Wine Pairing: Domaine Zind Humbrecht, Riesling Gueberschwihr – Organic 2008, Germany.
This almost perfect German Riesling has smoke and stone notes lached with white peach, apple, and lemon zest. It’s zesty and snappy with a white pepper-tinged finish. It is perfect for this ham! Retails for around $18.

INGREDIENTS

For the Brine

One whole bone in fresh ham, skinned and trimmed, slashes cut, leaving a thin layer of fat
6 quarts water
1 cup sea salt
1 cup light brown sugar
¼ cup fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 whole nutmeg, cracked and broken

For the Glaze

1 medium tart apple, peeled and seeds removed
½ cup fresh mint leaves
1 small red onion
½ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon salt

For the Spice Rub

3 tablespoons black pepper, cracked medium fine
2 tablespoons sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

PREPARATION

Brining

In a large pot, bring all items for brining to a boil, stirring occasionally until all the sugar and salt is dissolved. Cool mixture, and add ham to pot- mixture should completely cover the ham, if it does not than make more brine! Refrigerate for 1 to 2 days, turning the ham a few times. Drain the brine, and let the ham rest on a roasting pan with a rack, allowing the brine residual to drip down into the pan. Pat the ham dry with paper towels.

Glaze

In a blender, blend the apples, red onion, sugar, salt, and the mint. Add the honey and the mustard, and mix well. Set aside, and let rest for at least 30 minutes.

Spice Rub

Pre-heat oven to 375°F.

In a medium bowl, mix up all the spice mix ingredients. Rub mixture all over ham. Place ham in the pre-heated oven, and bake according to weight based on the table below. A 15-pound ham with the bone intact should take a total of 3 to 4 hours. Let the ham bake uninterrupted, and then in the last hour begin the glazing process. Glaze every 10 minutes until entire ham is browned. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, turn the oven temperature up to 425° F, and let the ham get a bit crispy and caramelized.