Bacon Liempo Ham

Ingredients:

Brining:
1/4 cup salt
3 1/3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon prague powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
¼ cup honey
4 cups water, boiled
2 bay leaves
1 large cut of liempo (2 kilograms)

Searing:
½ cup oil
1/2 cup anisado wine

Cooking:
1 cup white sugar
½ cup rice wine
1/3 cup anisado wine
2 cups pineapple juice
2 cups water

Baking:
1 teaspoon cloves
1 piece cinnamon bark, quartered
¾ cup brown sugar
2/3 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup brandy

Procedure:

Brining:
1. In a bowl, mix salt, brown sugar, prague powder, ground black pepper, honey, and water until all ingredients are well incorporated. Add bay leaves to soak.
2. Completely submerge liempo in brining solution. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate to brine for 6-7 days.
3. After the brining period, drain out the solution and thoroughly rinse the liempo.

Searing:
1. In a large frying pan with heated oil, sear the liempo, skin side down first, until brown. Add anisado wine and continually rotate the liempo on all sides to cook evenly. Transfer liempo into a large pot.

Cooking:
1. Pour all cooking ingredients in the large pot with liempo. Bring to a boil and cook the liempo for 3 hours, or until tender inside and outside, whilst reducing the sauce.

Baking:
1. Using a mortar and pestle, grind cloves and cinnamon bark.
2. Add brown sugar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, and brandy to form syrup.
3. Heat syrup over medium heat until all ingredients are well combined.
4. Score skin and spread glaze over the surface.
5. In an oven preheated at 250 degrees centigrade, bake liempo skin side up for 1 hour, or until glaze is bubbly. Baste liempo with glaze from time to time while baking.
6. Allow to rest. Carve and serve hot to your eager guests!