Boiled Ham
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wash and scrape the ham.
If it is not very salty, it does not need soaking; if it is old and dry, soak it in lukewarm water for 12 hours, changing the water several times.
Cook
Place the ham in a large vessel filled with cold water and let it simmer without boiling.
Cook for 20 minutes per pound of meat.
Serve
Once done, remove the ham from the water, strip off the skin, and serve.
If not serving hot, let it cool before skinning to retain the juices.
Optionally, twist scalloped letter paper around the shank or garnish with sprigs of green parsley.
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 being cooked, so its size sets the cooking time and its texture depends on gentle heat.
- Cold water
- Gently heats the ham from the start, keeping the meat moist and tender as it simmers.
The step that matters
Simmer without boiling. A rolling boil toughens meat proteins and makes the outside stringy and dry, while a gentle simmer cooks the ham evenly and keeps it juicy.
“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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