Pork in the oven: leg or shoulder?
For this dish you will need a raw, salted pork butt (the top of the back leg of the pig) or shoulder.
It’s easy to salt (marinate) a fresh piece of pork for this recipe at home, so-called. wet method - immersing pork in a strong solution of salt and spices for a couple of days, which is discussed below. Which cut of pork should I buy for this dish? Pork butt is the best cut, but it is also the most expensive. A more economical option (and great for this recipe!) is pork shoulder. Both pork butt and pork shoulder are sold with or without the bone inside. The bone inside the pork butt will make the finished meat even juicier, but you will end up with less meat than from a boneless piece. If you have a piece of pork with skin on, don't remove it!
This photo clearly shows how juicy ordinary pork baked in the oven turns out if it is pre-marinated. Here I used boneless pork butt (leg of pig)
Pork ham - what to cook?
We present to you three versatile recipes for preparing a meat delicacy from pork ham.
Pork ham cooked and smoked at home
If you or your friends have a smokehouse, then the question of what to cook with pork butt should no longer be on the agenda in the kitchen.
Ingredients:
- pork ham – 1 pc.;
- salt – 200 g;
- sugar – 20 g;
- allspice – 6 pcs.;
- cloves – 2 buds;
- bay leaf – 3 leaves;
- peppercorns – 5 pcs.;
- water – 2 l.
Preparation
Boil water and pour in all the ingredients, of course, except the meat itself. Mix well, there should be no salt residue left on the bottom, this can harm the meat. The composition and quantity of spices are indicated statistically, but you can add your favorite herbs or change the proportions of the above. Only the amount of salt and sugar per unit of water should remain unchanged. While the marinade brine is cooling, begin preparing the pork. Wash the ham well in warm water, if necessary, use a dishwashing sponge. Pour the cold brine over the ham so that the meat is completely covered; by the way, the dishes in which the ham will be salted should under no circumstances oxidize. So, the ham should spend 7 days in brine in the refrigerator. Then wash it and hang it to dry, this will take 7-8 hours. When the meat has dried well, it can be sent for hot smoking, which should last at least half an hour. Then place it in a baking sleeve, release the air well and tie tightly. Cook in this form for at least half an hour per kilogram of weight. Then hang it in a draft again to dry.
How to dry a pork ham at home?
We want to tell you right away that to prepare this pork ham dish, you need to be patient, patient, and more patient.
Ingredients:
- pork ham – 7 kg;
- salt – 8-12 kg;
- black pepper – 2 teaspoons;
- salted lard – 0.5 kg;
- ground coriander – 1 teaspoon.
Preparation
First, wash the ham well to remove soot stains after tarring; this is easier to do in warm water with the hard part of a dishwashing sponge. Then dry and thoroughly, in several passes, rub the skin, and especially the exposed part of the meat, with pepper and salt. Then find a non-oxidizing basin and add a layer of salt to the bottom. Place the ham on its side and cover it completely with salt, so that it covers the entire leg. The duration of this procedure directly depends on the weight of the ham, on average it is a day per kilogram. Cover the basin with cling film, and check the condition of the salt every 2 days (more often if possible). Pour out the separated liquid and add salt if it no longer covers the entire ham. Afterwards, wash the already salted leg and hang it out to dry. Rub with spices, paying special attention to the exposed meat, then cover the exposed meat with slices of lard. And then wrap the ham in five layers of gauze and tie it tightly with twine. Now all that remains is to hang the ham in a well-ventilated dark room with a temperature no higher than 8-10 degrees and a humidity of 60-70%, if the temperature rises over time by about 1 degree per week, this is ideal, but not higher than 15. And now how We have already said, be patient and wait at least five months.
Pork ham baked in foil in the oven or in a slow cooker
Ingredients:
- part of pork ham – 1.5 kg;
- garlic – 4 cloves;
- basil;
- coriander;
- oregano;
- pepper;
- paprika;
- vegetable oil – 20 g;
- salt.
Preparation
Let's say right away that there are two options - to cook the ham with the skin on, or without. If you like well-fried skin, then you need to be more scrupulous in your choice of meat. The skin should be young, thin, white and without bristles. When purchasing, do not hesitate to pick it up and take a good look at it. Wash the meat and dry it well, then, if desired, sprinkle the meat with garlic and greased oil. Now thoroughly rub the ham dry with salt and pepper. Mix the remaining salt and pepper with spices and oil, then coat the ham completely. Wrap well in two layers of foil, securing it so that the juice does not leak out during baking. After waiting a couple of hours for the meat to marinate, you can put it in the multicooker for 1 hour in the “Baking” mode, not forgetting to turn it over in the middle of cooking. Or put it in the oven at 180 degrees for 1.5 hours, and 20 minutes before the finish, open the foil and add 20 degrees.
Baking pork (ham) in the oven in foil, stage 1
Remove the pork from the marinade and place it, skin side up, in a high-sided ovenproof dish (the ham will release juices as it cooks). If you want, you can make slits in the pork and insert halved garlic cloves. There is no need to salt and pepper the pork after marinating! Carefully cover the top and edges of the pork butt with foil, leaving a small air gap between the foil and the pork. Bake the pork butt in the oven at 220°C (fan oven) - 230°C (non-fan oven) for 1 hour and 30 minutes, without removing.
Remove the pork from the oven and carefully remove the skin from the ham in strips, without damaging the layer of fat underneath.
