This flavorful nitrite-free ham roast would be a wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving dinner!

Selema adapted the brine from a recipe in Shannon Hayes’s cookbook The Grassfed Gourmet. After it was brined, I had the fun of cutting a diamond pattern in the fat layer and monitoring as it roasted. The kitchen smelled so good all afternoon, I could hardly wait till supper time.

Brining and slow roasting the meat takes a while, so give yourself lots of time and start several days before you hope to eat it. The results are worth waiting for!

(This brine recipe can be used for any other pork steaks or roasts as well. Fresh ham steaks and shoulder steaks are delicious when soaked in this brine, then seared in a hot pan and baked at 350°F (176°C) for an hour or so.)

Honey Ginger Brined Nitrite-free Ham

1 fresh ham (uncured ham) roast, about 4 pounds

For Brine:

10 cups water, boiled

1/4 cup salt

2 TBS coarsely chopped fresh ginger

3 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 TBS ground black pepper

1 TBS mustard seeds

4 bay leaves

Mix brine ingredients while the water is still hot. Cool brine and submerge the roast in it. (You can use a thawed one, or you can even put a frozen roast into the brine and it will thaw in the brine.) Set the brined roast into the refrigerator and let sit for at least 24 hours.

On the day you want to eat the ham for dinner, you’ll want to start cooking in the morning. Heat the oven to 250°F (121°C). Take the ham out of brine. Slash the fat layer of the roast in multiple places or in a diamond pattern, to allow the fat to render while roasting. Put it on a roasting pan, and pop it in the oven.

Roast, uncovered, for 7-8 hours or until internal temperature registers at least 145°F (63°C).

Remove from oven and tent with foil for 10 minutes or so while you make a gravy with the pan drippings. Slice with a sharp knife and serve.

Selema and Rebecca Weber