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Ham, Potted, Superior

A preserved ham made by pressing a fat and butter mixture into jars and covering with clarified butter.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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Why it works: Ham and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,475 recipes. Both carry trans-2-decenal, which smells waxy, orange. The science ↓

Ham, Potted, Superior

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Remove the outside fat from the cold baked ham.

  2. Combine the inner fat and butter to create a rich, moist paste.

  3. Season the mixture with spices to taste.

Pot and store

  1. Press the mixture into small jars.

  2. Pour clarified butter over the top after it has cooled.

  3. Store in a cool place until the butter sets.

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

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.

  1. Ham + buttertop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,475 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Baked ham
Provides the main meat, which is pressed into a spreadable texture.
Inner fat and butter
Adds richness and moisture, binding the mixture into a smooth paste.
Clarified butter
Forms a sealed top layer that helps protect the potted ham from air.

The step that matters

Pour clarified butter over the top after it has cooled. Pouring clarified butter onto a warm mixture can mix into it or cook unevenly. Letting the mixture cool first lets the butter set as a clean seal over the surface.

“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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