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Boiled Ham

A ham boiled in water, then cooled, skinned, briefly baked to render fat, sliced cold, with leftovers for sandwiches and omelets.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 2 ingredients
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Boiled Ham

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. If the ham is very salty, soak it in cold water briefly.

  2. Pour boiling water over the ham.

  3. Let the ham stand until cold.

  4. Place the ham in a large kettle.

Boil and finish

  1. Boil the ham for five hours.

  2. Remove the skin from the ham.

  3. Place the ham in the oven for a short time to render fat.

  4. Slice the best parts of the ham and serve them cold.

  5. Save the remaining bits for sandwiches and omelets.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Ham
Is the main cut that is slowly simmered until tender and then sliced for serving.

The step that matters

Boil the ham for five hours. Long, gentle simmering softens the tough connective tissue in the ham so the meat becomes tender. Keeping the water at a steady simmer rather than a hard boil helps the meat stay moist and prevents it from toughening.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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