Mocha Ham

I am a big fan of Steven Raichlan's Primal Grill.  I love the nerdy/hip style, I love that he cooks outside and usually has to finish the show in the dark (what vérité), and I love a lot of his recipes.  I am not the Chief Griller at my house, and I'm still trying to convince the CG to try his Moules Éclatées (mussels cooked on a flaming bed of pine needles), but I have adapted several of his recipes for indoor cookery. 

The Java Chicken is A.Ma.Zing, especially if you do it on the grill.  However, today it is threatening rain and I have a vast quantity of pig still left in the freezer, so here is the indoor pork variant of this recipe.  Don't brew any coffee specifically for this recipe, just use the dregs in the coffeepot.  I don't use a mop sauce while grilling because opening and closing the grill makes it hard to keep the coals hot, but in the oven, a mop sauce is worthwhile (it's usually known as "basting" when it's done in the oven).

I've got a fresh ham roast because we get our pork from a local farmer and they'll butcher to order.  It's basically a thick-sliced (1 1/4") piece of uncured pork leg.  Don't use a regular (i.e. cured/smoked) ham if fresh ham isn't available to you.  A pork tenderloin roast is good, as is pork top loin roast and bone-in chicken parts.  This rub/sauce combo is really quite good on just about anything you care to grill/roast. 

You can prep this ahead for next-day/same-day cooking or freeze it.  The spice rub can be made ahead and stored in your spice cabinet in a sealed container or applied to the meat in advance.  I think the longer a dry rub sits on a piece of meat the better, so I would apply it and freeze the roast, if that's the route you're going.  The ingredients for the sauce can be measured, chopped and combined in advance, leaving just the simmering for the last minute or you can go ahead and simmer the sauce and fridge it or freeze it at completion.  If you freeze the simmered sauce, you may still need a few minutes of simmering to thicken it back up before applying to the roast. 

Roasted Java Pork
Makes 6 servings

2 lb. fresh ham roast (or pork tenderloin, top loin or bone-in chicken pieces)

For dry rub:
2 tbsp espresso powder or finely ground coffee
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ancho chile powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

For BBQ sauce:
1 tsp bacon fat or olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
6 tbsp coffee
6 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp worcestshire sauce
2 tbsp cream, milk or half-and-half
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp dijon mustard

For basting:
3/4 cup coffee or beer (or a mix of the two)

Combine ingredients for dry rub. 

Rub the meat thoroughly with dry rub and cover in plastic wrap to put in the fridge or seal in a vacu-seal bag for freezing.

Melt the bacon fat in a small saucepan and saute the onion for about 5 minutes over medium heat, until lightly browned.  Add reamining ingredients and simmer 10 minutes until thickened.  Put in the fridge or into a zip-top bag/sealable container for freezing. 

When ready to cook, thaw roast/sauce if necessary.  Preheat oven to 350F (400F for pork tenderloin).  Put the spice-rubbed roast in a broiler-safe 13x9 pan and roast about 1 hour 15 minutes for 2 lb. fresh ham or 3 lb. top loin roast, about 45 minutes for bone-in chicken parts and 30 minutes for a pork tenderloin.  Pour beer/coffee over roast about halfway through cooking and baste after another 15 minutes.  With 15 minutes left to go, brush finished bbq sauce on the roast and return to the oven.  You may want to broil it a few minutes to get that crunchy "bark" finish like you'd get from a grill (pour out any drippings before broiling to avoid setting off the smoke alarm).  Let roast stand about 10 minutes before slicing.

Cooking Schedule:

Meat	Fresh Ham Roast (2lb)	Pork Top Loin Roast (3lb)	Pork Tenderloin	Bone-in chicken parts
Temp	350F	350F	400F	350F
Approx. total cooking time	1 1/4 hours	1 1/4 hours	30 minutes	45 minutes
Baste after…	30 minutes	30 minutes	10 minutes	20 minutes
Baste again after…	15 minutes	15 minutes	N/A	N/A
Brush on sauce after…	15 minutes	15 minutes	5 minutes	10 minutes
Roast/broil another…	15 minutes	15 minutes	15 minutes	15 minutes

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