Method
- Soak the ham in cold water for 8 to 12 hours (up to 24 hours if the ham looks very dry).
- Wash the ham well and trim off any unsightly pieces of skin.
- Place the ham in a deep saucepan and completely cover with cold water.
- Bring to the boil, skimming as necessary, then simmer very gently (do not boil), allowing 25 minutes per 450g (1 lb) for a medium-sized ham or 30 minutes per 450g (1 lb) for a large one.
- When cooked, remove the ham from the pan and strip off the skin, then replace the ham in the water to cool.
- When cold, sprinkle with brown breadcrumbs and garnish with a frill round the bone. Reserve the cooking water for use as stock for pea soup.
Notes
Strictly speaking ham is the pig's hind leg cut from the carcass before the pig is turned into bacon, then salted, smoked and matured. Shoulder and collar are cured the same way but lack the delicate flavour of the leg.
Best known British cooking hams:
- York ham: dry-salt cured, lightly smoked and matured for several months. Lean is paler than other varieties, fat is very faintly pink. Should have a greeny mould on the outer surface.
- Bath Chaps: pigs' cheeks, cured, usually smoked and generally sold cooked. As they are fatty, best served cold with chicken, turkey or ox tongue.
- Bradenham ham: small, expensive and hard to come by. Sweet-cured with molasses instead of brine, which turns the skin black and the meat red.
- Suffolk ham: like Bradenham ham but paler, similarly treated with molasses giving a full, distinctive and delicate flavour.
- Irish peat-cured ham: finished in peat smoke, cured similarly to York ham.
- Wiltshire ham: technically gammon as it is cured before being removed from the carcass. Mild, doesn't keep as well as real ham but enjoyed by people who like bland food.
What to look for: Choose a thick ham with a short shank, thin skin and not too much fat. Fat should look white (pinky in York ham) and should not be soft or oily. To test condition, run a knife along the bone — it should come out clean and sweet smelling.
Cooking notes: Most hams are sold already cooked or have cooking instructions supplied. Otherwise soak in cold water for 8–12 hours (up to 24 hours if very dry-looking). Wash well, trim off unsightly pieces of skin, put in a deep saucepan and completely cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, skimming as necessary, and simmer very gently (don't boil) allowing 25 minutes per 450g (1 lb) for a medium size, or 30 minutes per 450g (1 lb) for a large one. When cooked, remove from pan, strip off the skin, then replace in the water to cool. When cold, sprinkle with brown breadcrumbs and garnish with a frill round the bone. Don't discard the cooking water — it makes excellent stock for pea soup.