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City Ham

Alton Brown

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Show: Good EatsEpisode: Ham I Am

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (283)

  • Cook Time:

    6 hr 0 min

  • Level:

    --

  • Yield:

    10 to 15 portions, depending o

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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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Read more Comments & Reviews (283)

Comments & Reviews

  • recipe City Ham
    Cheryl Fontana, CA 11-16-2009

    Flag

    New Family Tradition

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    This first time I made this ham for a family thanksgiving dinner, I was informed by my extended family that this is what I am... to bring as our new traditional dish from now on. This ham is amazing.Read more
  • recipe City Ham
    Ryan Mifflintown, PA 11-15-2009

    Flag

    Best "Get-Together" Main Course. Period.

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    This ham recipe has replaced turkey for any family & friends holiday get-together I'm responsible for. It is absolutely... fantastic. Alton Brown makes the world a better place to eat.Read more
  • recipe City Ham
    Anne New Berlin, WI, WI 11-14-2009

    Flag

    HAM UTOPIA !!!!

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    My family usually purchases their hams from " The Honey Baked Ham Compnay" but, to save some money with these tough times we... decided to try to prepare our own. I cannot express how juicy, moist and flavorful it was. The combination of the brown sugar, gingersnaps, bourbon and mustard gave it an amazing complexity that was just incredible. There was not a bit of ham left by the end of the evening !!!!! I do however recommend that you USE GOOD QUALITY GINGERSNAPS. Lower quality gingersnaps seemed to have too much flour and result in a cakey coating rather than a crisp one (my sister learned this one on her own the hard way)Read more
  • recipe City Ham
    Peter Stou, WI 11-09-2009

    Flag

    Exellent

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    Best Ham Ever!
  • recipe City Ham
    Janice Springville, IA 10-12-2009

    Flag

    The Best Ham EVER!!!!

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    My husband has made this ham for like 3-4 years..Everyone loves it so much he is now catering my cousins wedding with it..We... hardly ever have any left over cause everyone takes some home with them... I would recommend this ham for any occasion!!!!Read more
  • recipe City Ham
    Susan Maidens, VA 10-08-2009

    Flag

    Another hit for Alton!

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    I made this for a family celebration and followed the directions exactly - everybody went back for seconds, and comments... renged from 'awesome' to 'unbelievable' to 'best ham I ever had' - and I used an off-brand shank on sale for 79 cents/pound! I will definitely make this again. And other family members have all asked for the recipe as well!Read more
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