Best Herb Braised Ham Recipes

PERFECT GLAZED HAM

Steps:

• Dry a bone-in, fully cooked half ham (do not use a country ham) and bring to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Trim the ham skin, leaving the fat intact. Score the fat in a crosshatch pattern, making the cuts about 3/4 inch deep and 1 inch apart. Put the ham flat-side down on a rack in a roasting pan; add 1 cup water. Bake on the lowest oven rack, 40 minutes, adding more water if the pan gets dry. Meanwhile, make the glaze: Whisk 1 cup jam or marmalade with 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 cup dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons cider vinegar and 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce. Brush the ham with half of the glaze; cover loosely with foil and bake 45 more minutes. Brush with the remaining glaze and bake, uncovered, until the glaze is browned, 40 to 50 more minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before carving.
• Don't toss your ham bone! Add it to simmering soups, beans or braised greens for extra flavor.
• Give your ham a great crunch: Sprinkle one of the below mixes onto the glaze before the last 40 to 50 minutes of cooking.
• Spring Herb Mix 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), 3 tablespoons each chopped parsley and chives, and the grated zest of 1 lemon.
• Cornmeal-Thyme Crush 1 cup cornbread stuffing mix; toss with 2 tablespoons chopped thyme, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander and 1/2 cup cornmeal.
• Spicy Sourdough Grind 3 cups cubed sourdough bread in a food processor; toss with 1 tablespoon chili powder and 1 bunch chopped scallions.

AROMATIC SPICED HAM

Steps:

• Place the gammon in a large saucepan. Add all the ingredients for the ham to the pan, adding more water if the ham isn't covered. Bring to the boil, before reducing the heat to a simmer and partially covering the pan. Cook for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, approximately 1 hour a kilo simmering time, plus an extra 15 minutes.
• When you are ready to glaze the ham, preheat oven to 440 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Remove the ham from the liquid and sit the ham on a board. Strip off the rind, and a little of the fat layer if it's very thick, and cut a diamond pattern into the remaining fat with a sharp knife in lines of about 3/4-inch apart. Stud each diamond with a clove. Put the jelly, cinnamon, paprika and red wine vinegar into a saucepan and whisk together over a high heat bringing it to the boil. Let the pan bubble away so that the glaze reduces to a syrup-like consistency.
• Place a layer of foil over a roasting tray big enough to hold the ham. Place the ham on top of the foil. Pour the glaze over the clove-studded ham and then transfer it to the oven. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the glazed fat is burnished. Allow the meat to rest in a warm place for at least 15 minutes before carving it.

BRAISED-THEN-BAKED HAM

Steps:

• If there is tough skin covering the top of the ham, cut it off to expose the fat.
• In a large, deep pot, heat butter or oil over medium-high heat. Add carrots and onions and sauté until tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes.
• Place the ham on the vegetables, fatty side up. Add herb bundle, wine and 1 quart water and bring to a simmer.
• Cook for 2 to 3 hours at a bare simmer; baste with ladle every 20 minutes. After 2 hours, test with meat thermometer: ham is ready when internal temperature reaches 135 degrees. Turn off the heat.
• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Drain ham, reserving cooking liquid to use for stock (it freezes well). Place ham on a rack in a roasting pan, fatty side up, and score fat in a diamond pattern with tip of sharp knife. If using glaze, brush it on now.
• Place ham in oven; roast 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned. If using glaze, brush on more after first 10 minutes of cooking.
• Remove from oven, tent with foil, and let rest 20 to 30 minutes before carving.

HERB-BRAISED HAM

Steps:

• Put ham in deep 10- to 20-quart pot and cover with cold water (don't worry if bone sticks out). Bring to a boil, then drain ham.
• Put oven rack in lower third of oven (remove any other racks) and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Wash leeks in a bowl of cold water, then lift out and drain well. Cook leeks, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme sprigs, parsley stems, nutmeg, peppercorns, and cloves in 2 tablespoons butter in wide 7- to 10-quart heavy pot (see "special equipment," above) over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil, then add ham, skin side down, and water (liquid will not cover ham) and return to a boil.
• Cover pot tightly with lid or, if ham sticks up over top of pot, with heavy-duty foil. Braise ham in oven 1 hour.
• Turn ham skin side up and continue to braise in oven, covered, until thermometer inserted into center of ham (do not touch bone) registers 120°F, about 1 hour more (if ham was labeled "fully cooked"), or 160°F, about 2 hours more (if ham was labeled "partially cooked").
• While ham braises, mash together flour and remaining 3 tablespoons butter with a fork to make a beurre manié.
• Transfer ham to a platter and let stand, loosely covered with foil, 45 minutes.
• While ham stands, pour braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a 3-quart saucepan, pressing on and discarding solids, and skim off any fat. Bring braising liquid to a simmer and whisk in beurre manié 1/2 tablespoon at a time (sauce will become lumpy). Continue to simmer, whisking, until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chopped thyme and parsley.
• Remove skin from ham, then slice meat and serve with sauce.