How To Make An Incredible Christmas Ham With Heritage Pork
Christmas ham is always an impressive centerpiece, full of flavor and the perfect way to treat loved ones to a mouthwatering holiday meal. We recently started offering a limited quantity of heritage pork, and have untreated hams available with absolutely no additives. Cooking a raw ham like this is different from cooking a ham that’s already smoked and flavored. I think you’ll be thrilled with the results of flavoring the ham yourself, and this recipe uses some really tasty ingredients like maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, apple cider vinegar, honey and toasted pecans. It’ll create that perfect sweet and mildly spicy flavor that glazed hams are known for. This will create a Christmas dinner to remember, and kids and adults alike will adore the amazing meal this ham creates.
Free Range Heritage Pork From A Small Farm
Our heritage pork is raised completely free range on a beautiful small farm here in Northern New Mexico. Each animal has approximately one half acre of land. These pigs roam as they please, swimming in the Rio Grande river. The farm is a rehabilitation center for those struggling with drug addictions. The center features agricultural therapy through caring for and interacting with the pigs. These animals get daily interaction, treats and live a completely stress-free life. Living stress-free is important for all animals, but particularly essential for pigs because they are quite sensitive. This pork is USDA Certified and grain fed with a nutritionally balanced diet. The pigs consume a nutritionally ideal ratio of crude protein, crude fiber and plant fiber. They are, like all of our meat, completely hormone free.
Ingredients:
- Approximately 3 pounds fresh ham roast
- 1.5 teaspoons sea salt
- 1.5 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup robustly flavored, good quality maple syrup
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ cup toasted pecans, finely chopped
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a large roasting pan with a rack and set aside.
- Use a small, sharp knife to score the ham on all sides, making a diamond pattern. Cut through the skin completely, but not down into the flesh of the ham.
- Mix the sea salt and freshly ground black pepper together in a small dish. Use your hands to generously rub the seasoning all over the ham, pressing it firmly into the score marks. Place the ham on the roasting rack and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- When 20 minutes has elapsed, reduce the temperature on the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk together the maple syrup, apple cider vinegar and ground cinnamon. Generously baste the ham with the mixture once every hour, spooning fat from the bottom of the pan each time. Continue to cook the ham until it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit (check temperature after 45 minutes and go from there).
- Mix together the chopped pecans, honey and ground ginger.
- Remove the ham from the oven, remove it from the roasting pan and coat it thoroughly with the pecan, honey and ginger mixture. Loosely tent with foil to keep warm. Let the meat rest for approximately 20 to 30 minutes before serving.
- Skim the fat off the juices from the roasting pan, then cook on the stove over medium-high heat. Scrape with a wooden spoon to mix any browned, flavorful bits into the sauce. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Reserve for serving on top of the ham.
- Slice to serve with sauce drizzled over top of each portion. Enjoy!
The Beck & Bulow Team Is Here To Support You
At Beck & Bulow, we pride ourselves on our excellent customer service. We’re always here to help if you have any questions regarding your meat, want help making selections, or are just looking for some cooking tips. Every time you call our office, you’ll be directly connected with one of our team members right here in Santa Fe, New Mexico where we’re based.
Every cut of meat and seafood is pressure sealed and flash frozen immediately after butchering at the peak of freshness. We work exclusively with master butchers who make every cut with care and precision. All orders are hand packed at our Santa Fe warehouse, shipped in a reusable cooler with dry ice and delivered straight to your doorstep. Check out our selections of humanely raised bison, elk, wild boar, lamb, grass fed beef, heritage pork, poultry and seafood.