City Ham

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Show: Good EatsEpisode: Ham I Am

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (307)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(307)

Cook Time:
6 hr 0 min
Level:
--
Yield:
10 to 15 portions, depending o

Times:

Prep: 15 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 6 hr 0 min
Total:: 6 hr 15 min

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Ingredients

1 city style (brined) ham, hock end*
1/4 cup brown mustard
2 cups dark brown sugar
1-ounce bourbon (poured into a spritz bottle)
2 cups crushed ginger snap cookies

Directions

Heat oven to 250 degrees F.

Remove ham from bag, rinse and drain thoroughly. Place ham, cut side down, in a roasting pan. Using a small paring knife or clean utility knife set to the smallest blade setting, score the ham from bottom to top, spiraling clockwise as you cut. (If you're using a paring knife, be careful to only cut through the skin and first few layers of fat). Rotate the ham after each cut so that the scores are no more than 2-inches across. Once you've made it all the way around, move the knife to the other hand and repeat, spiraling counter clockwise. The aim is to create a diamond pattern all over the ham. (Don't worry too much about precision here.)

Tent the ham with heavy duty foil, insert a thermometer, and cook for 3 to 4 hours or until the internal temperature at the deepest part of the meat registers 130 degrees F.

Remove and use tongs to pull away the diamonds of skin and any sheets of fat that come off with them.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Dab dry with paper towels, then brush on a liberal coat of mustard, using either a basting brush or a clean paint brush (clean as in never-touched paint). Sprinkle on brown sugar, packing loosely as you go until the ham is coated. Spritz this layer lightly with bourbon, then loosely pack on as much of the crushed cookies as you can.

Insert the thermometer (don't use the old hole) and return to the oven (uncovered). Cook until interior temperature reaches 140 degrees F, approximately 1 hour.

Let the roast rest for 1/2 hour before carving.

*Cook's note: A city ham is basically any brined ham that's packed in a plastic bag, held in a refrigerated case and marked "ready to cook", "partially cooked" or "ready to serve". Better city hams are also labeled "ham in natural juices".

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Comments & Reviews

recipe City Ham
Linda Berwyn, IL 01-29-2010
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Best Ham Ever
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Made this for Christmas. I had a whole bone in ham. Followed the baking instructions...but....after the 4 hrs....only brushed... with the brown mustard and inserted some cloves in the openings and spritzed liberally with bourbon(my family doesn't care for "sweet ham"). Returned to oven for the remaining hour. Man oh man...this was the most tender and moist ham I have ever made. Will be making this for our Easter Sunday brunch. Used the bone to make ham stock for split pea soup, and saved all the drippings to add to the finished stock. I made an eight quart stock pot full of soup and we ate it all in 2 days. This is the only way to bake a ham!Read more
recipe City Ham
Valerie Cleveland Heights, OH 01-01-2010
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The Best Ham EVER!!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

OMG!!!! When I first tried this recipe, my entire family ate the entire ham. They stated this was "the best ham they had... ever eaten." As I am an excellent cook, and always looking for new and exciting recipies; I have to say that Honey Baked Ham has nothing on this ham and that being said, I've not purchased a Honey Baked Ham since last year (my first year trying this ham). My youngest daughrer (22) will only eat this particular ham and I have to say, I totall agree. It is moist, tender, juicy and so very flavorful. The taste of the mustart, brown sugar and ginger snaps is something that can only be imagined. Alton, tell you grandmother, she HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD with this Ham!!!! Fabulous, Fabulous, Fabulous!!!!!!!!!Read more
recipe City Ham
Joseph New Milford, NJ 12-31-2009
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Great Ham!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Awesome and Easy!
recipe City Ham
Jamie Long Beach, CA 12-30-2009
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OMG Good.
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This is the best ham recipe that I have ever had! The combination of ginger snaps, brown sugar and bourdion is amazing. You... must try it! Read more
recipe City Ham
Tiffany buford, GA 12-29-2009
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Yum! Yum! Yum!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I just want to start off by saying, "I don't love ham, but I loved it this year." It was my turn to fix the holiday dinner. ... I was out voted by the family and this meant that I had to fix my very first ham. I really didn't want to mess it up or you know that I would be reminded every year after that. I read all of the reviews and I must say, "I LOVED IT!" I followed the recipe and I had just happened to catch the episode on T.V. YUM YUM YUM. Don't be silly...try it!Read more
recipe City Ham
J Salt Lake City, UT 12-26-2009
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Amazing flavor
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This is the best ham I've ever had. I hate mustard and was worried about applying it "liberally," but with the brown sugar,... bourbon and ginger snaps it made for a perfect flavor. Thank you, Alton!Read more