Why it works: Ham and sherry work together. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 377 recipes. Both carry 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol, which smells smoky, clove. The science ↓
Boiled Ham
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Boil and cool
Weigh the ham and boil it for 20 minutes per pound.
Once done, place it in cold water for 20 minutes.
Glaze and bake
Remove the ham, skin it, and place it in a baking pan.
Pour the jelly and sherry wine over the ham.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 20 minutes, basting well.
Before serving, pour off the grease.
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
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Ham + sherrytop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together377 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
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Ham + winetop 27% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together303 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
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Sherry + winetop 32% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together0 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Ham
- Is the main cut that is boiled, then finished in the oven.
- Jelly
- Adds sweetness and a glossy glaze that browns on the surface as it bakes.
- Sherry wine
- Adds acidity and aroma that balance the sweetness of the jelly.
The step that matters
Basting during the bake. Basting repeatedly with the jelly and sherry mixture keeps the surface moist and helps the glaze caramelise into a glossy, even coating rather than drying out or burning in patches.
“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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