BAKED FRESH HAM SANDWICHES WITH FRIED PICKLES AND CAJUN AIOLI

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Baked Fresh Ham Sandwiches with Fried Pickles and Cajun Aioli image

Provided by Damaris Phillips

Categories     main-dish

Time 6h40m

Yield 8 to 12 servings

Number Of Ingredients 21

One 10- to 12-pound bone-in fresh ham, at room temp
2 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil, melted
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
One 12-ounce beer, amber or dark
Fried Pickles and Cajun Aioli, for garnish and spreading, recipe follows
8 to 12 sandwich buns, split
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
3 green onions, green parts only, sliced
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons pickle juice
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
Pinch cayenne pepper
32 dill pickle slices
Canola oil, for frying
Kosher salt

Steps:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Trim off any skin and excess fat from the fresh ham, leaving 1/4 inch of fat at most. Place the ham, fat-side up, in a roasting pan.
  • Combine the coconut oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme and 2 tablespoons each salt and pepper in a bowl. Rub the mixture all over the ham. Bake until the internal temp reaches 160 to 165 degrees F, 5 to 5 1/2 hours (essentially 30 minutes per pound), basting every hour with beer. Let rest for 20 to 30 minutes before carving.
  • Slather aioli on the bottom and top sides of the buns. Top the bottom buns with sliced ham, fried pickles and a bun top.
  • For the Cajun aioli: In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice and Cajun seasoning until combined. Fold in the green onions, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  • For the fried pickles: Combine the sour cream and pickle juice in a shallow dish. In a second shallow dish, whisk the flour, cornmeal and cayenne until combined.
  • Drain the pickles and add them to the sour cream mixture. Then, using a fork, add the pickles, a few at a time, to the flour mixture and toss to coat.
  • Heat 1/2 inch of canola oil to 350 degrees F in a large cast-iron skillet. In several batches, fry the pickles, flipping constantly, until golden brown and crispy all over, 2 1/2 minutes per batch. Drain on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet and season with salt.

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