People are losing their minds over this New York City restaurant’s latest creation, the watermelon ‘Ham’

The foodies of New York City are freaking out over this innovative restaurant’s latest creation: smoked watermelon meat.

Located in NYC’s East Village, Ducks Eatery is known for its smoked meats and barbecue, in addition to some unique vegan offerings, such as the cantaloupe burger. If you’re thinking that’s a beef burger topped with a slice of melon, you’d be wrong. After undergoing a number of processes including fermentation, smoking, dehydration and searing — all of which spans the course of two days — what was once a piece of cantaloupe transforms into a meaty filet of … well, fruit.

But back to the latest craze — the watermelon ham!

Chef and restauranteur Will Horowitz’s creation is a mind-blowing eating experience because the “meat” looks just like a roast, but once it’s sliced up, it becomes apparent that this hunk of smoked ham is actually a slab of juicy watermelon.

Here’s how it happens: The watermelon’s rind is shaved off, then the melon is brined for four days in salt, ash and spices. Next, the fruit is smoked — just as a slab of meat would be — for eight hours, before being pan-roasted in its fruity juices. The masterpiece is finally carved tableside.

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The watermelon ham has been met with high praise from some of the Big Apple’s foodie elites, including famed Instagram star @brunchboys, aka Jeremy Jacobowitz. “It’s such like a mindf*ck, ’cause your brain wants to think meaty and get that smokiness and saltiness,” he told Foodbeast. “But then you go through it and it gets that sweetness of the watermelon.”

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“Smoked Watermelon Ham anyone? This might be the most divisive dish I’ve ever posted. On the negative side, it’s people saying ‘why would you even do that to a watermelon?’ But that’s the whole point of food and cooking!” read’s @brunchboys’ post. “You take things, and you cook and manipulate it into something new!”

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Instagrammers have a lot to say about this creation, from confusion and intrigue to flat-out love or disgust — it’s quite a polarizing item from Ducks Eatery. If you’re interested in trying it, be sure to call ahead!