We were having a few friends over for Easter brunch, and I had been thinking about trying something I had never tried before. Well, yes, I do know it is wrong to try new stuff on unsuspecting guests, but I had to do it: a ham on the BBQ!
I went to the Byward Market looking for the right piece of meat, and Aubrey’s seemed like the place to go. After all, they have been around since 1908.
After looking at their selection, and being stopped from buying a half-pig, I settled on a quarter ham. Surely, it would be enough for 6 people. Well, 5 really since one of them is vegetarian. But you never know, she might be tempted, I thought.
First, I brined the ham in salted water overnight, after bringing the ham to a boil and letting it cool down. In the morning, I basted my ham with a sauce made of maple syrup, wholegrain mustard and St-Ambroise beer mustard for an extra zip.
And hop, on the barbecue!
I grilled it slowly on low heat, with some wood chips to add smoke, for about three hours, basting it regularly. The result was a very tender, very tasty ham, and the combination of maple syrup and the two mustards worked great. I served it with scrambled eggs and some real home fries.
When folks arrived, the ham wasn’t quite ready in my opinion. But I had prepared some hors d’oeuvres (crackers, red pepper jelly, bocconcini, fresh basil) and a nice fruit plate for people to eat while they waited.
For the finish, Melissa had something special and, frankly, very pleasant to the eye.
Sparkling water, rose water, gelatin, blackberries. A nice and refreshing dessert, quite filling but lovely.
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