Homemade Honey-Glazed Ham

Brine: Combine 4 kg cool water, 516 g honey, 133 g salt, 26.3 g Insta Cure No. 1, and 20 g Wright’s Applewood Liquid Smoke (optional) in a covered container or a large, tightly zipped freezer bag. Submerge the 2 pork foreshanks in the brine and store in the fridge. Chill for at least 65 hours. As it brines, the meat will pull salt from the solution. To ensure even saltiness, give the liquid a good stir every day. PRO TIP: If the shanks float—as the fattier ones are prone to do—place a plate or other weight on top of them so that they stay submerged.

Cook; chill: Heat water according to your time and texture preferences: Ham cooked at 149 °F / 65 °C for 48 hours will be fork tender and incredibly flavorful. If you’re short on time or want to serve the meat in neat, old-school slices, cook at 194 °F / 90 °C for six hours. Place shanks in a high-temperature sous vide bag and add about 300 g of brine per shank. Vacuum-seal the bag or clip it to the side of the pot. Cover the container or wrap tightly in plastic wrap. When meat has cooked, prepare an ice bath. Gently transfer shanks to chill, preserving the cooking liquid for the glaze. Once chilled, shanks will last for two months in the fridge.

Score (optional): Using only the tip of a sharp knife, cut parallel lines along the length of the ham. Be careful not to cut too deeply—we like to go about three-quarters of the way through the skin to prevent it from pulling away once it’s in the oven. Working in the other direction, create a second set of parallel lines at about a 60-degree angle from the first so that the lines meet to form diamond shapes.

Glaze: Put the cooking liquid into a pot and reduce it over medium-high heat, watching closely to avoid scorching. Continue reducing until glaze is thick and sticky—when it’s ready, it will coat the back of a spoon without immediately running off. Drizzle the glaze evenly over the surface of each ham, then paint the rest on with a pastry brush. Easy there, you don’t want to rip the skin and mess up all that sexy scoring.

Roast: The goal here is to brown the ham skin and reheat the meat to a good serving temperature. Results will vary a bit depending on your oven, but we find roasting at 450 °F / 232 °C for about 10–20 minutes works well. CHEF’S TIP: To prevent overbrowning, you can always reheat the meat in heated water, then roast at a higher temperature (500 °F / 260 °C, say) for a shorter amount of time. Reapplying glaze as you roast will also help when skin starts to brown too fast.

Serve: Place that glossy masterpiece atop a colorful medley of roasted vegetables, or nestle it in some steamed rice sprinkled with scallions and sesame seeds. Like your best-fitting suit or cocktail dress, this sexy centerpiece looks good with everything.