Baked Fresh Ham with Cherry Glaze

By carvalhohm

This delicious Baked Fresh Ham with Cherry Glaze is versatile and can be adapted to suit your budget, taste and ingredients on hand.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup coriander seeds
• 1 (18 - 20 pound)fresh pork leg, skinned and trimmed of top layer of fat
• 4 cups freshly pressed apple juice or good-quality apple cider
• 2 sticks cinnamon
• 6 green cardamom pods
• 1 red onion, cut into wedges
• 1 yellow onion, cut into wedges
• 2 cups dried tart red cherries or dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup loosely packed thyme leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Details

Adapted from bhg.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a skillet, toast coriander seeds over medium-high heat about 1-1/2 minutes or until fragrant, shaking pan often. Transfer to a dish to cool. Place seeds in coffee or spice grinder. Grind until seeds resemble a coarse meal.

Rub pork with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and ground coriander seeds. Place on rack in large roasting pan. Add 3 cups of the apple juice, the cinnamon, and cardamom to pan. Roast 5 1/4 to 6 hours or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees F.

Remove from oven. Transfer pork to large platter; keep warm. Pour pan juices through a mesh strainer into large liquid measuring cup. Return pork to pan along with onions. Increase oven to 400 degrees F.

Meanwhile, for Cherry Glaze, skim fat from strained pan juices (if necessary, add additional apple juice to make 2-1/2 cups). Transfer to large saucepan. Add dried cherries. Place over medium-high heat. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until cherries rehydrate and liquid is consistency of syrup.

Brush pork with 1/4 cup of the Cherry Glaze. Return to oven. Roast 30 to 60 minutes or until pork reaches internal temperature of 150 degrees F and onions begin to brown (cover loosely with foil if pork becomes too brown). Remove from oven, cover with foil. Let stand 15 minutes.

To serve, place pork on a warm platter. Arrange roasted onions around pork. Stir half of the fresh thyme and parsley into the Cherry Glaze. Carefully spoon some of the glaze over pork and top with remaining herbs. Serve with Cherry Glaze.
Makes 8 servings (6-oz. meat with 1/3 cup sauce) plus leftovers.

Kitchen Tip: To check temperature, insert meat thermometer into thickest park of ham, close to bone but not touching bone. For accuracy, check multiple spots.

Budget-Friendly Option: This recipe works equally well with a fresh pork shoulder and it yields 8 servings with leftovers. To Prepare with Pork Shoulder: Substitute one 4-1/2- to 5-pound boneless pork shoulder roast (also called a "Boston butt"). Prepare as in basic recipe using only 2 tablespoons coriander seeds. Roast in a 350 degree F oven for 1-1/2 hours or until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F. Drain juices and make cherry mixture as in basic recipe. Add onions to pan. Increase oven to 400 degrees F. Return to oven and roast 1 hour more or until pork is tender (165 degrees F). Remove from oven. Cover with foil and let stand 15 minutes.