‘America’s Test Kitchen’ pursues the perfect roasted fresh ham

"Unbelievably succulent, tender and uncomplicated, this culinary gem will leave you wondering how you could have gotten along so far without it."

So says a bunch of recipe testers who have proclaimed that the following recipe makes the best roast pork they have ever tasted.

The mouthwatering masterpiece is documented in "The America's Test Kitchen Cookbook" (Boston Common Press, $29.95), compiled by the editors of Cook's Illustrated magazine. The book's title refers to the magazine's public television show, "America's Test Kitchen."

Although this roast is called a ham, it's not really a ham at all — or at least not what most of us understand the term to mean. It's not cured, salted, pressed, molded or smoked. "In fact, the only reason this cut of pork is called a ham is because it comes from the pig's hind leg," the testers say.

They decided that a full fresh ham, weighing in at about 20 pounds, was too much for most feasts. So they used one of the two cuts into which the leg usually is divided: the shank, from the bottom of the leg. The other cut, from the top end, is the sirloin or butt, and it's harder to carve.

The testers summarized what they learned from their painstaking trials: "Use the shank end, brine the meat, rub it with herbs and garlic, then roast in a hot oven for 20 minutes before lowering the temperature and applying a sweet glaze."

If you don't have room to brine the ham in the refrigerator, they suggest using an insulated cooler or a small plastic garbage can; add 5 or 6 freezer packs to the brine to keep it well-cooled.

For the roast:
• 1 bone-in fresh half ham with skin, 6 to 8 pounds, preferably shank end, rinsed

  For the brine:

• 4 cups kosher salt or 2 cups table salt
• 3 cups dark or light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 heads garlic, cloves separated, lightly crushed and peeled
• 10 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup black peppercorns, crushed

  For garlic and herb rub:

• 1 cup sage leaves from 1 large bunch, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup parsley leaves from 1 bunch
• 8 medium cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
• 1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Glazes ( recipes follow )

To prepare the roast: Using a serrated knife, carefully slice through the outer skin and fat, making a 1-inch diamond pattern. Be careful not to cut into the meat.

To make the brine: In a large (about 16-quart) bucket or stockpot, dissolve the salt and brown sugar in 1 gallon of hot tap water. Add the garlic, bay leaves, crushed pepper and 1 gallon of cold water. Submerge the ham in the brine and refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours.

Set a large disposable roasting pan on a baking sheet (for extra support), then place a flat wire rack in the roasting pan. Remove the ham from the brine, rinse under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels.

Place the ham, wide cut side down, on the rack. (If using the sirloin end, place the ham skin side up.) Let ham stand, uncovered, at room temperature for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, adjust the oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 500 degrees.

To make the rub: In the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process the sage, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper and oil for about 30 seconds, until the mixture forms a smooth paste. Rub all sides of the ham with the paste.

Roast the ham for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to roast for about 2 1/2 hours longer, brushing the ham with glaze every 45 minutes, until the center of the ham registers 145 degrees to 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the oven.

Tent the ham loosely with foil and let it stand for 30 to 40 minutes, until the center of the ham registers 155 degrees to 160 degrees on the thermometer. Carve and serve.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

• 1 cup apple cider
• 2 cups dark or light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 5 whole cloves

Bring the cider, brown sugar and cloves to a boil in a small nonreactive saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, until the mixture is syrupy and reduced to about 1 1/3 cups. (The glaze will thicken as it cools between bastings; cook over medium heat for about 1 minute, stirring once or twice, before using it.)

Makes 1 1/3 cups, enough to glaze a 6- to 8-pound ham.

"Although cooking with Coke may seem unconventional, you haven't lived until you've tried cola pork," Cook's Illustrated editors write. "Cola pork was born when a member of our staff mentioned the Southern tradition of Coca-Cola glaze and joked that we should try brining the meat in it.

"After giving this joke fair consideration, we dumped 6 liters of Coca-Cola Classic into a bucket, added kosher salt and let the ham soak overnight.

"The next day we cooked it according to our recipe. The outcome was the talk of the kitchen. It was juicy; it was unusual; it was fantastic. The Coke had added its own unique flavor to the ham while tenderizing the meat even more than our regular brine. The meat was falling off the bone and unbelievably tender."

Follow the recipe for Roast Fresh Ham, substituting 6 liters Coke Classic for both hot and cold water in brine, omitting the sugar and reducing the salt to 3 cups kosher salt or 1 1/2 cups table salt. Proceed as directed, rubbing the ham with the garlic and herb mixture and using the following glaze recipe.

• 1 cup Coke Classic
• 1/4 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed (2 limes)
• 2 cups dark or light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 medium-size jalapeno peppers, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Bring the cola, lime juice, brown sugar and jalapenos to a boil in a small nonreactive saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, until the mixture is syrupy and reduced to about 1 1/3 cups. (Glaze will thicken as it cools between bastings; heat over medium heat for about 1 minute, stirring once or twice, before using it.)

Makes 1 1/3 cups, enough to glaze a 6- to 8-pound ham.