Buzhenina - Slow-baked Fresh Ham

Score the ham in a diamond pattern, cutting through the skin into the fat. (Do not remove the rind -- many people like it. Do not trim the fat either, otherwise the buzhenina will turn out dry.) Bring 1 gallon of water to a boil in a large stock pot. Add garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaves, and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and dissolve the mustard and salt. Add 4 more gallons of cold water. Cool the brine completely. Place the ham into the brine (the meat should be completely submerged). Cover the stock pot and let marinade in a cool place (between 50F and 60F) for 48 hours. Preheat the oven to 300F. Whisk together Russian mustard, vegetable oil, and ground black pepper. Remove the ham from the brine, rinse it with cold water and pat dry. Smear the marinade all over the ham. Tightly wrap the ham in 2 or 3 layers of aluminium foil. Bake at 300F for 1 hour per 1 lb of meat. Unwrap the ham , scrape off excess marinade with a spoon, and transfer the ham to a rack set over a roasting pan. Turn the oven to broiand cook the ham, turning every few minutes, until it develops an all-over crust. Check for donness: the ham is ready when the internal temperature registers 170F. Remove from oven, cover losely with foil, and let cool for 45 minutes before carving. Buzhenina is served warm or even cold with sauerkraut, buckwheat, or potatoes.