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To Boil a York Ham

A large ham boiled in water with fat, then glazed and garnished with aspic jelly.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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To Boil a York Ham

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the ham

  1. Select a ham with a smooth thin skin and a plump shape.

  2. Soak the ham in cold water for 24 hours.

  3. Scrape the ham clean from dirt and slime.

Simmer and cool

  1. Place the ham in a pot with cold water and plenty of fat.

  2. Simmer the ham steadily for 3 hours.

  3. Let the ham cool in the water.

  4. Remove the ham from the water.

Finish and serve

  1. Discard the rind.

  2. Trim the fat smoothly.

  3. Place the ham on a baking sheet in the oven for a few minutes.

  4. Dab the ham with a clean cloth to absorb excess grease.

  5. Brush the ham all over with glaze.

  6. Garnish with chopped aspic jelly.

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

York ham
Forms the main body of the dish, so its size and quality set the result.
Fat
Added to the boiling water, it enriches the cooking liquid and helps keep the ham moist.

The step that matters

Simmer the ham steadily. Simmering gently, rather than boiling hard, cooks the ham evenly and keeps the meat tender. A vigorous boil toughens the muscle fibres and can break up the skin.

“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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