The ultimate French bistro roast, pairing tender, thyme- and rosemary-scented pork with golden, blistered, intensely crispy crackling, served with its own white wine pan jus.
Ingredients
- 2.8 kg skin-on fresh ham (bone-in or boneless)
- 3 pieces yellow storage onion
- 8 cloves purple garlic clove
- 6 sprigs fresh Provence thyme
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 leaves dried bay leaf
- 2 tbsp coarse Guérande grey sea salt
- 1 tsp whole Kampot black peppercorns
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 20 cl dry white cooking wine (AOP Muscadet Sèvre et Maine)
- 25 cl filtered water
- 30 g pasteurized unsalted butter (82% fat content)
Method
- Thoroughly pat the surface of the fresh ham dry with paper towels to remove all residual moisture.
- Using a very sharp knife, score the rind into neat 1/2-inch diamond patterns, slicing through the underlying layer of fat without cutting into the red meat.
- Turn the pork cut side up and make small, clean slits to insert some of the peeled garlic cloves, cut into slivers.
- Strip the leaves from half of the thyme and rosemary, crush the black peppercorns finely in a mortar, then rub the meat with this herb mixture, olive oil, and a pinch of salt.
- Flip the roast skin side up again and rub the coarse sea salt deep into every scored groove to start drawing out moisture.
- Peel the yellow onions, cut them into thick wedges, and line the bottom of a large cast-iron or earthenware roasting pan with the remaining unpeeled garlic cloves, whole thyme sprigs, remaining rosemary, and bay leaves.
- Set the fresh ham in the center of the pan on this bed of aromatics, skin facing flat and directly upward.
- Roast in an oven preheated to 425 °F (220 °C) for 30 minutes to sear vigorously, until the rind begins to blister and takes on a golden color.
- Lower the oven temperature to 320 °F (160 °C), then gently pour the dry white wine and water into the bottom of the pan around the vegetables, taking care never to wet the crisping skin.
- Continue roasting at 320 °F (160 °C) for 1 hour and 45 minutes, basting only the exposed meat regularly with the pan drippings, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 155 °F to 160 °F (68 °C to 70 °C) or the juices run clear with no trace of pink.
- If the crackling is not completely puffed and crisp, switch the oven to the broiler at 460 °F (240 °C) for 5 to 8 minutes, watching closely until the skin crackles, blisters, and turns a deep, mahogany crisp.
- Remove the roasting pan from the oven, carefully slice away the crisp sheet of crackling at the base and set it aside in a dry spot, then let the meat rest loosely covered with parchment paper for 20 minutes to redistribute the juices.
- Strain the pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan, pressing on the onions and garlic, then simmer over medium heat (around 212 °F / 100 °C) for 7 minutes until reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the cold diced butter vigorously for 1 minute to emulsify and give the sauce a glossy sheen.
- Carve the rested ham, snap the crackling into crunchy pieces, and arrange on plates drizzled with the piping-hot pan jus.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 643 kcal
- Protein
- 50.77 g
- Carbohydrate
- 2.3 g
- Fat
- 46.05 g
- Fibre
- 0.36 g
- Calcium
- 18.81 mg
- Iron
- 0.56 mg
- Magnesium
- 17.43 mg
