Alton Brown’s City Ham (Gingersnap Crust) - Recipe Diaries (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between country ham and city ham? ›

The difference between city and country ham comes down to how they're cured. Country hams are cured by dry-brining for several months, while city hams are wet brined for a much shorter amount of time and kept fresh thanks to the advent of refrigeration.

Tent the ham with heavy duty foil, insert a thermometer, and cook for 3 to 4 hours or until the internal temperature at the deepest part of the meat registers 130 degrees F. Remove and use tongs to pull away the diamonds of skin and any sheets of fat that come off with them.

Ingredients and Method

Place ham, skin side up, in a deep covered pan. Add water to within two inches of the top of the pan and add about a cup of sorghum, honey, or brown sugar. Cook slowly (about 325 degrees) and bring to a slow boil. Cook approximately 20 minutes per pound of ham.

Heat oven to 500 degrees before inserting ham. Cook for 15 minutes and turn off heat. After 3 hours bring heat back to 500 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and leave ham in oven for 6 – 8 hours or overnight.

It is against US law to import jamón ibérico - the hind leg of an Iberian pig, hoof attached, swaddled in fat, covered in a thin green layer of protective mould, occasionally sprouting wiry black pig hair - because Spain does not have a single slaughterhouse that conforms to the regulations of the US Department of ...

The combination of a unique and iconic pure breed, a longer curing process, strict POD standards , and traditional hand carving techniques, make Jamón Ibérico de Bellota the best in the world.

Why slow cook ham? Slow cooker ham is infinitely more tender for a fall-off the bone texture. A low, consistent heat over hours breaks down the collagen and connective tissues, which tenderises the meat. The natural fat slowly renders down, infusing the meat with a more intense, rich flavour.

A fully cooked ham needs to be cooked to 140°F (basically just to heat it) where as a “cook before eating” ham needs to be cooked to 160°F. When cooking ham, you'll want to preheat your oven and place the ham cut side down.

Depending on how the ham was cured, it will most probably be necessary to soak the ham for 24 hours before baking it. This step isn't necessary when boiling a ham as the boiling process automatically removes any excess salt, but it is a foolish errand to bake a salt cured ham without soaking..

After soaking, wash your ham thoroughly in warm water, using a stiff brush to remove any remaining pepper or surface mold, if present. Mold is a common and natural occurrence on aged hams (just like fine aged cheeses), denotes proper curing, and does not affect the taste or quality.

Should you rinse ham before cooking? ›

Whether you are cooking a bone in or boneless ham, pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees. Start by removing the packaging from the ham (and bone guard if you're cooking a bone in ham), and you can rinse the ham before cooking if desired.

To bake your whole ham, place in a deep open roaster and then add hot water nearly to the top of the roaster. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes, then lower heat to 250° for 20 minutes per pound. You can add ingredients to the water with either method if you like, such as apple juice, cola, or molasses.

BOILED COUNTRY HAM – whole or half ham

The country ham has lost a considerable amount of moisture--so we like to simmer--instead of bake. Have your meat department cut off approximately 3 inches of the hock to allow the ham to be easily covered with water in the cooking vessel.

Hams are either ready-to-eat or not. Ready-to-eat hams include prosciutto and cooked hams; they can be eaten right out of the package. Fresh hams and hams that are only treated to destroy trichinae (which may include heating, freezing or curing in the processing plant) must be cooked by the consumer before eating.

The ham will be done when it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. Remove skin and allow to cool in liquid in which it was cooked.

City hams are produced using modern moist-curing methods. The cure is injected into the ham in a brine form. The process takes much less time compared to that of country ham. The result is a moist and tender ham that is characterized by its sweet flavor.

Choose Uncured Options

Lots of ham choices exist at the store. You'll find glazed honey hams, brown sugar cured hams, and other options that are loaded with salt and sugar. Choose uncured options instead. These are usually marked as fresh and are more organic choices that you can season later as you desire.

Country hams are salt-cured (with or without nitrites) for one to three months. They are usually hardwood smoked (usually hickory and red oak), but some types of country ham, such as the "salt-and-pepper ham" of North Carolina, are not smoked.