To Boil a Ham. — The great point in boiling a Ham is to
do it as slowly as possible. Old-fashioned cooks half filled the
pan with hay, or leather shavings, and added beer, ale, and
home-made wine, with a mixture of saltpetre and water. But it
is far better to replace these strange ingredients with vegetables.
In buying a Ham inquiry should be made as to how long it will
need to be soaked. A small and rather fresh Ham✪ To Boil a Ham may not
require more than eighteen hours’ soaking. But, as a rule, a
Ham should be soaked in cold water for forty-eight hours, the
water being changed three or even four times during that period.
After the Ham has been soaked scrub it well with a stiff brush,
so as to remove all the smoke and discolouration on the outside,
and trim off any ragged or rusty parts, reserving them for the
stock-pot. Put the Ham into a large pan or ham-kettle, and
cover it one inch deep with cold water. Let the water heat as
slowly as possible, so that it may be an hour and a half or two
2l6
BACON, HAM, AND SAUSAGES
hours before it comes to the boil. Skim it carefully till all the
scum has been removed. When the liquor is perfectly clear, put
in a shallot, a stick of celery, two turnips, two or three onions,
and three carrots. Add, in a muslin bag, a bunch of parsley,
of thyme, and of marjoram, some chopped lemon peel, and
twelve peppercorns. Cover the pan closely, reduce the heat and
let the Ham simmer very gently for five hours. At the end of
that time take the pan or kettle off the fire, lift the Ham out,
peel off the outside skin, and, if necessary, trim it again. If the
Ham is to be particularly good, pour a bottle of Marsala✪ To Boil a Ham into
another stewpan, lay the Ham in it, cover the pan closely, and
let it simmer for one hour more, turning it now and then. If
wine is not liked, strain off the vegetables, add them to the stock-
pot, and use the liquor in which the Ham has been boiled
instead of the Marsala. If the Ham is to be served hot, cover it
with thin glaze or with raspings of crust, and serve with spinach
slightly flavoured with Marsala. If the Ham is to be cold, lay
it in an earthenware pan covered with a marinade or pickle made
of half Marsala and half the liquor the Ham was boiled in. Let
it stay all night in a cool larder, then either glaze it or cover it
with raspings. When the Marsala is drained from the Ham and
has got quite cold, take off the fat, and put the wine back into
the bottle. It can be used again, adding a little fresh wine to it.
Champagne can be used like Marsala, and gives a much finer
flavour.
To Bake a Ham. — When the Ham is soaked, scrubbed,
and trimmed, lay it rind downwards in a large piece of paste
rolled out one inch thick✪ To Bake a Ham. Wet the edges of the paste from a
basin of cold water, draw and pinch them together, and fold them
over on the upper side of the Ham. Be careful to close the
paste very securely, so that no gravy can escape. Put the Ham
in a steady but not a fierce oven. If the Ham is fairly large it
will take five hours to bake. A very small Ham will require
three hours. Remove the paste and peel off the skin whilst it
is hot. If only part of a Ham has to be cooked it is much better
to bake it than to boil it.
Page 147 · 4 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1898. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
To Boil a Ham. — The great point in boiling a Ham is to do it as slowly as possible. Old-fashioned cooks half filled the pan with hay, or leather shavings, and added beer, ale, and home-made wine, with a mixture of saltpetre and water. But it is far better to replace these strange ingredients with vegetables. In buying a Ham inquiry should be made as to how long it will need to be soaked. A small and rather fresh Ham may not require more than eighteen hours’ soaking. But, as a rule, a Ham should be soaked in cold water for forty-eight hours, the water being changed three or even four times during that period. After the Ham has been soaked scrub it well with a stiff brush, so as to remove all the smoke and discolouration on the outside, and trim off any ragged or rusty parts, reserving them for the stock-pot. Put the Ham into a large pan or ham-kettle, and cover it one inch deep with cold water. Let the water heat as slowly as possible, so that it may be an hour and a half or two
BACON, HAM, AND SAUSAGES
hours before it comes to the boil. Skim it carefully till all the scum has been removed. When the liquor is perfectly clear, put in a shallot, a stick of celery, two turnips, two or three onions, and three carrots. Add, in a muslin bag, a bunch of parsley, of thyme, and of marjoram, some chopped lemon peel, and twelve peppercorns. Cover the pan closely, reduce the heat and let the Ham simmer very gently for five hours. At the end of that time take the pan or kettle off the fire, lift the Ham out, peel off the outside skin, and, if necessary, trim it again. If the Ham is to be particularly good, pour a bottle of Marsala into another stewpan, lay the Ham in it, cover the pan closely, and let it simmer for one hour more, turning it now and then. If wine is not liked, strain off the vegetables, add them to the stockpot, and use the liquor in which the Ham has been boiled instead of the Marsala. If the Ham is to be served hot, cover it with thin glaze or with raspings of crust, and serve with spinach slightly flavoured with Marsala. If the Ham is to be cold, lay it in an earthenware pan covered with a marinade or pickle made of half Marsala and half the liquor the Ham was boiled in. Let it stay all night in a cool larder, then either glaze it or cover it with raspings. When the Marsala is drained from the Ham and has got quite cold, take off the fat, and put the wine back into the bottle. It can be used again, adding a little fresh wine to it. Champagne can be used like Marsala, and gives a much finer flavour.
To Bake a Ham. — When the Ham is soaked, scrubbed, and trimmed, lay it rind downwards in a large piece of paste rolled out one inch thick. Wet the edges of the paste from a basin of cold water, draw and pinch them together, and fold them over on the upper side of the Ham. Be careful to close the paste very securely, so that no gravy can escape. Put the Ham in a steady but not a fierce oven. If the Ham is fairly large it will take five hours to bake. A very small Ham will require three hours. Remove the paste and peel off the skin whilst it is hot. If only part of a Ham has to be cooked it is much better to bake it than to boil it.
Records on this page
To Boil a HamTo Boil a HamSausagesTo Bake a Ham