Subject: Baked Country Ham
From: Unicorn (unicorn@indenial.com)
Date: Thu Dec 07 2000 - 13:25:00 EST
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F O O D F U N N Y
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Apropos of today's recipe, here is a vintage food funny from your
beloved Chef:
A woman was watching her mother prepare a large ham for the oven,
struggling with a saw to remove the shank from the ham. She asked why
she was sawing off the shank, and the mother replied, "Because that's
the way my mother always did it."
"The why did Grandmother do it?" asked the daughter.
"I don't know," replied the mother. "Why don't we call her and ask
her?" So they called the grandmother and asked her why she always
sawed the shank off her ham before baking it.
She replied, "Because I didn't have a roasting pan big enough to hold
it."
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T O D A Y ' S R E C I P E
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In the United States, hams that are heavily salted and air-cured are
known variously as country, Virginia, Kentucky, or Tennessee hams, and
Smithfield is probably the best known brand. The procedure for
cooking them is time consuming but not laborious, and the result may
be the best ham you have ever tasted.
Baked Country Ham
1 country ham, 12 - 15 lbs (5 - 7 Kg)
2 cups (500 ml) each coarsely chopped onions, carrots, and celery
2 Tbs (30 ml) whole black peppercorns
2 Tbs (30 ml) cider vinegar
1 Tbs (15 ml) allspice berries
4 cloves
1 cup (250 ml) orange marmalade
2 Tbs (30 ml) Dijon-style mustard
Scrub the ham with a brush under running water and then soak it in
enough cold water to cover for 24 hours. Hint: If the ham is too big
to fit in your biggest pot, saw off the shank and reserve it for
future use. Drain the ham and place in a large pot with the chopped
vegetables, peppercorns, vinegar, allspice, and cloves. Add enough
water to cover the ham and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the
heat and simmer covered for 2 hours. Remove from the heat and allow
the ham to cool in the cooking liquid for 2 to 4 hours. Drain the ham
and discard the liquid and seasonings. Remove and discard the skin of
the ham, and score the fatty layer in a diamond pattern. Place in a
large roasting pan. Combine the marmalade and mustard in a small
saucepan and heat just enough to thin the preserves, mixing well.
Spoon the marmalade mixture over the ham and bake in a preheated 400F
(200C) oven for about 30 minutes, until the outer layer is crisp and
brown. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 30 minutes before
serving with an assortment of mustards. Serves 15 to 20.
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