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Braized and Baked Hams

A ham braised for several hours, then baked with a glaze and served with dressed vegetables.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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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 ↓

Braized and Baked Hams

Ingredients

Directions

The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.

Cook the ham

  1. Simmer the ham gently for 5 to 6 hours, probing occasionally after 4 hours to check tenderness.

  2. Once tender, let it sit in its own liquid for 1 hour, then drain the ham.

Prepare the ham

  1. Remove the rind, leaving 4 inches near the knuckle-bone.

  2. Create a decorative design on the rind with a sharp knife.

  3. Trim the fat for a neat appearance.

  4. Place the ham on a baking sheet.

  5. Absorb excess grease with a clean cloth.

Glaze, bake and serve

  1. Glaze the ham.

  2. Bake for 10 minutes at 400°F (200°C).

  3. Glaze the ham again.

  4. Return to the oven for 5 more minutes.

  5. Serve garnished with dressed vegetables and a ruffle on the bone.

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 + sherrytop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together377 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).

  2. Ham + saucetop 22% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together1,314 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  3. Sauce + sherrytop 23% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together1,097 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

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

What each ingredient does

Ham
Main meat; long, gentle cooking softens its connective tissue until tender.
Braising liquid
Keeps the ham moist and flavourful during the long, gentle simmer.
Bright espagnole sauce
Thickened brown sauce that adds savoury depth and body to the glaze.
Sherry
Adds aroma and a touch of sweetness and acidity to the sauce.

The step that matters

Simmer gently, not at a boil. Vigorous boiling toughens meat fibres and can split the rind, while gentle heat slowly turns connective tissue into gelatin, leaving the ham evenly tender and moist. Check tenderness after 4 hours rather than relying on the clock alone.

“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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