Christmas Ham

Directions

1. 1
   About 6 1/2 hours before serving or early in day:
2. 2
   Remove skin and trim excess fat from pork leg, leaving only a thin fat covering. Place pork, fat side up, on rack in large roasting pan. With hands, rub cracked pepper and 2 teaspoons salt over pork. Cover roast loosely with a tent of foil. Insert meat thermometer into center of thickest part of pork, being careful that pointed end of thermometer does not touch bone. Roast pork in 325° oven about 6 hours or until meat thermometer reaches 160° to 170° (about 23 to 25 minutes per pound). Pork near bone will be pink. After pork has roasted 4 hours, remove foil. After pork has roasted 5 hours, sprinkle roast with chopped parsley. When pork is done, place on platter; let stand 15 minutes for easier carving.