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Ham & Honey Heaven

Ham & Honey Heaven

Dec 18, 2020

Ham & Honey Heaven!

INGREDIENTS

HAM

  • 1 pork shoulder, bone-in with rind, approx. 4 kg
  • 200 g honey
  • 15 juniper berries
  • 2 pine branches

BRINE 

  • 1 bulb fresh garlic
  • 320 g pink salt (Colorozo)
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 piece mace
  • 10 green cardamom pods
  • 10 cloves
  • 10 juniper berries
  • 1 tbsp caraway seed
  • 1 tbsp fennel seed
  • 20 black peppercorns

SAUCE

  • 100 ml olive oil
  • 100 ml sunflower oil
  • 30 ml amber beer
  • 30 ml rice vinegar
  • 50 g coarse mustard
  • 1 tbsp honey

PREPARATION IN ADVANCE

  1. Bring 2½ litres water to the boil. In the meantime, cut the garlic bulb in half widthwise for the brine.
  2. Turn off the heat and add all of the ingredients for the brine to the water. Let the brine infuse for about 15 minutes.
  3. Add 2 litres cold water to the brine and allow it to cool completely before you use it.
  4. Place the pork shoulder in a suitable container and pour in enough brine so that the meat is well covered. Put the container in the refrigerator and let the meat soak for about 24 hours.

 

PREPARATION

  1. Ignite the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and heat to a temperature of 150°C. In the meantime, remove the pork shoulder from the brine and pat it dry with paper towels. Make crosswise incisions in the rind.
  2. Place one Hickory and two Apple Wood Chunks on the smouldering charcoal. Place the convEGGtor in the EGG, put the Disposable Drip Pan on top and then the Stainless Steel Grid. Place the pork shoulder with the rind side up on the grid and close the lid of the EGG. Make sure that the temperature comes to about 110°C and then leave the meat to smoke for 2½ -3 hours.
  3. Generously brush the pork shoulder with the honey and push the Dual Probe Remote Thermometer into the core of the meat, making sure that it does not touch the bone. Set the core temperature to 75°C. Close the lid of the EGG and bring the temperature to 160°C. Let the pork shoulder cook until the set core temperature has been reached and brush the meat regularly with honey.
  4. Remove the pork shoulder and all accessories from the EGG (see Tip). Sprinkle the juniper berries on the smouldering charcoal and place the pine branches on top. Put the accessories and the pork shoulder back and close the lid of the EGG. Close the EGGulator on top and also the air regulator underneath the ceramic bottom and let the shoulder smoke another 8 minutes; because you have closed off all of the air supply, the smoke stays well in your EGG.
  5. Carefully open the lid of the EGG and remove the pork shoulder. Place the meat on a nice cutting board and allow to rest approximately 15 minutes. In the meantime, heat up all of the ingredients for the sauce in the Cast Iron Sauce Pot on the grill. Stir the sauce regularly until it thickens and always close the lid of the EGG after stirring.
  6. Place the cutting board with the Christmas ham on the table and serve with the honey mustard sauce and side dishes of your choice, such as spicy apple compote, grilled cauliflower, baba ghanoush and braised carrots.

 

 

 

Source: Big Green Egg