Picnic ham is ham only in the sense that it’s taken from the leg section of our porcine pal. Unlike most ham that Americans are used to, this meat is not smoked or cured in any way. This dish could just as easily be made with any pork roast, but I would shy away from making it with pork tenderloin, since the sauce will never have time to reduce properly, and wouldn’t be as sweet.
The pan sauce in this recipe is the star of the show, and what a star it is.
Place picnic ham fatty side up in lidded roasting pan. To the pan add 1 yellow onion, cubed in 1 inch pieces, 3 apples, quartered and ¾ bottle of a sweet white wine. (We used Twin Springs Texas Sweet White Wine, available at http://www.twinspringswinery.com/) Salt and pepper the ham liberally.
Cover, place in a 350°F oven until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Uncover and let brown until Ham reaches 170°F. Cover and allow to rest at least 20 minutes.
Transfer pan juices to a 3qt. sauce pan over medium heat, add 1 tbsp honey. Whisk in 1 tbsp flour, allow to come to a simmer and reduce by about ¼.
Serve the reduced sauce over sliced ham and enjoy.
Holy cow that sounds good!! I’ve got questions though!
Okay.. so I’ve heard of this picnic ham before and I guess I was always thinking it was like a cottage ham, but apparently not as a cottage ham is cured, yes? So.. what does a picnic ham taste like? More like a pork loin roast?
And.. doubtful I’d be able to get my hands on Twin River Texas Sweet White Wine here in Ohio, are you familiar with Catawba wine? It’s on the sweet side but not too sweet.. think that would work?
I’ll be back for your advice! :D
Oh and btw, I’m also drooling over those chocolate/pecan tarts!
Lisa, yes, a cottage ham is cured in brine and as such has a more “hammy” flavor.
A picnic ham tastes more like a pork blade or butt roast than it does a ham as most Americans are used to the idea. The good part is that the amount of skin and fat will keep the meat moist even when cooked to very well done, and it works great for pulled pork as well.
I misquoted the name of the vineyard It’s Twin Springs Texas Sweet (I’ll be fixing that in the post right away!), and you can get it direct from the vineyard at http://www.twinspringswinery.com/.
Catawba would probably work well, but I would suggest a touch more honey at the final stage. Texas Sweet White classifies well as a dessert wine, so I think any very sweet fruity white would work in its place.
The tarts, ahhh yes, I’ll be finishing off the last of those today. Simply dreamy.
From what I can find, you’re in English and Black Walnut country up there, and the ganache would be outrageous using roasted black walnuts with coffee liqueur or khalua in place of the Creme De Cacao. (Or even a good brandy, VSOP or better)
Cool, okay I’ll be trying this recipe soon! Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it muchly. :D
This looks good–I don’t do a lot of pork roasts, but I’ll keep this one in mind…
j
Lisa,
I’m at your service, as always.
jasmine,
Good doesn’t begin to cover it, and I hope you’ll agree if you try it.
I LOVE picnic ham so I’ll be sure to try this receipe. Thanks for providing it!
I’m trying your recipe out tonight. But I’m using a bottle of Catawba Dessert Wine instead, should work about the same, its a sweet white wine. I’m very excited to taste the results!
http://www.stjameswinery.com/shop/wine/dessert/catawba-dessert-wine.html
@Anne: “will reply with results, or a black eye …lol” – does your husband have a tendency to be a little over-critical, then? :)
@Anne: so how did it work out with the ham and the black eye?
:)