Beer-Braised Pulled Ham

August. The serious heat. Prattville in August is Alabama at its most uncompromising: the kind of humid ninety-degree air that wraps around you the moment you step outside and does not let go until October. The kids at the daycare are restless and over summer at this point, ready for the novelty of fall even if they cannot articulate it. I have started doing more music time in the afternoons to use up energy when it is too hot to be outside.

I made a watermelon granita this week, which is just frozen blended watermelon with a little lime juice and sugar and absolutely nothing else, and it was one of the best things I have eaten this summer. You blend the watermelon, sweeten it slightly, pour it into a pan, freeze it for an hour, and then scrape it with a fork every forty-five minutes until you have a pan of icy pink crystals. It is nothing fancy and it is perfect in the August heat.

I also made a big pot of Brunswick stew on Saturday morning, which was a choice that made my apartment very hot but the stew was worth it. Slow-cooked with pulled pork, corn, lima beans, tomatoes, and barbecue sauce, the kind that goes for hours. I brought a large container to Gloria's on Sunday and she was genuinely happy to see it. She said that is summer eating. I said I know. She said you are getting good at reading the season. I think what she means is that I am learning to cook from where I am, not just from a recipe. That feels like something.

The Brunswick stew I brought to Gloria’s started the same way this recipe does — a Saturday morning commitment to low heat and long time, the kind of cooking that asks you to just trust the process and let the apartment get a little warm. If you want to carry that same Saturday energy into your own kitchen, this beer-braised pulled ham is the move: it pulls apart the same way, it rewards patience the same way, and it is exactly the kind of thing you bring to someone’s house in a big container and feel genuinely proud of. Gloria would approve.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 4 hrs | Total Time: 4 hrs 15 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 bone-in smoked ham (4–5 lbs), skin scored
1 (12 oz) bottle dark beer (such as a brown ale or porter)
1 cup low-sodium chicken or pork broth
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons whole-grain or Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 large yellow onion, roughly sliced
4 cloves garlic, smashed

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 325°F. Place the sliced onion and smashed garlic in the bottom of a large Dutch oven or deep roasting pan — this is your braising bed.
Make the braising liquid. In a bowl, whisk together the beer, broth, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, black pepper, and garlic powder until the sugar dissolves.
Sear the ham. Place the scored ham cut-side down in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat on the stovetop. Sear for 3–4 minutes until lightly browned, then flip and sear the other side for 2 minutes.
Braise low and slow. Pour the beer mixture over and around the ham. The liquid should come about halfway up the sides. Cover tightly with a lid or foil and transfer to the oven. Braise for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, basting with pan juices every hour, until the meat is fork-tender and pulling away from the bone.
Rest and pull. Remove the ham from the oven and let it rest uncovered for 20 minutes. Using two forks, pull the meat into thick, rustic shreds directly in the pan, stirring to coat with the braising juices.
Reduce the sauce. If you want a thicker sauce, strain the remaining braising liquid into a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 8–10 minutes until slightly reduced. Pour over the pulled ham before serving.
Serve. Pile onto sandwich rolls, spoon over grits, or serve alongside cornbread with a scoop of the pan juices spooned over the top.

Nutrition (per serving)

Beer-Braised Pulled Ham — The Kind of Saturday Cooking That Makes Your Whole Apartment Smell Like Summer