Remove the skin from the pork butt
Remove the pork from the oven, very carefully remove it from the foil so as not to get burned by the hot steam. Leave the pork for a few minutes to cool slightly. Meanwhile, prepare the honey and mustard glaze for the Christmas ham as follows.
Lift the ham with two forks and transfer it to a cutting board on top of the foil that was used to cover the pork during the initial oven cooking (this will reduce cleanup time later). Pour out all the juice from the refractory dish, we will need it later. When you can touch a piece of pork, arm yourself with paper towels and a sharp long knife. Carefully cut the skin into strips, being careful not to damage the layer of fat under the skin, and remove it from the pork butt piece by piece (see photo above).
Make a mustard and honey glaze. Cut through the fat layer on the pork using diagonal lines.
Making mustard and honey glaze for pork butt
Mix mustard powder with honey and dilute them to a thick, homogeneous mass. If necessary, add more honey or mustard to the mixture. The glaze for the Christmas ham is ready!
Pork with oranges
One of the most popular ways to cook pork ham in the oven is. These fruits give a wonderful aroma to the dish and a magical sweet and sour taste. To prepare we will need:
- Fatty ham – 1.5-2 kg;
- Oranges – 5 pcs;
- Seasonings for meat, salt - to taste;
- Lettuce leaves - for serving.
We wash the carcass, then make many cuts, wipe with salt and spices. Let it sit for at least an hour.
Cut citruses into slices. We put them in a mold or in foil, put meat on top and fruit again. Cover with a lid or wrap in foil. Bake at 190 degrees for about one and a half hours.
Serve hot, cut into wedges and placed on lettuce leaves.
Baked ham decoration
Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the layer of fat on the ham into parallel diagonal strips, first in one direction, then in the opposite direction. You should end up with a diamond-shaped pattern (see photo). Now, using a silicone brush, brush the entire top and sides of the pork butt with the honey mustard glaze so that it is evenly distributed throughout the piece of pork. After this, stick a stick of cloves in each place where the lines intersect.
Brush the top and sides of the pork butt with the glaze. Insert a stick of cloves at each intersection of the lines.
Cooking pork ham in the oven, stage 2
Lift the sides of the decorated ham with two forks, transfer it to an ovenproof dish and place it back in the preheated oven. Now bake the pork without foil at 180°C (with fan) - 200°C (without fan) for about 25 minutes in the center of the oven. During this time, the Christmas pork ham should be nice and nicely browned on top and sides. Make sure that the pork does not burn in the oven; if this happens (every oven is different!), reduce the temperature.
Remove the cooked Christmas ham from the oven and leave it covered with foil and a towel at room temperature for 25-30 minutes.
Pork ham baked in the oven - tricks and useful tips
- Dishes prepared from fresh meat have better taste and health benefits. However, it is not always possible to purchase fresh pork, so if you buy a frozen ham, the piece should be defrosted naturally, and not in water: it washes off the valuable juice, which contains protein.
- Cuts are made on the piece before baking to ensure that the finished meat is juicy and not tough. To soak the ham more thoroughly, you can pour the marinade into these cuts with a spoon or using a medical syringe.
- Tough meat from an older pig will become soft if, during the preliminary boiling of the ham, 1 tbsp is added to the broth. a spoonful of alcohol or ½ spoon of vinegar (9%).
- Milk can be a good alternative to brine, which gives a piece of meat a spicy taste and softness. The ham is kept in it for several hours before baking. Mustard, which is often found in recipes for cooking pork ham, has the same properties.
- Since ham itself is a fairly nutritious and high-calorie product, it is better to select vegetable side dishes as additives to it. This combination will be the most successful and healthy.
Useful links:
Using an Oven Thermometer
If you are using a special oven thermometer, after decorating the ham and before the second stage of baking, insert the thermometer into the widest part of the ham so that it does NOT touch the bone. Remove the pork from the oven when the thermometer reads an internal temperature of 60-62°C. By now the pork should be nicely browned on the outside. Monitor the internal temperature of the ham as it cooks in the oven and adjust the oven temperature accordingly. After removing the ham from the oven, cover it and leave it to “rest” as described above until the temperature inside the ham reaches 64-66°C. Now the thermometer can be taken out and the Christmas ham can be cut and eaten.
Pork ham baked in the oven - general cooking principles
For processing by any method, the ham is taken from the uppermost thigh of the pig. The ham from the anterior shoulder region is fibrous and less fatty, it is suitable for frying, making rolls and dietary recipes. The back meat or bacon part of the pig has more juicy and fatty meat with layers of lard of varying thickness. For this meat, the most successful cooking option is baking.
Baking is usually preceded by preparing the ham for heat treatment.
The meat must be rinsed under running cold water, thus washing away possible small fragments of bones, bristly hairs and remaining dried blood.
Most often, before baking, the ham is kept in brine or marinade; this procedure significantly reduces the time it takes to cook in the oven.
How to serve baked pork butt
Cut part of the ham into thin slices and leave untouched the part that most likely will not be eaten immediately. As with roast turkey, sliced roast pork dries out quickly and loses its juices. You can cover the cooked pork with foil to keep it juicy. Store the Christmas ham in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped in foil. When cold, oven-baked ham is great for sandwiches and sandwiches.
Traditionally, roast pork is served with applesauce or fresh pineapple, but you can also try Christmas pork butt with our red cranberry sauces.
Material and photos: Oksana Jeter, CountrysideLiving.net
