Servings: 6, with leftovers
With just a few seasonings rubbed on a day ahead, a slow-roasted fresh ham (that is, an uncured, unsmoked hind leg of a hog), becomes a juicy, fork-tender, and fragrant holiday centerpiece.
Peel the zest from the lemon with a vegetable peeler, avoiding the white pith. Put the zest, olive oil, rosemary, garlic, 1 Tbs. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper in a food processor and pulse to a coarse paste. Rub this mixture all over the ham. Cover the pan tightly with foil and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.
Position a rack in the oven so that the ham will sit as high as possible but still have at least 2 inches head space for air circulation. Heat the oven to 350°F.
Keep the ham covered with the foil and roast for 3 hours. Uncover the pan and drizzle the vinegar over the ham, taking care not to wash off the coating. Continue roasting, basting every 15 minutes or so, until the ham is well browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the meat without touching bone registers 170°F (check in several places), 1 to 1-1/2 hours more. If the ham or drippings begin to brown too much, cover loosely with foil to prevent burning. Transfer the ham to a carving board to rest while you make the sauce.
Carve the ham and serve with the sauce. Leftover ham will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Serve with roasted sweet potatoes and lightly sautéed green beans.
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Delicious but when I tested my 8 1/2 lb bone ham at 3 hours (before taking foil off) it was already at 166, not leaving much time for the browning with out drying out!
Will this take 30/min per pound? I have a 23 pound ham.
Have made this several times. It is absolutely delicious. This is our holiday stand-by not only for superior flavor, but also for impressive presentation. Never ever have we used the jam.. other than that we follow recipe perfectly. I have also made this on the barbecue (350 temp, about 20 min per pound, finished internal temp ended up at 170) Try this - you won't be disappointed!
Absolutely delicious! Everyone loved it. I did not use the cherry jam for the gravy due to allergies but did not miss it in the least. This one is a keeper. I used a 9.5 lb roast and it was done much sooner than expected so keep an eye on the progress.
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