[Howto] Filipino-style Fiesta Glazed Ham

A slice of the finished ham. I should probably tweak the cooking time as it turned out a bit on the tough side and a bit dry.

I've always wanted to make my own ham. I have tried making my own bacon before with good results. I was a little intimidated by the threat of botulism, so I never really pursued it until now. It's Christmas Season, and Christmas and New Year's Eve feasts are just around the corner. There should be sufficient time to make your very own home-made ham in time for the holidays. Since I am not that familiar with the whole process, I decided to make a couple of test batches first. A more traditional pineapple-flavored Fiesta Ham, and a more unconventional peach syrup-infused ham. The entire thing consisted of several steps:

• Curing the meat (wet method)
• Marinating and Pre-cooking (sous-vide)
• Smoking (using a cold smoker)
• Glaze and finish

Curing the Meat

For the curing rub, you will need:

• 2 kg Pork ham (pigue), cut into halves
• 250 g rock salt
• 200 g brown sugar
• 5 g Prague salt #1 (check proper curing salt ratio - use 2.5 grams curing salt per Kg of meat)
• 10 g Black pepper
• 5 g Paprika
• 5 g Allspice
• Equipment: Mixing bowl, tongs, food prep gloves, vacuum sealer, and a vacuum bag big enough to fit one of the pork halves

I have bought 2 pieces of pork pigue (the butt), around 1.2 Kg each (I had 1 big piece cut into 2) in the supermarket, and decided on making 2 different versions. I have also bought a brine injector just in case. A brine injector is not strictly necessary for curing, but it becomes highly beneficial for cuts over 2-3 kg, especially when uniform penetration and faster curing are desired.

Wash the pork and pat it dry. Remove the skin if present and score the fat side of the meat.

Mix all the ingredients of the rub and rub it all over the pork. Making sure that the rub goes into every nook and cranny.

Vacuum seal each of the halves. You can also use Ziploc bags in a pinch. Place in the refrigerator to cure for a week. Turning the packs once a day. The salt and sugar in the rub will eventually draw the moisture out of the meat, so you will observe more and more liquid as time passes by.

Vacuum sealed during curing phase.

You can also use a big freezer Ziplock bag.

Marinating and Pre-cooking (sous-vide)

After a week of curing, thoroughly rinse the meat. Mix up the ingredients below to make the marinade.

- Pineapple heavy syrup (from tinned pineapple chunks) or Peach heavy syrup (from tinned peaches): 1 cup (240 ml)

- Brown sugar: 1/2 cup packed (120 ml)

- Soy sauce (Umami): 2 tablespoons (30 ml)

- Calamansi extract (Acid): 2 tablespoons (30 ml)

- Black pepper (Warmth): 1 teaspoon, freshly ground

- Chili flakes (Spice, optional): 1/4 teaspoon or to taste

- Adjustments:  

  - Sweeter profile: Add 1–2 tbsp brown sugar.  

  - Brighter profile: Increase acid by 1 tbsp.  

  - Savory balance: Add 1 tsp fish sauce (a tiny amount goes a long way).

- Equipment: Vacuum sealer, high-heat-safe vacuum bags, sous vide circulator, large pot/tub 

It can be difficult to vacuum-seal marinated meats. Either use a wet/dry vacuum sealer machine or prepare the marinade beforehand so you have time to freeze the liquid before sealing it together with the meat.

Sous-vide at 64 °C for 18 hours.

Sous-vide notes:

Target temperature: 62–65°C.  

•   62–63°C: Juicier, gentle texture.  
•   64–65°C: Slightly firmer, classic ham bite.  
• Time: 18–24 hours for a 2 kg cured whole muscle.  
•   18 hours: Tender, sliceable.  
•   24 hours: Deeper infusion, slightly softer fibers.

Submerge the packs immediately in an ice bath to quickly lower the hams' temperature.

Smoking (cold)

You will need:

• Cold smoker
• Wood chips (something that imparts a light smoky finish, I used Japanese Sakura wood chips)

Open the vacuum bags, taking care to set aside the marinade (this will be used for glazing later). Pat dry with paper towels and place in a wire rack. In my case, everything fitted inside my large mixing bowl, so I just covered the top with cling film to make a seal. Smoke for 30 to 45 minutes.

At this point, you can re-vacuum seal and store it in the freezer, or proceed to the next step if you are serving it right away.

The test portions were probably too thin so the final result was too dry.

Glaze and finish

1. Make glaze (pan reduction):  

   - Base: Reserved bag juices (make sure it is from the same fruit marinade).  

   - Balance: 1–2 tsp acid; pinch of salt if needed.  

   - Reduce: Simmer to syrupy, 3–8 minutes.  

2. Glaze application:  

   - Brush: Coat ham lightly.  

   - Caramelize:  

     - Air Fryer: 200–220°C for 8–12 minutes, basting midway.  

     - Torch: Controlled passes until glossy, basting once.  

3. Final rest: 10–15 minutes before slicing to set the glaze.