RAW HAM RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the ham on a wire rack or trivet set over a large roasting tin, pour in 480ml warm water and cover tightly with foil. Put the ham in the oven, immediately reduce the heat to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and cook for 5 hrs.
• Meanwhile, put the maple syrup, apricot jam and brown sugar in a heavy-based pan and stir in 50ml water. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave to cool.
• Take the ham out of the oven. Increase the temperature to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Open the foil, being careful of the hot steam. Remove the rind from the ham by inserting a sharp knife under it at the opposite end to the knuckle bone, gently lifting it away from the fat (try to keep as much fat on the leg as possible so that it will protect the ham and stop it drying out).
• Decorate the ham by scoring the fat with a knife to make large diamond shapes, taking the knife from one corner to the other, then making parallel scores 4cm apart. Repeat in the opposite direction. Put a clove in the corner of each diamond. Brush the ham with the sugar mixture, pushing it into the scores with the brush.
• Return the ham to the oven, placing it back on the trivet over the water. Bake for a further 45 mins until deeply coloured. Serve hot or cold. Will keep in the fridge for up to one week.

Steps:

• If corning the ham: Cut slits about 3 inches deep in a few places around the bone. Push salt into the incisions and, with a light hand, rub salt all over the surface of the ham. Reserve any remaining salt to rub into the ham as it corns, adding more if needed later in the process. Place the ham in a nonreactive pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and place it in refrigerator for a week. Unwrap and turn it every couple of days, sprinkling with more reserved salt and pouring off any juice that collects each time. Rewrap. The day before you are going to stuff the ham, rinse off the salt and soak the ham overnight in cold water in the refrigerator.
• Make the stuffing: The goal is to chop all the vegetables so the pieces are small and relatively uniform in size. Begin by chopping the cabbage. A food processor with a shredding blade is helpful. Place the cabbage in a large pan or bowl. Remove large stems from the kale and other greens, if you are using them, and chop. (Tip: Freeze cleaned, whole kale leaves overnight in plastic bags, then break up the frozen leaves while still in the bag and add to the stuffing mixture.) Chop the yellow onions and scallions, and add them to the cabbage and kale.
• Mix the vegetables well and add the spices. Mix again. (Your hands will work best for this, but wear gloves if your skin is sensitive to pepper.) Taste the stuffing and adjust, adding more cayenne or red-pepper flakes for a more intense spiciness. Keep in mind that the long boiling time will soften the heat.
• Stuff the ham: Remove the bone, or have the butcher remove it for you. The ham should be almost butterflied. Add the bone to a pot large enough to hold the ham, fill with enough water to cover it and begin to heat the water to a boil.
• While the water heats, set the ham on a sheet pan and cut slits about 3 inches long and 2 inches deep in a few places to make pockets, being careful not to slice through the meat completely. The number of slits will depend on the size of the ham. The goal is an even distribution of stuffing. Pack the slits tightly with stuffing, and add stuffing to the center of the ham where the bone was. Close the ham and secure it with kitchen string.
• Prepare a large square of cheesecloth at least 3 layers thick. Spoon a layer of stuffing over the cheesecloth and set the ham on it. Pack more stuffing on the top and sides of the ham. Gather the corners of the cheesecloth to the top and twist tightly to form a compact package. Tie the top tightly with string.
• Lower the ham into boiling water, reduce heat to a simmer and add any juice that has collected from the stuffing. Skim any foam that rises. Cook, covered, for about 15 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
• Turn off the heat and let the ham cool slightly in the water, about an hour. (Old-timers simply put the whole pot on the porch overnight if the weather was cool, or left it on the stove until completely cooled.) Drain the ham in a colander and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. Remove the cheesecloth and string, and reserve any stuffing around the ham.
• To serve, slice the ham across the grain, so each slice contains stuffing and meat. Pile additional stuffing around the slices. The ham can be reheated, but more often it is served cold.