Mini Hams

[Max1]

I have been wanting to try this for a while now. I love ham, but lets face it, if you don't get the right one, it can be salty beyond belief. So I found me a nice recipe online.

Here is the recipe for the brine/ cure:
6x 12 ounce loin chops
1/2 cup kosher salt plus 1 tablespoon
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp finely ground black pepper
1 tsp allspice
1/2 ground cloves
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups boiling water to dissolve salt and sugar
3 celery stalks (about 2 cups chopped)
1/2 yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
2 cups cold water to purée vegetables in blender, plus add enough cold water to make 2 quarts total volume of brine
Brine for 48 hours before roasting

In boiling water, add in add in kosher salt, brown sugar, black pepper, all spice, ground cloves. Mix until ingredients are dissolved. Add cold water, celery, onion, garlic to blender, purée until mixed well, add to rest of brine in a 4 quart container. Add loin chops to container, seal and place in refrigerator for 48 hours to brine.


I pulled them out of the brine. You want these dry or they will not brown properly. That is a known fact for any meat, if it is wet, it will not brown properly.

Once I had them all dried off, I sliced the top, with one slice about every 1/4", then turned the ham 90° and sliced every 1/4" again. While slicing pre-heat oven to 350°F.

I heated a pan with 2 tablespoons of canola oil up on medium-high heat, until the oil started to smoke just a bit. Then place the cut side of the meat up.

You want to cook for 2-3 minutes on both sides, just to sear the meat. After sliced side is seared, place 3, or 4 whole cloves in slice crossings.

While waiting for meat to sear, make up a glaze of your choice. I used 2 tablespoons of honey mustard, and 1/4 cup of brown sugar.

Smear the glaze, all over the sliced side of the meat, being careful not to remove the whole cloves. Once glaze is on the meat, place in 350°F oven.

Remove from oven when the internal temperature of meat is 150°F

Take propane torch and sear sugar coating on top of meat, until it is lightly browned. *****PLEASE REMOVE CLOVES BEFORE TOURCHING*****

This can also be achieved under a broiler on high. You must watch this so it does not burn though. *****IF USING BROILER DO NOT LEAVE UNATTENDED*****

Plated Mini Hams, and some mashed potatoes.

Wanted to show it cut into also. (Veggies and salad not shown. Yes I did have some.)

 

[bbquzz]

I might have to give that one a shot Max, looks great!

 

[Bosko]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I see butter.Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

[Max1]

I did use some butter instead of oil like I was suppose to pan fry it. :P

 

[Max1]

We do use real butter in our house instead of spread. The spread has a lot of additives in it. I would rather use half a teaspoon of butter that trying to achieve a butter flavor with all of the other crap you have to use. A little butter does not hurt anyone, now if you use a tablespoon on a piece of toast, well yeah you will have problems.

 

[bigwheel]

Looks excellent. Thanks for sharing. Will have to give this a whirl. Will prob skip the celery. Glad you gave up on the Canola oil. That stuff is deadly poison. Gives me bad indigestion. We are down to using Coconut and light flavored olive oyl for frying with a pat of butter included..least when I do the the cooking. The oil keeps the butter from burning. Great tip on the wet meat.

 

[Max1]

You can't skip the celery, it's what adds the nitrates to make the pork taste like ham. I you do not add the nitrates, it will taste like a pork chop.

 

[bigwheel]

Ok..thanks. Might sub out TQ for the salt. That works on most other curing brines. Might even put a pinch of ground cloves in it. That should solve the adding and subracting the whole cloves issue. Smart thinking on that.