Good Eats City Ham
Very labor intensive for a ham, but very worth it. I use a shank ham, very good ham cut.
Very labor intensive for a ham, but very worth it. I use a shank ham, very good ham cut.
- Carbohydrate 52.8681253333333 g
- Cholesterol 0.569333333333333 mg
- Fat 3.904768 g
- Fiber 0.904026677703857 g
- Protein 2.19736533333333 g
- Saturated Fat 0.919268 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (62g)
- Sodium 209.524 mg
- Sugar 51.9640986556295 g
- Trans Fat 0.262192000000001 g
- Calories 250 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat oven to 250F.
- Remove ham from bag, rinse and drain thoroughly.
- Place ham, cut side down, in a roasting pan.
- Using a small paring knife or clean utility knife set to the smallest blade setting, score the ham from bottom to top, spiraling clockwise as you cut.
- (If you re using a paring knife, be careful to only cut through the skin and first few layers of fat).
- Rotate the ham after each cut so that the scores are no more than 2-inches across.
- Once you have made it all the way around, move the knife to the other hand and repeat, spiraling counter clockwise.
- The aim is to create a diamond pattern all over the ham.
- (Don t worry too much about precision here.)
- 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 130F.
- Remove and use tongs to pull away the diamonds of skin and any sheets of fat that come off with them.
- Heat oven to 350F.
- Dab dry with paper towels, then brush on a liberal coat of mustard, using either a basting brush or a clean paint brush (clean as in never-touched paint).
- Sprinkle on brown sugar, packing loosely as you go until the ham is coated.
- Spritz this layer lightly with bourbon, then loosely pack on as much of the crushed cookies as you can.
- Insert the thermometer (don t use the old hole) and return to the oven (uncovered).
- Cook until interior temperature reaches 140F, approximately 1 hour.
- Let the roast rest for 1/2 hour before carving.
Standard ingredient lists display dark brown sugar, mustard, and crushed gingersnaps, yet omit the exact blade mechanics required to score the outer fat without compromising the muscle below. Scoring mandates a shallow incision limited strictly to the skin and initial fat layer; cutting too deep exposes the meat prematurely and dries out the roast during the initial three-to-four-hour bake at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Precision during this phase prevents the fat cap from separating incorrectly before the final temperature rise.
Thermal management dictates the outcome of large-cut curing. Removing the protein at precisely 130 degrees Fahrenheit ensures the interior remains succulent before the high-heat crust phase begins at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Brushing the surface with brown mustard acts as an essential adhesive layer for the sugar and cookie crumbs, securing a thick, caramelized crust during the final hour of roasting. Spritzing the sugar layer lightly with bourbon dampens the granules just enough to anchor the crushed gingersnaps without dissolving them into a syrup.
Substitutions alter structural integrity significantly. Exchanging crushed gingersnaps for standard graham cracker crumbs yields a softer crust devoid of the spicy ginger and molasses notes that counterbalance the natural saltiness of a brined shank cut. Conversely, substituting yellow mustard for brown mustard reduces the tang required to cut through the heavy sweetness of the sugar coating.
