Why it works: Vinegar and mustard are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,067 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Baked Ham with Sugar Crust
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a very slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the ham
Loosen the skin of the ham and remove it.
Place the ham in a roasting pan.
Bake and glaze
Mix vinegar and hot water, then dissolve the mustard in it.
Pour the mixture over the ham and bake at 300°F (150°C) for 2 hours, basting occasionally.
After 2 hours, cover the ham with 1 inch of brown sugar, pressing it down firmly.
Do not baste again until the sugar forms a thick crust, about 1 hour.
Once golden brown, drain the pan and let the ham cool.
Press and serve
When cool but not cold, press the ham with a flat dish and a weight on top.
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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Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Ham + mustardtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together747 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
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Vinegar + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Mustard + sugartop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,424 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Ham + vinegartop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together737 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-methylbutanol (malty, whiskey).
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 slowly heated and glazed, becoming tender and moist as it bakes.
- Brown sugar
- Forms a sweet, thick, caramelized crust on the surface as it melts and browns in the oven.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that balances the sweetness of the sugar crust and the richness of the ham.
- English mustard
- Adds sharp, pungent flavour that complements the sweet glaze and the savoury ham.
The step that matters
Leave the ham alone while the sugar crust forms. Basting again before the sugar sets keeps the surface wet and stops it from thickening into a crust. Waiting until it is thick and golden lets the sugar caramelize and harden into a crust that holds.
“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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