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2 small heads Belgian endive (about 8 ounces total)

1 cup Orange Vinaigrette

6 ounces very cold lardo

1 small scallion (green and white parts), thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS:

Heat a grill for indirect medium-high heat, about 375°F. Prick the scrubbed beets all over with a fork. Rub with 1 teaspoon of the oil, then sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the salt and ⅛ teaspoon of the pepper. Put the beets over the unheated part of the grill, cover, and cook until tender, 45 to 50 minutes. A skewer should slide in and out easily. Let cool for a few minutes, then cut each beet into 8 wedges.

While the beets cook, cut the radicchio through the core into eighths. Cut the endive in half lengthwise. Brush all over with the remaining 5 teaspoons olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. During the last 15 minutes of cooking for the beets, brush the heated part of the grill grate and coat with oil. Put the radicchio and endive directly over the heat on the grill until nicely grill-marked, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Arrange the beets, radicchio, and endive on a platter. Drizzle with the vinaigrette.

Increase the grill heat to high, about 500°F, and let the grill grate preheat for 10 minutes. Slice the cold lardo through its widest side into large rectangles about 4 by 3 inches, about ⅛ inch thick. At the last minute, grill the lardo slices directly over the heat until the lardo begins to melt and the edges curl up and char, about 20 to 30 seconds. Flip with tongs and char the other side briefly. Transfer to a bowl to capture the melting fat. Cut into strips and scatter the strips over the salad. Sprinkle with the sliced scallion and drizzle with the fat from the bowl.

HAM/LEG

Barbecued Fresh Ham Larded with Pecans and Garlic, Drizzled with Mustard Butterscotch

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

A whole fresh ham (an entire leg) is huge, weighing in at around 20 pounds. Unless you are feeding a horde, it’s probably more than you want to tackle. Fortunately, there are many smaller cuts. A whole boneless ham that is netted and tied weighs about 10 pounds. For most of us, though, a 2- to 3-pound ham, which will serve 6 to 8, is preferable. So we usually look for a boneless inside or outside round, which comes from the inside and the outside of the leg, respectively. Both are easy to slice. The outside round has more flavor and more fat, which makes it good for slow low-heat grilling. In this recipe the pork is brined in garlicinfused apple cider, larded with a paste of minced garlic and pecans, and served with a palate-blowing concoction of homemade butterscotch bedeviled by mustard.

INGREDIENTS:

2½ cups Sweet Garlic Brine

1 boneless fresh ham, inside or outside round (about 2 pounds)

⅓ cup chopped pecans

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon coarse salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ cup Mustard Butterscotch

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the brine and pork in a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag. Press out the air, seal, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or as long as overnight.

Light a grill for indirect medium heat, about 325°F.

Mix together the pecans, garlic, parsley, sugar, salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon of the olive oil in a small bowl. Remove the pork from the brine and pat dry. Poke three deep holes with a long, thin-bladed knife into each end of the ham and stuff the holes with the pecan mixture. Rub the outside of the ham with the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil.

Brush the grill grate and coat with oil. Put the pork on the grill away from the heat, cover the grill, and cook until the center of the pork registers 150°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 1½ hours, turning once halfway through.

In the last minutes of grilling, brush the ham with ¼ cup of the mustard butterscotch. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice the ham and drizzle with remaining mustard butterscotch. Serve immediately.

KEEPING IT SIMPLE:

• Use the pecan-garlic mixture as