intact, because somebody always picks at it on the way. Roasted potatoes, applesauce, and something green.

Storage

Arrives frozen and vacuum sealed, and keeps about a year in the freezer. Thaw it overnight in the fridge, or quick thaw it in a bowl of cold water. Once it's thawed, keep it in the fridge and cook it within 2 to 3 days.