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Homemade Cured Ham


Picnic Roast

Make Easter dinner more special by turning a picnic roast into a savory ham with limited ingredients.

I salt-cured my picnic roast for about six days in the refrigerator. Then I cooked it in my largest crockpot. I prefer cooking roasts in the crockpot because the meat stays moist instead of drying out. However, you can cook the roast in an oven, instant pot, and even on the grill or smoker.

Ingredients For the Brine:

  • 1 picnic roast 


  • 16 ounces of salt (for the brine) 


  • 1-2 cups of brown sugar

Ingredients For Roasting The Picnic Roast:

  • 4 teaspoons of seasoning salt


  • 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika 


  • 1/2 cup sugar or brown sugar

Instructions to brine:

Using a knife, cut slashes in the pork roast just over the skin area.


Place the salt and brown sugar in a container large enough to hold the brine and the roast. Bring two to four quarts of water to a boil and pour over the brine ingredients and stir until dissolved. Pour in one gallon of ice water to cool down the brine.


Next, place the roast into the icy brine, skin side up. Use something clean and heavy to weigh down the roast so it can fully cure in the brine. Chill for one day for every two pounds of pork. Turn the roast over through the brining. (An eight-pound picnic roast will need to cure for four days.)

Instructions on cooking the picnic roast:

Next, sprinkle seasonings on all sides of the roast and rub them into the meat. Then place the roast into the crockpot. Add both of the sugars.


Cover and cook on the highest setting for five hours, then turn to the lowest setting for about another six hours. The length of time will vary.


Midway through the cooking process, turn the roast over to make sure all sides get glazed with the flavoring. Then baste the picnic roast with the meat's liquid once again a half-hour before taking the roast out of the crockpot. Slice and serve with side dishes. 


Notes:

To make this in the oven, follow the exact instructions for the brine. Next, bake the picnic roast in a roasting pan at 400 F degrees for two and a half hours. After that, turn the heat down to 325 F degrees and continue cooking for at least two more hours, or until the picnic roast is done.

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