Fresh Ham Roast from Chef Emily Golden Drews - OMG!!!

Chef Emily cooked one of our Market hams from Ferguson Farms! check it out... yum yum. 

and here is how Chef Emily created this masterpiece...

The skin, rind, is still in tact. If you're brave you can pluck the remaining hairs and make cracklins.

Free range pork has a beautiful dark pink flesh. Comparatively, CAFO pork is quite anemic looking.

Removing the skin. I scored it so I could remove it in sections.
I have saved it so I can render the bits of fat that remain on the inside.

Scoring the fat cap allows it to render while creating a nice crisp shell when the roast is finished.

My flavor rub: lemon zest, fresh crushed garlic, chopped fresh rosemary, sea salt and rendered bacon fat.

Cover tightly and refrigerate 12-24 hours.

Heat your oven to 500 dgrees. Your top rack should be on the second place from the bottom. Cook for 20 min. and lower heat to 400 degrees. At this time, take out the ham to baste with the rendered fat and the drain it off. return to the oven for about 2hrs or until your meat thermometer reads 165. Check close to the bone. This ham is about 9#. Adjust your time accordingly depending on your size. During this time, remove ham about every 30 min to baste and drain the fat. If your top fat is brown and crisp before the roast is done, cover it loosely with foil. Let the roast rest at least 10 min before carving.

VERY IMPORTANT! Save the fat! Don't throw it away! Strain the hot fat and let it cool. This is an excellent, nutrient dense, extremely valuable and stable cooking medium.