Madeira Picnic Ham
Updated December 1, 2025
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
- Total Time
- 6 ½ hours, plus 2 days’ brining
- Prep Time
- 20 minutes
- Cook Time
- 6 hours 10 minutes, plus 2 days’ brining
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
FOR THE CURED PORK
1 (5- to 6-pound) bone-in pork shoulder (picnic roast)
2 ½ cups kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
1 cup turbinado or Demerara sugar
¼ cup freshly ground coarse black pepper
FOR COOKING AND GLAZING THE PORK
4 ½ cups Madeira wine, divided
1 cup orange juice
1 cup turbinado or Demerara sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 medium white or yellow onion
Whole cloves, for studding onion
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
47 grams carbs; 221 milligrams cholesterol; 1017 calories; 25 grams monosaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 20 grams saturated fat; 57 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 1289 milligrams sodium; 55 grams protein; 40 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Cure the pork: Place the pork shoulder in a deep bowl and rub with the salt, sugar and pepper. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 2 days.
- Step 2
Cook the pork: When ready to cook, soak the pork shoulder in water for 1 hour, then drain well. Bring a large pot of fresh water to a boil over high, then cook the picnic ham over medium-low heat for 1 hour.
- Step 3
Drain the pork and transfer to a large Dutch oven. Set over medium heat, pour 3 cups of the Madeira wine over the pork and cook at a low boil for just under 1 hour.
- Step 4
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Step 5
Prepare the glaze: In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining 1 ½ cups Madeira with the orange juice, turbinado sugar, ground cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved and the ingredients are well combined, about 15 minutes. Remove the Madeira glaze from the heat and let cool slightly.
- Step 6
Pour half of the glaze over the pork, making sure to cover the entire surface. Stud the onion with cloves and place in the liquid. Cover the Dutch oven and transfer to the oven.
- Step 7
Bake for 2½ hours, basting every 30 minutes with the remaining glaze. Uncover for the last 30 minutes of cooking to allow the surface to brown.
- Step 8
Add more Madeira glaze and bake for an additional 10 minutes to allow the glaze to just barely set.
- Step 9
Remove the “ham” from the oven and let it rest for at least 15 minutes before carving. (Leftover ham can be sliced and stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)
Private Notes
Comments
@Maria Gomes potentially the 4.5 cups of Madeira that you put on the ham. But just a guess.
Yes. And then there is the simmer in Madeira wine for flavour. Slow-boiling for a couple of hours is fairly standard procedure for a home-cured ham. You are dealing with several pounds of RAW pork at the beginning and turning it into a cooked 'picnic ham'. Have you 'taken the plunge' and tried the recipe?
Yes, it does mean to boil the ham. This is done with salty cured hams, which are fairly hard, as a way to soften the meat and cook out some of the salt.
Did not have “the meats” lol as Hubby had skipped the weekly Costco run to go drinking with his ex-youth pastor (don’t ask… long story…)… so instead I used 6lbs of defrosted halibut left over from Cinco do Quattro, which I rolled up in a log and wrapped in twine. Substituted moscato for the Madeira because that’s all we had on hand. Was also out of salt so I used 1/4 the amount of epsom salts that my hippie niece left at our house because it’s probably close enough. Despite following the recipe to the letter, as others have noted, my ham (fish roll) was left high’n’dry (lol) throughout most of cooking. Unlike the rest, though, I didn’t rotate mine to submerge— the old man likes his fish rare, so there were perfect cuts for both of us! Overall I’d rate a 3/11 despite having followed the recipe exactly as written, just a little too adventurous in flavor for our tastes.
it was too sweet fory family's liking but the presentation was beautiful. Nothing negative to report, just too sweet for us.
EMERGENCY QUESTION: Did those of you who have made this remove the skin from the roast prior to curing or leave it on? I'm about to begin curing, and my 2-day cure will end on Sunday, when I want to serve it, so I'm in a rush, if anyone can reply. Even if you haven't made it, I'll take informed opinions. Thanks!